145-461: The Modern Jazz Sextet is a jazz album featuring the combined talents of Dizzy Gillespie , Sonny Stitt , John Lewis , Percy Heath , Skeeter Best and Charlie Persip . The album was conceived by producer Norman Granz for his own label, Norgran Records . Although no single album artist is credited as a bandleader for this album, Verve Records - which owns the Norgran catalogue - files it as
290-558: A Juilliard -trained pianist, at the jazz club Birdland in New York City. In the mid-1960s, Gillespie settled down in Englewood, New Jersey , with his wife. The local Englewood public high school, Dwight Morrow High School , named its auditorium after him: the 'Dizzy Gillespie Auditorium'. Gillespie has been described as the "sound of surprise". The Rough Guide to Jazz describes his musical style: The whole essence of
435-525: A sound stage ; to accommodate this use, the windows on that story were covered up in 1985. When the Apollo Theater was developed, the dressing rooms were placed in a separate annex with showers and baths. The dressing rooms are simple in design. There is a wall of signatures in the dressing room. The Apollo's historian Billy Mitchell said in 2012, "Anyone who's been to or performed at the Apollo in
580-548: A Dizzy Gillespie album. Two of the album's rhythm section, Lewis and Heath, also feature in the 1952-founded Modern Jazz Quartet . AllMusic gives the album four stars, stating that "it did not take too much insight to realize that putting trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and altoist Sonny Stitt together with a strong rhythm section would result in some explosive music. ...Bebop at its best." Dizzy Gillespie John Birks " Dizzy " Gillespie ( / ɡ ɪ ˈ l ɛ s p i / gil- ESP -ee ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993)
725-448: A Gillespie solo was cliff-hanging suspense: the phrases and the angle of the approach were perpetually varied, breakneck runs were followed by pauses, by huge interval leaps, by long, immensely high notes, by slurs and smears and bluesy phrases; he always took listeners by surprise, always shocking them with a new thought. His lightning reflexes and superb ear meant his instrumental execution matched his thoughts in its power and speed. And he
870-539: A broad audience; recordings of it were released in 2005. He started to organize big bands in late 1945. Dizzy Gillespie and his Bebop Six, which included Parker, started an extended gig at Billy Berg's club in Los Angeles in December 1945. Reception was mixed and the band broke up. In February 1946 he signed a contract with Bluebird , gaining the distribution power of RCA for his music. He and his big band headlined
1015-495: A case of 'mistaken identity' of who I might shoot." He was classified 4-F . In 1943, he joined the Earl Hines band. Composer Gunther Schuller said, ... In 1943 I heard the great Earl Hines band which had Bird in it and all those other great musicians. They were playing all the flatted fifth chords and all the modern harmonies and substitutions and Gillespie runs in the trumpet section work. Two years later I read that that
1160-567: A contract in 1989 for the exclusive use of the Apollo's broadcast studios, but only one syndicated program was created through 1991. The theater was also being used only 50 percent of the time, while the studio's uptime was 30 percent. The Apollo was losing $ 2.4 million a year by 1990 and was predicted to lose $ 2.1 million over the next year. Sutton had expected to earn $ 1.7 million from videos and pay $ 1.3 million in salaries in 1990, but he ended up earning $ 280,000 and paying $ 1.8 million. The theater still faced competition from larger venues and
1305-472: A crisis from what turned out to be pancreatic cancer . He performed one more night but cancelled the rest of the tour for medical reasons, ending his 56-year touring career. He led his last recording session on January 25, 1992. On November 26, 1992, Carnegie Hall , following the Second Baháʼí World Congress , celebrated Gillespie's 75th birthday concert and his offering to the celebration of
1450-589: A few bands, most notably Ella Fitzgerald 's orchestra, composed of members of the Chick Webb 's band. Gillespie did not serve in World War II . At his Selective Service interview, he told the local board, "in this stage of my life here in the United States whose foot has been in my ass?" and "So if you put me out there with a gun in my hand and tell me to shoot at the enemy, I'm liable to create
1595-561: A firm owned by Percy E. Sutton, agreed in late 1981 to buy the theater; he paid either $ 220,000 or $ 225,000. Inner City had beat out a competing bid from the Bible of Deliverance Evangelist Church. Sutton recalled that there were "roaches, dead rats, swimming rats" in the flooded basement. Inner City acquired an 81 percent stake in the theater's legal owner, the Apollo Theatre Investor Group, while Sutton owned
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#17328010462231740-482: A gift from Jon Faddis ). Gillespie favored mouthpieces made by Al Cass . In December 1986 Gillespie gave the National Museum of American History his 1972 King "Silver Flair" trumpet with a Cass mouthpiece. In April 1995, Gillespie's Martin trumpet was auctioned at Christie's in New York City with instruments used by Coleman Hawkins , Jimi Hendrix , and Elvis Presley . An image of Gillespie's trumpet
1885-461: A gift shop next to the theater. The ATF began raising $ 30 million for the theater in the late 1990s, but the city and state governments refused to issue $ 750,000 in grants unless the foundation could provide financial statements. At the time, there was a dispute over how much Inner City owed the ATF for the use of the Apollo's name. The Apollo was mostly empty by 1998, except on Amateur Nights, and it
2030-789: A jazz cruise to Havana. Sandoval toured with Gillespie and defected in Rome in 1990 while touring with Gillespie and the United Nations Orchestra . In the 1980s, Gillespie led the United Nations Orchestra. For three years Flora Purim toured with the Orchestra. She credits Gillespie with improving her understanding of jazz. In 1982, he was sought out by Motown musician Stevie Wonder to play his solo in Wonder's 1982 hit single, " Do I Do ". He starred in
2175-707: A jazz musician. He won a music scholarship to the Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina which he attended for two years before accompanying his family when they moved to Philadelphia in 1935. Gillespie's first professional job was with the Frank Fairfax Orchestra in 1935, after which he joined the respective orchestras of Edgar Hayes and later Teddy Hill , replacing Frankie Newton as second trumpet in May 1937. Teddy Hill's band
2320-483: A joke but proceeds went to Congress of Racial Equality , Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Martin Luther King Jr. ; in later years they became a collector's item. In 1971, he announced he would run again but withdrew before the election . Shortly after the death of Charlie Parker, Gillespie encountered an audience member after a show. They had a conversation about the oneness of humanity and
2465-516: A large impact on African-American culture and has been featured in multiple books and shows. The Apollo Theater is located at 253 West 125th Street , between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue), in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City . The irregular land lot has frontage on both 125th Street to
2610-605: A lower-tier Columbia subsidiary. The American wheel was dissolved in 1922 and the New Theatre retained its monopoly on Columbia burlesque in Upper Manhattan. The growth of Harlem's black population forced many theater owners to begin admitting black patrons in the 1920s, though Jamaican-American author Joel Augustus Rogers claimed that the New Theatre's black patrons were consistently given inferior seats. The New Theatre began sponsoring shows with mixed-race casts in
