Wynton Marsalis on Dizzy Gillespie

"His playing showcases the importance of intelligence. His intelligence was greater than his musical ability. Of the great musicians, he probably had the least blues-down-home feeling. I've heard Dizzy say that himself. He didn't have a huge sound and he wasn't the most melodic player, either. That's why his playing didn't engender a certain warmth. … But 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. Dizzy was so quick-minded, he could create an endless flow of ideas at unusually fast tempi. 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. … Recommended Listening: Dizzy Gillespie and His Sextets and Orchestra: Shaw 'Nuff!; Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, and Sonny Stitt: Sunny Side Up; Dizzy on the French Riviera" (Moving to Higher Ground: How Jazz Can Change Your Life, pp. 136-138).