Box PXP82; Folder: Gillespie-Gillispie.
Newscopy: "Mayor Christopher took time out last night for a seminar on jazz with Professor Dizzy Gillespie, the bouncy maestro of be-bop. 'Hey, man-this is the most,' Dizzy smiled, as he bounded down the aisle of the Berkeley Community Theater during intermission. 'This is real George.' 'Humph, yes,' said the mayor dubiously. 'You scallywag, what's the idea of causing all this turmoil about the use of the War Memorial Opera House?' 'That sure was too bad they didn't see fit to let me play there,' said Dizzy, dapper in a black silk tuxedo, as he curled into the seat in front of Christopher. 'You saw, you were here, there wasn't any dancing in the aisle, or shouting,' Dizzy added. 'People just sat back and listened like they would at any other concert.' He made a slight, nervous adjustment of his thick-rimmed dark glasses. 'Everybody was well behaved,' Christopher agreed. 'And the music-well, my wife and I are enjoying it very much. Very much indeed.' 'Sure,' Dizzy amplified, 'because we don't go in for that rock 'n' roll stuff. We skip that Elvis Presley noise that gets people all excited.' The mayor nodded, steepling his fingers in interest. 'We play progressive music. We work hard. We're not here to cause any riots,' Dizzy said seriously, fiddling with the keys of his trumpet. And then, smiling widely, flinging an arm toward the crowd gathering around the mayor and himself, he declared: 'Hey, this is real ball. This is real cool. Why, this is the best ball we've had yet.' 'I see you don't use a violin,' Christopher ventured. 'What?' Dizzy grinned. 'If you used a violin, why, I'd join the band.' 'Why man, that would be real crazy. I could work something out for you.' They broke into laughs. 'No,' Dizzy assured him again-'We don't go in for getting people riled up so they break up the seats or stand up and dance in the aisle. Or maybe faint. That,' he quipped, 'should be left for Sunday meetings when the spirit's on you. Maybe we should. Probably make more money. Maybe we'd get a little better turnout that tonight.' Only 1200 persons were in the 3600-seat theater. Throughout the three-hour concert, they sat as quietly as if listening to muted strings instead of blasting brass. 'That's a real cool audience,' Dizzy confided to the mayor. 'They're really hep.' 'I must tell you in all honesty I'm not much of a jazz fan. Too old, I guess,' Christopher remarked jokingly. 'Oh, come on, no one's ever too old for that rhythm, for that solid beat...for that...' Dizzy's shoulders began moving to an unheard melody-'to that bop-ed-dee-reee-boppp,' he sang nasally. The mayor smiled, 'Good luck to you,' as Dizzy ran back to the stage, and with a downbeat touched off another explosive blast from the trumpets and trombones".
