Dizzy Reece

Alphonso Son "Dizzy" Reece (born 5 January 1931) is a Jamaican-born jazz trumpeter. Reece emerged within London's burgeoning bebop jazz scene during the 1950s and went on to become a leading proponent of hard bop jazz in New York City.

He later experimented with other jazz sub-genres in the late 1960s and 1970s, and continues to remain active in performance and composition. Reece's contribution to the jazz idiom is considered influential and he is often identified as one of jazz's great trumpet players.

Biography

Reece was born on 5 January 1931 in Kingston, Jamaica, the son of a silent film pianist. He attended the Alpha Boys School, known for its musical alumni, studying alongside Joe Harriot and Wilton 'Bogey' Gaynair. Reece began learning trumpet when he was 14 years old and soon became a full-time musician at the age of 16. He moved to London in 1948 as part of the Windrush Generation, arriving on board the Empire Windrush on June 22 with hundreds of his Caribbean compatriots. Initially failing to establish himself in London, Reece spent the early 1950s working in mainland Europe, notably Paris. During this time he performed tirelessly, often with expatriate US jazz musicians...

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