2755-524: A party for his wife Lorraine at Snookie's, a club in Manhattan, where his trumpet's bell got bent upward in an accident, but he liked the sound so much he had a special trumpet made with a 45-degree raised bell, a customization that would become his trademark. In 1956 Gillespie organized a band to go on a State Department tour of the Middle East which was well-received internationally and earned him
2900-519: A popular vaudeville venue, while the latter had previously been the neighborhood's predominant black theater. Cohen took out advertisements and broadcast shows on local radio stations, prompting equally vigorous promotion campaigns from Schiffman and Brecher. Cohen, Schiffman, and Brecher agreed to a truce in May 1935, and Cohen leased the theater the next month to the Harlem Opera House's operator, Duane Theater Corporation. Ralph Cooper
3045-423: A production studio for TV broadcasts and video productions, as well as a new hall of fame with memorabilia from the theater's history. Air-conditioning and an elevator were added, and the theater also received new lights, sound systems, and dressing rooms and a restored interior. By late 1983 and early 1984, the Apollo was expected to open in late 1984. To advertise the Apollo's return, Sutton briefly reopened
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#17328010462233190-426: A rehearsal space and was converted into a staff recreation room in the 1940s. In addition, there were a ladies' parlor and men's smoking room, which were enlarged in the 1940s. The second story originally had a dining room, while the third story had meeting rooms and lofts. By the 1980s, the second and third floors were being used as storage space and offices, with small rooms on both stories. The third floor also has
3335-699: A symbol of the new music. His big bands of the late 1940s also featured Cuban rumberos Chano Pozo and Sabu Martinez , sparking interest in Afro-Cuban jazz. He appeared frequently as a soloist with Norman Granz 's Jazz at the Philharmonic . Gillespie and his Bee Bop Orchestra was the featured star of the 4th Cavalcade of Jazz concert held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles which was produced by Leon Hefflin Sr. on September 12, 1948. The young maestro had recently returned from Europe where his music rocked
3480-504: A three-story commercial structure at 253 to 259 West 125th Street, with a 2,500-seat burlesque theater in the rear, at 240 to 260 West 126th Street. Hurtig and Seamon , who had been leasing the nearby Harlem Music Hall, wanted a larger venue to accommodate the burlesque productions of the Columbia Amusement Company , which they had joined, and were set to lease the theater for 30 years for a total of $ 1.375 million;
3625-407: A wide variety of genres on different evenings: for example, the Apollo hosted jazz and rock on Friday and Saturday nights, gospel on Sunday mornings, and Amateur Nights on Wednesday nights. The revived theater also had a mixed-race dance company, which according to Sutton was intended to "send a message that everyone is welcome here". By October 1985, the theater had closed temporarily to accommodate
3770-750: A year, then left and freelanced with other bands. In 1939, with the help of Willis, Gillespie joined Cab Calloway 's orchestra. He recorded one of his earliest compositions, "Pickin' the Cabbage", with Calloway in 1940. After an altercation between the two, Calloway fired Gillespie in late 1941. The incident is recounted by Gillespie and Calloway's band members Milt Hinton and Jonah Jones in Jean Bach 's 1997 film, The Spitball Story . Calloway disapproved of Gillespie's mischievous humor and his adventuresome approach to soloing. According to Jones, Calloway referred to it as "Chinese music". During rehearsal, someone in
3915-511: A young patron was killed at the theater later the same year. The Apollo was used exclusively for movies and gospel shows in the mid-1970s and was closed in January 1976. The theater had faulty stage equipment and deteriorating facilities, and many of the Apollo's onetime headliners refused to perform there. More obscure acts did not draw large enough crowds to make a profit, and the Apollo had closed by 1977. Robert Schiffman considered replacing
4060-420: Is a semicircular steel structure that protrudes outward. The second and third stories are made of white glazed terracotta, which dates from the theater's opening in 1914. A cornice with dentils runs horizontally across the facade just below the second floor. The second- and third-story windows are arranged vertically into four bays . The bays are separated by three fluted pilasters topped by capitals in
4205-757: Is based on traditional Afro-Cuban rhythms. Gillespie was introduced to Chano Pozo in 1947 by Mario Bauza , a Latin jazz trumpet player. Chano Pozo became Gillespie's conga drummer for his band. Gillespie also worked with Mario Bauza in New York jazz clubs on 52nd Street and several famous dance clubs such as the Palladium and the Apollo Theater in Harlem . They played together in the Chick Webb band and Cab Calloway's band, where Gillespie and Bauza became lifelong friends. Gillespie helped develop and mature
4350-439: Is on the south, toward 125th Street, and is three stories high. The ground floor has been renovated several times and consists of a ticket office to the west and a storefront to the east. The modern design of the ground floor dates to a renovation completed in 2005. The eastern side of the ground floor contains a glass-and-steel storefront, with monitors installed in place of the original display cases. The modern-day box office
4495-469: The A , B , C , and D trains, is located one block to the west. The theater was designed by George Keister with elements of the neoclassical style. It was one of several theaters that Keister designed in that style, along with the Belasco Theatre , Bronx Opera House , Selwyn Theater , and Earl Carroll Theatre . The theater's main facade
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4640-630: The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Duke Ellington Award for 50 years of achievement as a composer, performer, and bandleader. In 1989, Gillespie was awarded with an honorary doctorate of music from Berklee College of Music . In 1991, Gillespie received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member Wynton Marsalis . In 1993 he received
4785-485: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, allowing black entertainers to perform in nightclubs and hotels. The Apollo was smaller than similar venues; the neighborhood's economy was in decline; and the Apollo was not near other popular venues. Other issues included a perception of rising crime and a lack of parking. The theater's production manager, Charles Coles , said in 1967 that white audiences avoided
4930-471: The Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City . It is a popular venue for black American performers and is the home of the TV show Showtime at the Apollo . The theater, which has approximately 1,500 seats across three levels, was designed by George Keister with elements of the neoclassical style . The facade and interior of the theater are New York City designated landmarks and are listed on
5075-492: The Ionic order , and there is a paneled pilaster with Tuscan capitals outside each of the outermost bays. The capitals of all five pilasters contain anthemia . Within each bay, the second and third floors each contain a square window and are separated by spandrel panels with shields and fluting. Above the third-story windows are spandrels with Greek fret designs, as well as a metal cornice with modillions . A steel marquee
5220-669: The Mutual Burlesque Association . Following Hurtig's death in early 1928, Hurtig & Seamon's New Theater was leased that May to the Minsky brothers and their partner, Joseph Weinstock, who had been staging burlesque shows at a small theater above the Harlem Opera House named the Apollo. Seamon, along with I. H. Herk , retained an interest in the New Theater. As part of the agreement,
