John Lee - From 1984 thru 1993, John Lee was Dizzy Gillespie’s bassist. Performing and recording in the trumpet master’s various bands including the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet, Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, and Dizzy’s Grammy Award winning United Nation Orchestra. After Dizzy’s passing, his family asked John to create an ongoing tribute to the great man and his music—and the concept for the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars was born. John is the bassist and director of the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars, Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band, and the Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Latin Experience. John has worked in the bands of Gary Bartz, Larry Coryell, Jon Faddis, Aretha Franklin, Roberta Gambarini, Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Heath, Gregory Hines, Miriam Makeba, James Moody, Claudio Roditi, Sonny Rollins, and McCoy Tyner. John is also a Grammy Award winning record producer and audio engineer. He has produced over 100 recordings and is the co-founder of the record label JLP, Jazz Legacy Productions. The Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Band’s have performed in major concert halls and jazz festivals throughout the world including; Angola, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Curaçao, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uruguay, and Wales.
Opener: Walt Bibinger - The International Association of Jazz Record Collectors describes jazz guitarist Walt Bibinger’s playing as, “Rooted in the traditions of Tal Farlow, Jim Hall, Wes Montgomery, Johnny Smith, and Joe Pass, but with a sound and style all his own”. His main musical influence was Grammy Award winning guitarist Harry Leahey. Walt studied under Leahey for 15 years. Walt also attended The Berklee College of Music. He began playing at age 4, started performing professionally at age 12, and began teaching at age 16. In addition to solo, duo, and trio performances as a leader, Walt is also in demand as a sideman. He has performed with Bucky Pizzarelli, Howard Alden, Bob Dorough, Jimmy McGriff, and Phil Woods, among many others. He has been a featured performer at The New York and Philly Guitar Shows, Woodstock Luthier’s Showcase, The Artisan Guitar Show, and Les Paul Monday Nights @ The Iridium in NYC.