Sean Jones’ Dizzy Spellz

The headliner for the 2023 Purdue Jazz Festival puts a spin on Diz that you have to hear to believe. Sean Jones’ Dizzy Spellz has wowed New York audiences for years with its interpretation of the late, great Dizzy Gillespie through Jones’ trumpet prowess and his stellar band, which includes a turntablist and the tap dancing style of Brinae Ali. Ali pounds a board in Appalachian style, with her rhythmic feet miked and manipulated to create otherworldly sounds. The turntables give the music a modern edge, inventing new expressions just like Gillespie did as he explored thought-provoking jazz directions, incorporating bebop and later helping introduce Afro-Cuban styles to American jazz audiences.