- Anthropology
- 52nd Street Theme
- Overtime
- Manteca
- Hot Mallets
- Two Bass Hit
- Cubana Be/Cubana/Bop
- Ol’ Man Rebop
- Good Bait
- Jump Did-le-Be
- Jumpin’ with Symphony Sid
- Dizzier and Dizzier
- A Night in Tunisia
These recordings span the period 1939 to1949, the
birth of be-bop and it’s development into a distinctive jazz style.
Whilst I have heard Dizzy perform most of these tunes,
I have not heard these particular versions before. A restrained Anthropology
finds Diz in the company of Milt Jackson on vibes a combination that
works very well. The second track has a superb tenor sax chorus from
Don Byas that in it is worth the cost of the CD!
Overtime is a Metronome All Star band playing a Pete
Rugalo arrangement, there is a phantom clarinet player on this track
who I suspect is Buddy De Franco.
Manteca is a big band version on which Diz and tenor
player Big Jack Nicholas are the main soloists. Hot Mallets is from
1939 when Diz was in the Lionel Hampton band, who else with that title!
Two Bass hit is with the big band again and Ray Brown
on bass and Diz, both produce excellent solos. Cubana Be/Cubana Bop
is a Latin Track from 1947 with Chano Pozo on congas. This track all
sounds a bit artificial to me, just a showpiece for Latin Sounds that
the band didn’t sound very comfortable with. The next track has the
same line up as track 2 and this time Don Byas and Diz sound relaxed
and very comfortable. Diz steals the solo honours this time. There
is no drummer listed for tracks 2 or 8, but he is there only a bit
under-recorded. Good Bait, based on Too Marvellous for Words, is the
big band again playing a Tadd Dameron arrangement.
Jump Did-le Ba has scat singing from Joe Carroll
and Diz and some great trumpet playing. There is also a good Tenor
solo from Joe Gayles. Lester Young’s blues composition Jumpin’ with
Symphony Sid has JJ Johnson on trombone sharing the solo honours with
the leader. Dizzier and Dizzier, also known as Katy and recorded by
Count Basie under that title, shows the ballad style of Diz off well.
A Night in Tunisia brings back the Byas, Jackson, Gillespie combination;
no Gillespie concert was ever complete without a rendition of this,
one of his many compositions.
The Dizzy Gillespie/Charlie Parker Quintet changed
jazz improvisation forever and I have no doubt that this music from
Dizzy Gillespie, who changed the way everyone plays the trumpet, will
live forever as well. Bluebird has put much thought into this album.
Don Mather
CD Reviews
Bluebird
09026 63925 2 
