To Be or Not to Bop

To Be or Not to Bop: Memoirs of Dizzy Gillespie is a 1979 book written by jazz musician, composer and band leader Dizzy Gillespie.^[1][2] The book was released in July 1979 by Doubleday. The University of Minnesota Press re-released the book in 2009.

To Be, or Not to Bop

Softcover edition
Authors	Dizzy Gillespie Al Fraser
Language	English
Genre	Music autobiographies
Published	July 1979
Publisher	Doubleday
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (hardback and paperback)
Pages	552 pp.
ISBN	978-0385120524

Background

He is known for being the father of bebop. This book tells about his life, and what he went through to make this music flourish. The book introduces Dizzy and his friends like Charlie "Bird" Parker as they struggled to make money by playing. Later on it tells of how Dizzy became a great trumpeter and even the origin of his signature bent trumpet.

Various compositions and albums have been named after Gillespie's book title.

See also

Biographies of other famous trumpeters

• Still Grazing: The Musical Journey of Hugh Masekela (2004) by Hugh Masekela