Even when John Birks ‘Dizzy’ Gillespie was developing bebop with Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk, he always had a big band ‘up his sleeve’. Smaller combos just weren’t challenging enough for Dizzy’s qualities as a composer and arranger. In 1945 he already toured with a big band that later became known as The Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra. A few years after the bebop pioneer’s demise in 1993, trombone player Slide Hampton and bassist John Lee decided to keep Dizzy’s big band dream alive. The Dizzy Gillespie™ All-Star Big Band includes many Gillespie alumni including Paquito D’Rivera, who will lead the big band during Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival. Born in Havana, Paquito is regarded by many as the most creative Cuban jazz musician in exile. He is also considered one of the finest clarinetists in the world. An ode to the repertoire of one of the biggest jazz musicians of all time.