5365-532: The National Register of Historic Places . The nonprofit Apollo Theater Foundation (ATF) operates the theater, as well as two smaller auditoriums at the Victoria Theater and a recording studio at the Apollo. The Apollo was developed by Jules Hurtig and Harry Seamon as a burlesque venue, which opened in 1913 and originally served only white patrons. In 1928, the Minsky brothers leased
5510-879: The Polar Music Prize in Sweden. In 2002, he was posthumously inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame for his contributions to Afro-Cuban music. He was honored on December 31, 2006 in A Jazz New Year's Eve: Freddy Cole & the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In 2014, Gillespie was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame . Samuel E. Wright played Dizzy Gillespie in
5655-557: The Waldorf Astoria New York and Copacabana had started allowing black performers. Even so, many popular black artists such as Eartha Kitt and Sammy Davis Jr. regularly returned for "the folks who can't make it downtown". Robert Schiffman took over the theater's management in 1960 or 1961. He kept prices low to cater to the local community, and he tried to attract up-and-coming talent by talking with local DJs and listening to music at nearby bars. The 1960s saw
5800-462: The 1930s and again in the 1960s, and the lobby was enlarged in the late 1970s. Following another renovation in 2006, the Tree of Hope , a stump that performers rubbed for good luck, was moved to the lobby. The lobby occupies the western half of the ground level frontage on 125th Street; the eastern half of the frontage houses a store. The original main lobby had a group of murals. By the early 1970s,
5945-476: The 1940s, Gillespie, with Charlie Parker , became a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz. He taught and influenced many other musicians, including trumpeters Miles Davis , Jon Faddis , Fats Navarro , Clifford Brown , Arturo Sandoval , Lee Morgan , Chuck Mangione , and balladeer Johnny Hartman . He pioneered Afro-Cuban jazz and won several Grammy Awards. Scott Yanow wrote: "Dizzy Gillespie's contributions to jazz were huge. One of
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6090-499: The 1946 film Jivin' in Be-Bop . After his work with Parker, Gillespie led other small combos (including ones with Milt Jackson , John Coltrane , Lalo Schifrin , Ray Brown , Kenny Clarke , James Moody , J. J. Johnson , and Yusef Lateef ) and put together his successful big bands starting in 1947. He and his big bands, with arrangements provided by Tadd Dameron , Gil Fuller , and George Russell , popularized bebop and made him
6235-430: The 1970s, the Apollo was the only remaining black vaudeville theater in the U.S.; other such theaters had closed because they were attracting fewer entertainers and could not compete with large venues. The Apollo Theater was struggling financially by early 1975, forcing its owners to lay off over 100 staff members. The Apollo had been forced to cut back its schedule of live shows to 20–22 weeks per year, less than half of
6380-482: The 1980s and again in 2006, when wide cranberry-colored seats were installed. The bottom of each row of seats is illuminated by aisle lighting. In addition, there is a seating area for disabled patrons. On each level, the seats are divided by two central aisles. As part of a 2024 renovation, the Apollo Theater Foundation planned to add 29 seats on the orchestra level. The rear (western) end of
6525-731: The 45–50 weeks that the theater had presented in its peak. Management could not raise prices, even by a few cents, because that would drive away the local residents who frequented the theater. In addition, the surrounding area was deserted at night; the Apollo could not afford to pay performers at the significantly higher rates that they demanded; and patrons preferred to watch headliners' performances instead of multi-act shows. To raise money, Robert Schiffman wanted to show first runs of films featuring black actors but faced competition from other Manhattan theaters. The Apollo's managers began running for-sale advertisements in several major papers in 1975. The area had also become dangerous; for example,
6670-573: The Afro-Cuban jazz style. Afro-Cuban jazz was considered bebop-oriented, and some musicians classified it as a modern style. Afro-Cuban jazz was successful because it never decreased in popularity and it always attracted people to dance. Gillespie's most famous contributions to Afro-Cuban music are "Manteca" and "Tin Tin Deo" (both co-written with Chano Pozo); he was responsible for commissioning George Russell 's "Cubano Be, Cubano Bop", which featured Pozo. In 1977, Gillespie met Arturo Sandoval during
6815-734: The Apollo Film Committee. Three hundred churches with black congregations also donated to the Apollo, and State Assembly member Geraldine L. Daniels asked the Recording Academy to consider hosting the Grammy Awards there. By July 1991, the Apollo Theatre Investor Group was creating a nonprofit to take over the theater's operation. In September 1991, the New York State Urban Development Corporation (UDC) bought
6960-542: The Apollo Theater began to decline in 1930 as Minsky concentrated on his new flagship theater off Times Square, the Republic . The Minskys moved many of their shows from the Irving Place Theatre and Minsky's Brooklyn theater to the Apollo in 1931. For the 1931–1932 season, the theater hosted Columbia burlesque, with two shows per day. After Billy Minsky died in 1932, his younger brother Herbert took over
7105-509: The Apollo Theatre Investor Group would have canceled the project entirely. Sutton transferred the theater building and underlying land to the New York state government, as he wished to receive a $ 9 million state grant. He then leased the theater for 99 years. Sutton ultimately obtained $ 10 million from a consortium of lenders. The renovation experienced more delays, and a construction management firm incurred nearly $ 800,000 in charges before work had even started. The renovated theater included
7250-429: The Apollo and assigned its operation to the nonprofit Apollo Theater Foundation (ATF). As part of the deal, Manufacturers Hanover agreed to forgive $ 2.9 million in unpaid mortgage payments. In addition, the state UDC agreed to restructure a $ 7.67 million grant, although it was unwilling to forgive the entire debt, which totaled $ 11.4 million. Performers such as Natalie Cole continued to host shows to raise money for
7395-411: The Apollo because of the 1964 riots and the rise of race-integrated venues. The Apollo continued to decline through the late 1960s and early 1970s. The Schiffman family was looking to sell the Apollo to black entrepreneurs in the 1960s, having rejected several purchase offers from white theatrical operators. There was also growing support for grassroots performances at the theater. During that time,
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#17328010462237540-417: The Apollo closed temporarily that May and remained dark for seven months. The theater began hosting burlesque again in December 1933, with two midday shows in addition to the usual evening show. By then, however, newly elected mayor Fiorello La Guardia had begun to crack down on burlesque theaters citywide. Sidney Cohen, who owned other theaters in the area, took over the theater in January 1934. At
7685-426: The Apollo continued to host variety shows every night and was often sold out during weekends; many of these live acts were accompanied by films. In 1972, a group of investors led by New York Amsterdam News editor Clarence B. Jones expressed interest in buying the theater, but the deal was canceled when interest rates increased sharply. As late as 1973, it had between 42 and 45 weeks of live shows annually, and
7830-532: The Apollo's headliners earned as much as $ 50,000 per week. The theater had pivoted away from staging comedy and drama and were instead mostly presenting recording groups. Frank Schiffman recalled that the theater's audience at the time was predominantly black and largely consisted of local residents. Although the Apollo did host some successful shows between 1970 and 1974, the theater's offerings dropped sharply afterward; Herb Boyd wrote in 2009 that "Apollo lovers had to resort to memories rather than performances". By
