Mike Longo

Dizzy and The Bahai Faith

It was in the mid-60s when Longo’s trio was playing at the Embers West, that Roy Eldridge told Dizzy Gillespie about this new pianist he had heard. Dizzy came to hear him play and soon asked him to become his pianist. This started a life-long musical relationship and friendship. From 1966 through 1975, Longo worked exclusively as Dizzy’s pianist and musical director. Mike left the Gillespie group officially in 1975 to venture out on his own, but continued to work for Gillespie on a part-time basis until his death in 1993.

Since that time Mike has recorded numerous albums and CDs on various labels with some 45 recordings with artists such as Gillespie, James Moody, etc., and has over 20 solo albums to his credit. He was sought after as a music instructor and for jazz clinics and concerts at universities and music schools throughout the world.

For 16 years Longo and his wife Dorothy hosted Jazz Tuesdays at the John Birks Gillespie Auditorium located in the New York City Baha’i Center (the religious Faith embraced by Dizzy Gillespie, James Moody and Longo) www.bahai.org. The series was dedicated to allowing artists to retain creative control of their work and providing students and the general public an opportunity to hear “world class jazz at affordable prices.”

For more details about Mike, please click here.

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