The story that I heard is that an orchestra was invited to play instead of any jazz musicians. Although the story I heard had Dizzy sitting first trumpet. The story was so odd I just wondered if it had any validity. Dizzy Gillespie opened the festival with the Star Spangled Banner. The Monterey Jazz Symphony Orchestra played works by Stravinsky, Milhaud, and Hindemith. I did not see anything about the 1812 Overture on the Monterey Jazz Festival web site. I am not sure, but Woody Herman's band was there and if anyone could have pulled something like that off, it would have been Woody. He was famous for taking certain classical pieces and playing jazz big band arrangements of them. | 