7975-399: The Apollo, and he intended to host and broadcast live shows from the theater. The Apollo Entertainment TV Network was formed in mid-1982 to broadcast programs from the theater's studios. The Harlem Urban Development Corporation (HUDC) announced a $ 1 million grant for the theater in May 1982. The original reopening date of July 1982 was postponed due to the complexity of the project, and
8120-475: The Apollo. Sutton remained involved with the theater as an unpaid consultant, and Inner City provided $ 500,000 per year in radio advertising for the Apollo. In addition, Inner City Theater Group licensed the Apollo's name and the rights to use the theater for five years. The ATF took over the theater in September 1992. A plaque, celebrating the Apollo's listing on the National Register of Historic Places ,
8265-538: The Apollo. The ATF also created a public museum and held events to pay for maintenance. The revitalization of the Apollo Theater led to increased pedestrian traffic along West 125th Street, while the theater itself had 12 events per month, attracting 17,000 guests. Grace Blake became the ATF's director in 1996. The next year, the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation allocated funding for
8410-620: The Harlem Music Hall at 209 West 125th Street in 1897. Hurtig and Seamon produced several shows starring black superstars Bert Williams and George Walker between 1898 and 1905. The Music Hall was converted to burlesque c. 1911. C. J. Stumpf & H. J. Langhoff of Milwaukee , Wisconsin, acquired land on 125th and 126th Street from the Cromwell estate and Lit family around 1911 or 1912. They announced plans in June 1912 for
8555-545: The Manufacturers Hanover Corporation agreed to waive further loan payments for six months. Sutton considered transferring the theater's operation to a new nonprofit organization, which would cost him $ 6 million. He asked entertainers such as Bill Cosby to perform at the Apollo to raise money, A network TV special, benefit performances, and film screenings were organized to raise money, and numerous celebrities formed an organization called Save
8700-508: The New Theater was renamed Hurtig & Seamon's Apollo, and the Harlem Opera House and the former Apollo within it were restricted from staging burlesque, vaudeville, musical comedy, or "tab shows" as long as Hurtig & Seamon's Apollo staged burlesque. In exchange, the latter theater could not show movies. Hurtig & Seamon's Apollo reopened in August 1928 after the Minskys renovated
8845-815: The White House would be renamed the Blues House, and he would have a cabinet composed of Duke Ellington (Secretary of State), Miles Davis (Director of the CIA), Max Roach (Secretary of Defense), Charles Mingus (Secretary of Peace), Ray Charles (Librarian of Congress), Louis Armstrong (Secretary of Agriculture), Mary Lou Williams (Ambassador to the Vatican), Thelonious Monk (Travelling Ambassador) and Malcolm X (Attorney General). He said his running mate would be Phyllis Diller . Campaign buttons had been manufactured years before by Gillespie's booking agency as
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#17328010462238990-435: The arch and a molded band and entablature running atop it. The surround and entablature both contain decorative plaster motifs. Above the boxes and the proscenium arch is a cornice with large dentils, as well as a plaster frieze decorated with foliate motifs. The ceiling is slightly coved at its edge. At the center of the ceiling is a semicircular dome with a medallion surrounded by a molding of cornucopia . The theater
9135-546: The band threw a spitball. Already in a foul mood, Calloway blamed Gillespie, who refused to take the blame. Gillespie stabbed Calloway in the leg with a knife. Calloway had minor cuts on the thigh and wrist. After the two were separated, Calloway fired Gillespie. A few days later, Gillespie tried to apologize to Calloway, but he was dismissed. During his time in Calloway's band, Gillespie started writing big band music for Woody Herman and Jimmy Dorsey . He then freelanced with
9280-419: The bebop era like Charlie Parker , Thelonious Monk , Bud Powell , Kenny Clarke , Oscar Pettiford , and Gillespie. Through these musicians, a new vocabulary of musical phrases was created. With Parker, Gillespie jammed at famous jazz clubs like Minton's Playhouse and Monroe's Uptown House . Parker's system also held methods of adding chords to existing chord progressions and implying additional chords within
9425-539: The centenary of the passing of Baháʼu'lláh . Gillespie was to appear at Carnegie Hall for the 33rd time. The line-up included Jon Faddis , James Moody , Paquito D'Rivera , and the Mike Longo Trio with Ben Brown on bass and Mickey Roker on drums. Gillespie was too unwell to attend. "But the musicians played their real hearts out for him, no doubt suspecting that he would not play again. Each musician gave tribute to their friend, this great soul and innovator in
9570-429: The chorus girls were no longer employed at the theater by the late 1930s. The New York Amsterdam News described the Apollo in 1939 as "the only theatre in the country where Negro performers are predominantly featured", at a time when many other venues still did not allow black performers. The Apollo temporarily closed in mid-1940 for upgrades, reopening that September. The theater began showing musical comedies for
9715-431: The construction of new recording studios. In September 1991, the New York State Urban Development Corporation bought the Apollo and assigned its operation to the ATF. Further renovations took place in the mid-2000s, and an expansion of the theater commenced in the 2020s. Among the theater's longest-running events is Amateur Night at the Apollo, a weekly show where audiences judge the quality of novice performances. Many of
9860-476: The construction of the recording studio; the New York Amsterdam News reported two months later that the work would last until late 1986. Showtime at the Apollo , a TV series showcasing Amateur Night performers, was launched in 1987. The facilities were not all complete until mid-1988, and the renovation ended up costing $ 20 million. Sutton's lenders allowed him to defer payments on
10005-418: The continent. The program description noted "the musicianship, inventive technique, and daring of this young man has created a new style, which can be defined as off the chord solo gymnastics." Also on the program that day were Frankie Laine , Little Miss Cornshucks , The Sweethearts of Rhythm , The Honeydrippers , Big Joe Turner , Jimmy Witherspoon , The Blenders, and The Sensations. In 1948, Gillespie
10150-423: The conventional design. According to Gillespie's autobiography, this was originally the result of accidental damage caused by the dancers Stump and Stumpy falling onto the instrument while it was on a trumpet stand on stage at Snookie's in Manhattan on January 6, 1953, during a birthday party for Gillespie's wife Lorraine. The constriction caused by the bending altered the tone of the instrument, and Gillespie liked
10295-426: The development of row houses, apartments, and the city's first subway line . By the early 20th century the neighborhood had several vaudeville , burlesque , film , and legitimate theaters centered around 125th Street and Seventh Avenue , which led to the corridor being known as "Harlem's 42nd Street". Among the operators of these early theaters were theatrical producers Jules Hurtig and Harry Seamon, who leased
10440-532: The effect. He had the trumpet straightened out the next day, but he could not forget the tone. Gillespie sent a request to Martin to make him a "bent" trumpet from a sketch produced by Lorraine, and from that time forward played a trumpet with an upturned bell. By June 1954 he was using a professionally manufactured horn of this design, and it was to become a trademark for the rest of his life. Such trumpets were made for him by Martin (from 1954), King Musical Instruments (from 1972) and Renold Schilke (from 1982,
