American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed “the sound of surprise”. (born October 21, 1917, Cheraw, South Carolina, USA; died January 6, 1993, Englewood, New Jersey, USA) 

Together, with Charlie Parker, he was the predominant figure in the development of bebop (bop), which laid the foundation for modern jazz. He taught and influenced many other musicians, including trumpeters Miles Davis, Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown, Arturo Sandoval, Lee Morgan, Jon Faddis and Chuck Mangione. 

Below I have chosen what I believe to be 10 Gillespie albums to add to your vinyl collection.

10. Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac (1967)

Recorded live 25 & 26 May, 1967 at the Memory Lane, Los Angeles, California.

9. Afro-Cuban Jazz Moods with Machito (1975)

Afro-Cuban Jazz Moods is an album by Dizzy Gillespie and Machito, featuring arrangements by Chico O’Farrill, recorded in 1975.

8. Have Trumpet Will Excite (1959)

“Have Trumpet Will Excite” was recorded February 17–18 & 20, 1959.

7. At Newport (1957)

Dizzy Gillespie at Newport is a 1957 live album by Dizzy Gillespie, featuring his big band recorded at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival.

6. School Days (1951)

School Days was recorded in 1951 with Milt Jackson.

5. Bird And Diz (1952)

“Bird And Diz” was originally issued in 1952 in 10″ format as a collection of 78 rpm singles on the Verve subsidiary label Clef Records.

4. Bird And Diz (1955)

“Diz And Getz” recorded December 9, 1953.

3. Roy And Diz (1954)

“Roy And Diz” was recorded in 1954 and originally released on the Clef label as two separate volumes.^[1]Selections from these sessions were also released as Trumpet Battle and The Trumpet Kings.

2. For Musicians Only (1956)

“For Musicians Only” was recorded in Los Angeles, California on October 16, 1956.

1. The Champ (1951)

“The Champ” was recorded between  April 16, 1951 – August 16, 1951.