she recorded with saxophonist dexter gordon in 1947 and joined dizzy gillespie's big band, which included saxophonists john coltrane, paul gonsalves, and pianist john lewis) in new york for a time when wilson disbanded his orchestra in 1948. liston performed in a supporting role and was nervous when asked to take solos, but with encouragement she became more comfortable as a featured voice in bands. she toured with count basie, then with billie holiday (1949) but was so profoundly affected by the indifference of the audiences and the rigors of the road that she gave up playing and turned to education. liston taught for about three years.