To Be or Not to Bop 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. 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. The book was released in July 1979 by Doubleday. The University of Minnesota Press re-released the book in 2009. 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
Sam Allen (musician) the 1940s Allen worked with Stuff Smith before becoming the pianist for Slim & Slam, the gig for which he was best known. He also played with Dizzy Gillespie in the 1940s. Around the end of the decade Allen moved to Washington and worked locally as a solo pianist for a time, then relocated to Oakland, California, where he played with Billie Heywood, Eddie Alley, John Handy Ike Bell and others. With Dizzy Gillespie Sam Allen (musician) Sam Allen (January 30, 1909 – April 1963) was an American jazz pianist. Allen accompanied silent films in movie palaces from the age