10585-542: The elimination of racism from the perspective of the Baháʼí Faith . Impacted by the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, he became a Baháʼí that same year. The universalist emphasis of his religion prodded him to see himself more as a global citizen and humanitarian, expanding on his interest in his African heritage. His spirituality brought out generosity and what author Nat Hentoff called an inner strength, discipline, and "soul force". Gillespie's conversion
10730-471: The existing theater with a new 3,000-seat venue, and there were also calls to renovate the Apollo or to merge it with the Victoria Theater. During the Apollo's closure, the already-dilapidated seats and decorations continued to decay, and burst water pipes destroyed the stage. Robert Schiffman sold the Apollo in early 1978 to a group of black businessmen, who became the first black owners of
10875-666: The film Bird (1988), about Charlie Parker . Kevin Hanchard portrayed Gillespie in the Chet Baker biopic Born to Be Blue (2015). Charles S. Dutton played him in For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story (2000). Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater (formerly the Hurtig & Seamon's New Theatre ; also Apollo Theatre or 125th Street Apollo Theatre ) is a multi-use theater at 253 West 125th Street in
11020-596: The film The Winter in Lisbon that was released as El invierno en Lisboa in 1992 and re-released in 2004. The soundtrack album, featuring him, was recorded in 1990 and released in 1991. The film is a crime drama about a jazz pianist who falls for a dangerous woman while in Portugal with an American expatriate's jazz band. In December 1991, during an engagement at Kimball's East in Emeryville, California, he suffered
11165-462: The first time in February 1941. Jazz performances and bebop at the Apollo were popular in the 1940s, and gospel was hosted sporadically. The Apollo appealed to mixed-race audiences in the 1940s; on Sundays, as much as four-fifths of the audience were white. During World War II, the theater offered 35 free tickets to members of the U.S. armed forces, and entertainers at the Apollo performed at
11310-443: The foundation's board of directors of mismanagement and sued the six black members of the 10-member board, including chairman Charles Rangel . Vacco also unsuccessfully requested that New York Supreme Court justice Ira Gammerman place the theater into receivership. Rangel and Sutton denied Vacco's accusations, and Vacco's successor Eliot Spitzer calculated that Inner City owed the ATF only $ 1 million. By early 1999, Time Warner
11455-474: The greatest jazz trumpeters of all time, Gillespie was such a complex player that his contemporaries ended up being similar to those of Miles Davis and Fats Navarro instead, and it was not until Jon Faddis's emergence in the 1970s that Dizzy's style was successfully recreated [....] Gillespie is remembered, by both critics and fans alike, as one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time". The youngest of nine children of Lottie and James Gillespie, Dizzy Gillespie
11600-459: The improvised lines. Gillespie compositions like " Groovin' High ", " Woody 'n' You ", and " Salt Peanuts " sounded radically different, harmonically and rhythmically, from the swing music popular at the time. " A Night in Tunisia ", written in 1942, while he was playing with Earl Hines's band, is noted for having a feature that is common in today's music: a syncopated bass line. "Woody 'n' You"
11745-420: The last 20 years has their name on the wall—from Pee-wee Herman to the president of the United States". A production studio for TV broadcasts and video productions was constructed on top of an adjacent wing during the 1980s. The studio is variously cited as covering 3,500 square feet (330 m ), 3,800 square feet (350 m ), or 4,000 square feet (370 m ). It could record 24 tracks at once and
11890-478: The loans until 1992 while he tried to make a profit. To raise money, Sutton sold recordings of shows on a pay-per-view basis and tried to create syndicated TV programs at the theater. He also planned to earn money from Showtime at the Apollo , the Apollo Theater Records label, and licensing agreements, but the theater remained unprofitable. Advertising firm Saatchi & Saatchi signed
12035-424: The lobby had been redecorated with a montage of notable entertainers who appeared at the Apollo. There was also a ticket office and box office on one wall of the lobby. The modern-day lobby has two staircases, which lead to the first and second balconies of the auditorium. The space is illuminated by four grand chandeliers. There is a gift shop near the entrance. As of 2023 , a cafe is planned to be built within
12180-611: The lobby, repainted the auditorium, and extended the runway at orchestra level. Variety magazine reported that Walter Reade had leased the new Apollo for 16 + 1 ⁄ 2 years, but Billy Minsky bought out Seamon's lease the next month and continued to operate the theater. Initially, the theater still presented shows from the Mutual Circuit, which Herk headed. Performers typically mingled with audience members and performed for longer durations than under Hurtig & Seamon's tenure. Minsky and Herk split in mid-1929, but
12325-449: The lobby; it is expected to open in 2025. The auditorium is at the north end of the building and is rectangular in plan, with curved walls, a domed ceiling, and two balcony levels over the orchestra level. The Apollo Theater was cited as having 2,000 seats in the 1930s and 1,700 seats in the 1970s; it was described in 1985 as having 1,500 or 1,550 seats. By the early 2010s, the theater had 1,536 seats. The seats were refurbished in
12470-551: The middle of that decade, and Hurtig & Seamon also planned to produce shows with all-black casts. The theater building was sold in August 1925 to the Benenson Realty Company, though Hurtig & Seamon continued to operate the theater. That year, the theater's orchestra was expanded, and a runway was introduced. As Columbia burlesque withered in 1926, Hurtig & Seamon elected to present stock burlesque in 1927, then, later that year, switched allegiance to
12615-399: The name "Apollo" was erected near the western end of the facade in the 1940s. A modern marquee with LEDs , resembling the original marquee, was installed in 2005. At the same time, the original vertical sign was replaced with the current yellow-and-red blade sign. The theater has an L-shaped plan, with a narrow lobby leading to the main entrance on 125th Street, as well as the auditorium at
12760-438: The nearby Harlem Defense Recreation Center on Tuesday nights. Schiffman closed the theater temporarily for renovations in August 1945. The project cost $ 45,000 and entailed new sound systems, a remodeled orchestra pit, women's and men's lounges, a staff recreation room, and modifications to decorations. After World War II, the theater occasionally staged a chorus line with six acts. By 1946, Schiffman had announced plans to widen
12905-673: The nickname "the Ambassador of Jazz". During this time, he also continued to lead a big band that performed throughout the United States and featured musicians including Pee Wee Moore and others. This band recorded a live album at the 1957 Newport jazz festival that featured Mary Lou Williams as a guest artist on piano. In the late 1940s, Gillespie was involved in the movement called Afro-Cuban music , bringing Afro-Latin American music and elements to greater prominence in jazz and even pop music, particularly salsa . Afro-Cuban jazz
13050-409: The orchestra contains a standing rail with scagliola . Scagliola decorations, composed of scrolls supporting a triangular pediment , are also placed around the doorways on the rear wall of the orchestra. Fluted columns on the orchestra level support the first balcony; the lower parts of the columns are devoid of ornamentation. The orchestra is raked , sloping down toward an orchestra pit in front of
