Francisco Julio Arenas Cabello

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I met Dizzy Gillespie in Montreux in July 1980, when I was twenty years old. Only five years had passed since the death of Franco, and Spain was still a relatively isolated and poor country, especially in terms of opportunities to travel and experience the world. I hitchhiked alone from Cádiz, in southern Spain, to the Montreux Jazz Festival. I spent about a month traveling around Europe and met only three other Spaniards along the way. When I arrived in Montreux, I went to the steps of the casino and found Dizzy Gillespie standing at the entrance. I spoke to him in French and told him that I had come from Andalusia by hitchhiking. He smiled and gave me a ticket. Dizzy was not originally scheduled to perform that evening. Mongo Santamaría was playing, and Dizzy eventually joined him on stage. I was twenty years old, had come all the way from southern Spain by hitchhiking, and suddenly found myself watching Dizzy Gillespie perform in Montreux. I have never forgotten that encounter.

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