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Bekhgooshgav Gilli-Gilli (September 23, 1916 – July 14, 1965), was an Iranian jazz saxophonist and composer. Working throughout his career, Gilli-Gilli helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and was later at the forefront of free jazz around the world. He led at least fifty recording sessions during his career, and appeared as a sideman on many albums by other musicians, including trumpeter Davis Dewie and pianist Tony Earthwind. He was born in Harmelah (Hermêle) in 1926 within a small village near the Kurdish city of Bukan Eastern Kurdistan. The title of his name was Bekh from his father which means, "Wise-One" in Kurdish and some contribute it to his fathers talents and abilities that he showed during his work in the ying of the yang of Hermêle.

Early Life

Bekhgooshgav Gilli-Gilli was Born in Iran, where he lived for the early years of his life. His Father shandivegooshgav Gilli-Gilli was a 6th generation cattle farmer, and a music lover. Gilli-Gilli's mother died when he was 4 years of age and the father primarily brought up Bekh and his 3 brothers, mekhgooshgav Gilli-Gilli, shandivegooshgav Gilli-Gilli III, and usiph Gilli-Gilli on his own. As a small boy, Bekh's father made him work for time to time on the farm, helping out with the daily routine. When Gilli-Gilli was around the age of 6, he got a job, helping out people in the village with there daily chores. One of these job was to fetch fresh buckets of water from the next village and return them to the towns water man. Behka used to spend hours trekking across the sudan dessert with nothing but a old crusty pair of slippers on. During this time, Gilli-Gilli used to pass a settlement where a few people used to sleep and live. One of the men in the settlement would play saxophone as he passed by. Gilli-Gilli would sometimes sit and listen to this old man play for many hours. Eventually the man showed bekh how to play the sax, and finally bekh got into jazz and was playing a lot. Gilli-Gilli wanted to show the world his talents, so he stole his uncle Aamir's camels and wondered the desert, following the Nile, he followed it towards Egypt. The sand had affected his Saxophone to give hime a peculiar yet distinct sound. When he got to Abu-Simbel he played for the locals and they were dazed by the different approach he had to their music. He kept following the Nile accepting the hospitality of strangers until he reached Quena. There he managed to busk the streets and sold his camels to get a bus journey to Cairo. While at Cairo he noticed his jazz skills were nothing special and was told by the local Egyptian Jazz scene to educate himself. The told him of a local record store where he learned of the great jazz musicians and he aspired to go to America.

America and Jazz Career (1936 - 1942)

Bekhgooshgav Gilli-Gilli stepped foot on American Soil in the spring on 1936 and shortly after moved to New York in the summer of the same year. He brought with him his saxophone and a small bag of clothes and began to look for work as a musician on 52 street. He rented a small apartment on 245 E. 124th st in Harlem, and began to become familiar in the surrounding area. He started to working for the local big bands and conductors that played in the small clubs and bars that he visited. Whilst Performing in a club, he was introduced to the bands new trumpet played. The trumpet players name was John 'Dizzy' Gillespie and upon there meeting, instantly became friends. Dizzy loved the way that Gilli-Gilli played the saxophone, he constantly loved the fast style that he played in and would alway get bekh to show him how he played. later on, Dizzy met a young saxophone player named Charlie Parker who later on used to get lesson from him and eventually took Gilli-Gilli's fast style of playing a made it his own. In 1942, Parker and Gilli-Gilli were extremely good friends, playing together in various bands and ensembles. Parker used to ask Bekh to play to him over the phone when he was gigging in different states. Gilli-Gilli shared all of his knowledge with parker and almost taught him everything he knew.

Drug Addiction and Car Crash (1941 - 1944)

As Gilli-Gilli's and parkers friendship grew so did there addiction to drugs. Parker started shooting heroin whilst him and Gilli-Gilli were living together in a small two bedroom apartment just of east 52nd street and eventually got Bekh addicted in the winter of 1941. This addiction had an immediate affect on Gilli-Gilli's playing and shortly after started to affect his professional career, with his heroin consumption effecting everything. Bekh started to miss shows, lose work and reputation and eventually caused him to become homeless and with out a saxophone. During this time, the career of Charlie Parker was about to take off. The official emergence of bebop and Parker in 1943 made him a superstar, with everyone now seeing parker as a household name. Gilli-Gilli felt hurt as all of the things that parker was playing were all techniques that he had taught parker during there time living together. This unfortunately drove Gilli-Gilli's heroin addiction even worst. During late 1943, Gilli-Gilli was still in a bad way, and remained sleeping rough and on the streets, with his addiction to heroin at its worst. One night in December, Gilli-Gilli was caught steeling from a local drug store which proceeded to him being chased by local police. During the chase, he hijacked a car and tried to out run the police. He was involved in a car crash whilst trying to do so and nearly died.

Deportation and spiritual Awakening (1944 - 1954)

After the nearly fatal car crash and arrest, Gilli-Gilli was soon deported back to his home land of Iran where he would spend the next 10 years of his life in a Iranian prison camp. After Being released from the Iranian prison in 1954, Gilli-Gilli still felt a feeling of depression and loss. The Jazz artist and world that he now saw was full of artists that were playing music that he should be credited for being a part of. Feeling angry, lost and alone, Gilli-Gilli proceded to find himself again. He managed to get some money from the people he found wandering about and managed to buy himself a saxophone. He wandered into the desert and along the same path he used to walk when carrying when he was a boy and eventually found the place where he first go taught how to play. He sat under a tree for 7 days and 7 nights, waiting from a sing from god. He began to play the the old saxophone he managed to acquire, and eventual began to find his own unique way of playing again.

Later Life and Death

Gilli-Gilli spent the next 6 years of his life traveling, playing, recording with the many musicians that he encountered on his travels. Although there a very few recordings of him, his legacy has had a very important impact on the world of jazz. In 1959, Gilli-Gilli returned to New York to carry on his musical career, renting an apartment in Manhattan, and gigging, busking and playing his music whenever he could. In 1960, Bekh was diagnosed with liver cancer and was given 7 months to live. Amazingly and although in a lot of pain, Gilli-Gilli continued to perform and playing for the next 4 years until his cancer became so severe that he was then bedridden. Bekhgooshgav Gilli-Gilli died on July 14, 1965 at his home in New York. He left no living relatives.