13195-422: The rear on 126th Street. Although the interior underwent several modifications in the mid-20th century, many of the 1910s-era decorations remained intact in 1983. The theater's original decorative features were preserved during the mid-1980s renovation. The main lobby is a long and narrow space; some observers, including Jack Schiffman, have likened it to a bowling alley. The space was modified significantly in
13340-469: The remaining 19 percent of the group. According to Sutton, the purchase price was "the cheapest part of bringing the Apollo back", since the theater needed extensive renovations. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) started to consider designating the Apollo Theater as a city landmark in early 1982, and it hosted hearings for the theater's landmark status during the middle of that year. That July, state officials also proposed listing
13485-585: The rest of the $ 6.8 million cost by themselves. The Suttons announced in December 1982 that they would withdraw from the project after the New York State Mortgage Agency rejected the Suttons' request for insurance assistance. Despite this, mayor Ed Koch expressed optimism that the renovation would continue. The renovation was restarted in May 1983 after the state UDC agreed to give the theater $ 2.5 million; without this funding,
13630-480: The rising popularity of R&B at the Apollo, as well as mixed-genre productions. The theater was renovated slightly in 1960, and new sound-amplification equipment and lighting was added in August 1961. During the 1964 Harlem riots, the Apollo temporarily screened movies exclusively due to decreased patronage. The lobby and auditorium were renovated in 1967; the project was conducted almost entirely by black workers and cost $ 50,000. Business began to decline after
13775-600: The same year as the Cuban Missile Crisis , it uses audio from an improvised conversation between the two debating the causes of accidents and the possibility of accidentally launching nuclear weapons . The short went on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film the following year. During the 1964 United States presidential campaign , Gillespie put himself forward as an independent write-in candidate . He promised that if he were elected,
13920-413: The second balcony could see the entire theater. On either side of the proscenium are two boxes each on the first and second balcony levels, which are accessed by their own staircases and are housed within round-arched openings. The spandrels above the arches contain classical motifs, and the boxes have varying amounts of decorations. The proscenium arch has a surround with colonnettes on either side of
14065-567: The show. Because the Apollo did not have wealthy backers, in contrast to venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera House , its income depended heavily on the success or failure of each week's show. As a cost-cutting measure, the Apollo paid performers low salaries, to which most up-and-coming performers readily agreed. The Apollo's conversion had occurred at the end of the Harlem Renaissance . It
14210-474: The significance of rhythm there and all about how music can transport people spiritually." In Gillespie's obituary, Peter Watrous describes his performance style: In the naturally effervescent Mr. Gillespie, opposites existed. His playing—and he performed constantly until nearly the end of his life—was meteoric, full of virtuosic invention and deadly serious. But with his endlessly funny asides, his huge variety of facial expressions and his natural comic gifts, he
14355-495: The south and 126th Street to the north. The site covers 17,454 sq ft (1,621.5 m ), with a frontage of 50 ft (15 m) on 125th Street and a depth of 200 ft (61 m). The theater is adjacent to the Victoria Theater to the west. Several MTA Regional Bus Operations routes stop outside the theater, while the New York City Subway 's 125th Street/St. Nicholas Avenue station, served by
14500-450: The stage. The front walls of the auditorium flank a flat proscenium opening in the center. The balconies are also raked and contain similar scagliola decorations to the orchestra level. The balconies' fronts have brass handrails and are decorated with plasterwork motifs. At the first balcony are square columns supporting the second balcony. The second balcony was described by author James V. Hatch as "the bird's nest", since audiences in
14645-457: The state government expressed concerns that Sutton could not afford to pay for increasing renovation costs. That September, the U.S. federal government gave a $ 1.5 million Urban Development Action Grant to the city government, which lent the money to the Apollo's operators. The city's Industrial Development Agency also issued $ 2.8 million in bonds to fund the construction of a recording studio. Percy Sutton and his brother Oliver wished to raise
14790-417: The theater also hosted movies during the summer when burlesque was on hiatus, as well as other events such as benefits and fundraisers. A stock burlesque company composed of numerous Broadway performers was established at the theater in 1917. Beginning in 1920, Hurtig & Seamon's New Theatre faced competition from the nearby Mount Morris Theatre on 116th Street, which featured shows on the American wheel,
14935-503: The theater and add an air-cooling system when construction materials became available. The theater was sold in 1949 to the Harlem Apollo Realty Corporation, although Schiffman and Brecher continued to operate the Apollo. That year, they began experimenting with staging Broadway -class shows at the Apollo. Schiffman's sons Jack and Robert began working at the theater in the late 1940s and early 1950s. As
15080-517: The theater continued to feature a mixture of stock shows and Mutual shows. Mutual began a decline precipitated by the Depression, and Billy Minsky announced in March 1930 that he would stop presenting Mutual shows. The following month, he started presenting stock shows with both black and white casts. Bessie Smith was among the earliest black entertainers to perform at the Apollo. Burlesque at
15225-423: The theater for burlesque shows. Sidney Cohen acquired the theater in 1934, and it became a venue for black performers. Frank Schiffman and his family operated the theater from 1935 to 1976. A group of black businessmen briefly operated the theater from 1978 to 1979, and former Manhattan borough president Percy Sutton bought it at an auction in 1981. The Apollo reopened in 1985 following a major refurbishment that saw
15370-687: The theater for several events during its renovation. These included the AUDELCO awards in November 1983, an Amateur Night that December, and a revue in June 1984. Sutton estimated that it cost $ 72,000 just to operate the theater once a month. At the end of 1984, the State Mortgage Agency agreed to insure three-fourths of a $ 2.9 million mortgage that the Manufacturers Hanover Corporation had placed on
15515-601: The theater itself would cost $ 200,000. Work could not begin until the existing leases on the site expired the following May. Stumpf and Langhoff hired Keister to design the theater, while either Cramp & Company or the Security Construction Company was hired as the general contractor. One local real-estate investor wrote that the theater was to be "the most important new work for the immediate future" on that block of 125th Street. A groundbreaking ceremony occurred in January 1913, at which point it
15660-462: The theater on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) after nonprofit New York Landmarks Conservancy had conducted a report of the theater. The Apollo's facade and interior were designated as New York City landmarks in June 1983. The theater was added to the NRHP in November 1983; the NRHP listing became official in June 1984. Sutton initially intended to spend $ 5.7 million on renovating
15805-539: The theater was closed for upgrades for two weeks every August; a large CinemaScope screen was installed during one such closure in 1955. By the late 1950s, Variety magazine criticized the theater for "allowing some of its actors to carry on with assorted vulgarisms". A typical booking consisted of five or six performances per day for seven days. The Apollo was one of the few remaining venues for black entertainers in Harlem during that time, although other venues such as
