Iconic jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie would have been 93 today, so Google has dedicated Thursday's doodle to the famed musician.

With his unique style, skilled improvisation, and signature puffed cheeks, Gillespie influenced many areas of jazz music. Born John Birks Gillespie in Cheraw, S.C. on Oct. 21, 1917, he taught himself to play the trumpet by age of 12. At 14, he moved to Philadelphia, where he started his jazz career. "Dizzy" was a nickname that was given to him while working as a swing musician, and it was one that stuck.

Gillespie was a major player in developing bebop and modern jazz, and influenced notable musicians as Miles Davis. He also helped develop Afro-Cuban Jazz. Gillespie died in 1993 of pancreatic cancer at the age of 75.

Google has featured many innovative doodles in the past few months. Earlier in October, in honor of the would-be 70th birthday of former Beatle John Lennon, Google posted a video for the doodle, with a clip from the song "Imagine" in the background.

Just before the musical doodle, Google commemorated the 50th anniversary of "The Flintstones" with a picture on its home page.

This spring, in celebration of the 30 years of Pac-Man, Google also converted its Google.com homepage to a full, playable game. In September, the company celebrated its 12th birthday with a doodle drawing of a cake.