Gil Fuller
b. Walter Gilbert Fuller, 14 April 1920, Los Angeles, California, USA. Although he started out in the early '40s writing for orthodox swing-era big bands such as Charlie Barnet's, Fuller's true metier was revealed in 1942 when he began an association with Dizzy Gillespie. In 1944 they were together in the Billy Eckstine band and continued their working relationship when Gillespie formed his 1946 bebop big band. Gillespie's interest in Latin American music was complemented by Fuller, who had previously written for Tito Puente and his arrangements included Manteca. Despite the importance of his work with Gillespie, Fuller's interest had waned by the end of the '40s. Although he wrote occasionally for Gillespie and Stan Kenton in the '50s and '60s, a new career, in engineering, occupied his time.