15950-554: The theater's most famous performers are inducted in the Apollo Legends Hall of Fame, and the theater has commissioned various works and hosted educational programs. Over the years, the theater has hosted many musical, dance, theatrical, and comedy acts, with several performers often featured on the same bill. In addition, the theater has hosted film screenings, recordings, and tapings, as well as non-performance events such as speeches, debates, and tributes. The Apollo has had
16095-606: The theater's operation. That same year, Herk, Herbert Minsky, and Weinstock agreed to showcase Columbia burlesque at the Apollo. Attendance decreased after the Apollo started presenting shows without nudity or stripteases . The theater briefly hosted performances from the Empire Wheel in late 1932, and the Apollo began to stage black vaudeville that year. The Apollo's operators also started serving alcoholic beverages in April 1933. After failing to renew its burlesque license,
16240-433: The theater. The new owners included Rich and Elmer T. Morris and Guy Fisher . The group spent $ 250,000 renovating the Apollo, which entailed replacing the sound system, renovating backstage areas, and furnishing the lobby. In addition, the new owners hired David E. McCarthy as the general manager and added reserved seating. The theater reopened on May 6, 1978, with a performance by percussionist Ralph MacDonald that
16385-408: The theater; that bank had provided $ 6 million in total funding. The first phase cost $ 5.5 million in total. Local residents hoped that the Apollo's renovation would spur a revival of the neighboring stretch of 125th Street. The first shows at the refurbished theater were hosted on May 22, 1985. At the time of the rededication, the recording studio was not complete. Sutton had intended to stage
16530-416: The time, many of Harlem's most popular black theaters were clustered around 125th Street. The theater was converted into a performance venue for black entertainers, with an all-black staff. Most vestiges of the former burlesque shows were quickly removed. Unlike the previous burlesque shows, which had been controversial because they verged on nudity, the new programming would be family-friendly. The theater
16675-401: The trumpet, saxophone, piano, bass and drums. Dizzy recommended Fats Navarro for the job with Eckstine, who proved to be an ample replacement. Bebop was known as the first modern jazz style. However, it was unpopular in the beginning and was not viewed as positively as swing music was. Bebop was seen as an outgrowth of swing, not a revolution. Swing introduced a diversity of new musicians in
16820-587: The world of jazz." A longtime resident of Englewood , New Jersey, Gillespie died of pancreatic cancer on January 6, 1993, at the age of 75 and was buried in Flushing Cemetery , Queens, New York City. His grave is unmarked. Mike Longo (who was present the night of Gillespie's death) delivered a eulogy at his funeral. In 1962, Gillespie and actor George Mathews starred in The Hole , an animated short film by John and Faith Hubley . Released
16965-403: The years progressed, variety shows were presented less often. The Apollo started staging rock music concerts when that genre became popular, and the big bands gave way to R&B performances. The theater also began hosting different musical genres such as mambo and gospel. There were often two shows a day if a headliner was performing, and it showed movies at other times. Additionally,
17110-470: Was 'bop' and the beginning of modern jazz ... but the band never made recordings. Gillespie said of the Hines band, "[p]eople talk about the Hines band being 'the incubator of bop' and the leading exponents of that music ended up in the Hines band. But people also have the erroneous impression that the music was new. It was not. The music evolved from what went before. It was the same basic music. The difference
17255-582: Was God". Over the years, the format of the shows was changed. The first major performer at the Apollo, jazz singer and Broadway star Adelaide Hall , appeared at the Apollo in February 1934. Hall's limited-engagement show was highly praised by the press, which helped establish the Apollo's reputation. Sussman hosted competitions for amateur performers on Wednesday nights, as well as "kiddie hours" on Sundays. The Apollo Theatre had vigorous competition from other venues, namely Leo Brecher's Harlem Opera House and Frank Schiffman's Lafayette . The former had been
17400-410: Was added above the ground floor in the 1940s; it stretched half the width of the facade and bore the name "Apollo" on its two side elevations. The marquee displayed letters with the name of the entertainer who were performing that night. Jack Schiffman, the son of former theater owner Frank Schiffman, recalled that the marquee also displayed various additional signs or movie posters. A vertical sign with
17545-593: Was added to the theater the same month, although the plaque was stolen in 1996. Leon Denmark was appointed as the foundation's director. The foundation sought to attract notable black performers and to reduce the theater's debts. During its first operating season in 1993–1994, the ATF subsidized performances at the main auditorium and a smaller auditorium, and it launched the Community Arts Program to attract less experienced entertainers. In addition, local TV station WPIX began broadcasting events from
17690-482: Was affected by perceptions of high crime. The Apollo Theatre Investor Group was delinquent on payments to the UDC by early 1991. Newsday reported in 1991 that the group had never kept a formal ledger , which may have worsened its financial issues. Sutton announced in April 1991 that he would shutter the theater on June 1 unless his lenders restructured the loans. After Sutton made a payment of $ 36,000 later that month,
17835-527: Was an American jazz trumpeter , bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser , building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but adding layers of harmonic and rhythmic complexity previously unheard in jazz. His combination of musicianship, showmanship, and wit made him a leading popularizer of the new music called bebop . His beret and horn-rimmed spectacles, scat singing , bent horn, pouched cheeks, and light-hearted personality have made him an enduring icon. In
17980-448: Was as much a pure entertainer as an accomplished artist. Wynton Marsalis summarized Gillespie as a player and teacher: His playing showcases the importance of intelligence. His rhythmic sophistication was unequaled. He was a master of harmony—and fascinated with studying it. He took in all the music of his youth—from Roy Eldridge to Duke Ellington—and developed a unique style built on complex rhythm and harmony balanced by wit. Gillespie
18125-451: Was beset by technical issues. In the months after it reopened, the Apollo hosted numerous acts and was moderately successful. The Internal Revenue Service raided the theater in November 1979 after finding that the new owners had failed to pay tens of thousands of dollars in taxes over the two preceding years. The theater's operators filed for bankruptcy in May 1981 after Elmer Morris's arrest on drug charges. Inner City Broadcasting ,
18270-466: Was born in Cheraw, South Carolina . His father was a local bandleader, so instruments were made available to the children. Gillespie started to play the piano at the age of four. Gillespie's father died when he was only ten years old. He taught himself how to play the trombone as well as the trumpet by the age of twelve. From the night he heard his idol, Roy Eldridge , on the radio, he dreamed of becoming
18415-442: Was concerned at all times with swing—even taking the most daring liberties with pulse or beat, his phrases never failed to swing. Gillespie's magnificent sense of time and emotional intensity of his playing came from childhood roots. His parents were Methodists, but as a boy he used to sneak off every Sunday to the uninhibited Sanctified Church. He said later, "The Sanctified Church had deep significance for me musically. I first learned
18560-417: Was considering taking over the Apollo's board, and the state government was willing to drop the lawsuits if Time Warner took over the board and ousted Rangel as chairman. That August, Time Warner donated $ 500,000 and expanded the ATF's board to 19 members; the agreement would go into force when Rangel resigned as chairman. Rangel initially refused to step down, but Ossie Davis was ultimately appointed as
18705-419: Was equipped with 96 microphone lines connecting with the auditorium. The studio has been used by media companies such as advertising firm Saatchi & Saatchi and Black Entertainment Television . In the late 19th century, Harlem was developed as a suburb of New York City and was inhabited largely by upper-middle-class whites. Black residents began moving to Harlem in the beginning of the 20th century with
18850-419: Was frequented by black performers, who, during the early 20th century, were not allowed to perform at many other venues. The theater was a prominent venue on the primarily black " Chitlin' Circuit ", though many shows featured actors of different races. It featured a wide variety of musical performances, including R&B , jazz , blues , and gospel performances. Early shows consisted of revues , but this
18995-620: Was held in such high regard by local black residents that, according to Schiffman's son Robert, it was not damaged during the Harlem riots of 1935 , 1943 , or 1964 . The theater was a source of pride for Harlem's black community and was often used as a gathering place during demonstrations. Although the Schiffmans were white, Robert recalled that local residents frequently referred to the Apollo as "our theater", never "the white man's theater" or "Frank Schiffman's theater". One writer said that "in Harlem show business circles [Frank Schiffman]
19140-489: Was hired as the emcee the same year. After Cohen died in late 1935, the Opera House became a movie theater, while the Apollo continued to present stage shows. The Apollo was rebranded as "The Only Stage Show in Harlem". Initially, the Apollo attracted blues and ragtime performers, as well as comedians and big bands . Early shows were accompanied by a chorus line of 16 girls, most of whom were fair-skinned;
19285-439: Was in how you got from here to here to here ... naturally each age has got its own shit." Gillespie joined the big band of Hines's long-time collaborator Billy Eckstine , and it was as a member of Eckstine's band that he was reunited with Charlie Parker , a fellow member. In 1944, Gillespie left Eckstine's band because he wanted to play with a small combo. A "small combo" typically comprised no more than five musicians, playing
19430-452: Was involved in a traffic accident when the bicycle he was riding was bumped by an automobile. He was slightly injured and found that he could no longer hit the B-flat above high C. He won the case, but the jury awarded him only $ 1000 in view of his high earnings up to that point. In 1951, Gillespie founded his record label, Dee Gee Records ; it closed in 1953. On January 6, 1953, he threw
19575-451: Was known as Hurtig & Seamon's New (Burlesque) Theater. Local real-estate journal Harlem Magazine wrote: "The theatre when completed will add in no small degree to the appearance and prosperity of this locality." The theater hosted its first Columbia show on Dec. 17, 1913. Hurtig & Seamon initially employed female ushers, described by Variety magazine as "all good-looking and polite girls", and banned black patrons . Initially,
19720-415: Was mechanically advanced for its time, with a ventilation system to remove cigarette smoke, as well as electric lights. The ventilation system was rebuilt when the theater was renovated in the 1980s, and lighting trusses were added at that time. In addition to the main auditorium, the ground floor had a store to the east of the lobby. There originally was a cafe and cabaret in the basement, which served as
19865-575: Was most affected by Bill Sears ' book Thief in the Night . Gillespie spoke about the Baháʼí Faith frequently on his trips abroad. He is honored with weekly jazz sessions at the New York Baháʼí Center in the memorial auditorium. A concert in honor of his 75th birthday was held in New York City's Carnegie Hall, 26 November 1992, in conjunction with the second Baha'i world congress, however, he
20010-526: Was physically deteriorating. The only other major show at the theater was Showtime at the Apollo , and the Apollo was rented out for other events for the rest of the time. Many black performers shunned the theater because of its small size and because larger venues were no longer segregated. In 1998, the Attorney General of New York 's office began investigating whether Inner City was underpaying ATF. Then–attorney general Dennis Vacco accused
20155-403: Was quickly changed to a loosely connected format of dance, comedy, music, and novelty acts. The performances resembled vaudeville shows, with six to eight acts sharing a bill. Up to seven comedians or musicians and eight singing groups would perform for a week, doing as many as seven shows per day. Novice performers often started off as the opening act and aspired to become the headliner of
20300-525: Was recorded in a session led by Coleman Hawkins with Gillespie as a featured sideman on February 16, 1944 ( Apollo ), the first formal recording of bebop. He appeared in recordings by the Billy Eckstine band and started recording prolifically as a leader and sideman in early 1945. He was not content to let bebop sit in a niche of small groups in small clubs. A concert by one of his small groups in New York's Town Hall on June 22, 1945, presented bebop to
20445-512: Was renamed the 125th Street Apollo Theatre and reopened on January 26, 1934, catering to the black community of Harlem. Cohen initially employed Clarence Robinson as the Apollo Theatre's producer and Morris Sussman as the manager. He also hired talent scout John Hammond to book his shows. Though advertised as a "resort for the better people", the theater quickly attracted working-class, unemployed, and young audiences. The Apollo
20590-665: Was selected for the cover of the auction program. The battered instrument was sold to Manhattan builder Jeffery Brown for $ 63,000, the proceeds benefiting jazz musicians with cancer. In 1989, Gillespie was given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award . The next year, at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts ceremonies celebrating the centennial of American jazz, Gillespie received the Kennedy Center Honors Award and
20735-441: Was so quick-minded, he could create an endless flow of ideas at unusually fast tempo. Nobody had ever even considered playing a trumpet that way, let alone had actually tried. All the musicians respected him because, in addition to outplaying everyone, he knew so much and was so generous with that knowledge... Gillespie's trademark trumpet featured a bell which bent upward at a 45-degree angle rather than pointing straight ahead as in
20880-506: Was too ill to personally attend. Gillespie married dancer Lorraine Willis in Boston on May 9, 1940. They remained together until his death in 1993; Lorraine converted to Catholicism with Mary Lou Williams in 1957. Lorraine managed his business and personal affairs. The couple had no children, but Gillespie fathered a daughter, jazz singer Jeanie Bryson , born in 1958 from an affair with songwriter Connie Bryson. Gillespie met Bryson,
21025-482: Was where Gillespie made his first recording, "King Porter Stomp". In August 1937 while gigging with Hayes in Washington D.C., Gillespie met a young dancer named Lorraine Willis who worked a Baltimore–Philadelphia–New York City circuit which included the Apollo Theater . Willis was not immediately friendly but Gillespie was attracted anyway. The two married on May 9, 1940. Gillespie stayed with Teddy Hill's band for
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