Includes a 46-page booklet with accurate recording details, extensive annotations, original liner-notes and very rare photos.
Dizzy Gillespie was much more than a great trumpet player: for many he epitomizes a whole chapter in the history of jazzthe 40s and 50s, when he was pre-eminent as a bop pioneer and as a leader of small groups and big bands. Dizzy had an exuberant personality, an almost endless capacity for love, and a desire to live and swing as hard as he felt. His work here, fronting his 1956-1957 big band, radiates warmth and excitement, and what the band lacks in clockwork precision is more than compensated for by the rarely matched drive inherent in its work.
The charts, funky swingers for the most part, reflect the best efforts of some of the finest writers in jazzErnie Wilkins, Tadd Dameron, Quincy Jones, Benny Golsonbut the main asset is the leader and his prowess as an instrumentalist. And there are excellent solos by Phil Woods, Joe Gordon, Ernie Henry, Lee Morgan, Billy Mitchell, Benny Golson, Al Grey, and notable contributions by Walter Davis, Wynton Kelly and Charlie Persip in the rhythm section. These outstanding recordings exhibit the almost euphoric power and fire of the band.
Tracklist
Total time: 151:35 min.
CD 1
01. Jessicas Day (Jones) 4:19 (*) Additional Track
02. Sometimes Im Happy (Youmans-Caesar) 2:50 (*) Additional Track
03. Doodlin (Silver) 2:58 (*) Additional Track
04. Dizzys Business (Wilkins) 3:37
05. Hey, Pete (Gillespie-Harding) 5:39
06. Jessicas Day (Jones) 4:50
07. Tour de Force (Gillespie) 5:04
08. I Cant Get Started (Duke-Gershwin) 2:55
09. Stella by Starlight (Young-Washington) 4:07
10. Doodlin (Silver) 3:56
11. A Night in Tunisia (Gillespie-Paparelli) 5:34
12. The Champ (Gillespie) 4:42
13. Yesterdays (Kern-Harbach) 3:46
14. Tin Tin Deo (Pozo) 4:17
15. Groovin for Nat (Wilkins) 3:21
16. My Reverie (Debussy-Clinton) 2:52
17. Dizzys Blues (Salim) 2:32
18. Annies Dance (Liston) 4:05
19. Cool Breeze (Dameron-Gillespie-Eckstine) 4:55
CD 2
01. School Days (Edwards-Cobb) 4:23
02. Jordu (Jordan) 4:13
03. Birks Works (Gillespie) 4:56
04. Umbrella Man (Rose-Stock-Cavanaugh) 3:02
05. Autumn Leaves (Kosma-Prevert) 3:11
06. Tangorine (Gillespie) 3:43
07. Over the Rainbow (Arlen-Harburg) 4:37
08. Yo no quiero bailar (Willoughby) 4:42
09. If You Could See Me Now (Dameron-Sigman) 3:30
10. Left Hand Corner (Wilkins) 2:22
11. Whisper Not (Golson) 5:17
12. Stablemates (Golson) 4:12
13. Thats All (Anson) 3:13
14. Groovin High (Gillespie) 3:53
15. Mayflower Rock (Gonzales) 3:14 (*) Additional Track
16. Joogie Woogie (Gonzales) 4:12 (*) Additional Track
17. I Remember Clifford (Golson) 4:16 (*) Additional Track
18. Youll Be Sorry (Autry-Rose) 2:19 (*) Additional Track
19. Wonder Why (Brodszky-Cahn) 3:54 (*) Additional Track
20. Left Hand Corner (Wilkins) 2:26 (*) Never issued in LP format
Album details
Sources - CD 1:
Tracks #1-3, from the 12" album "Dizzy Gillespie's Big Band" (ARS G-423)
Tracks #4,6-12,16 & 17, from the album "Dizzy Gillespie World Statesman" (Norgran MGN-1084) Later issued as Verve MGV-8174
Tracks #5,13-15,18 & 19, from the album "Dizzy in Greece" (Verve MGV-8017)
Sources - CD 2:
Track #1, from the LP "Dizzy in Greece" (Verve MGV-8017)
Tracks #2-11, from the LP "Dizzy Gillespie Birks Works" (Verve MGV-8222)
Tracks #12-14, from the LP "Dizzy in Greece" (Verve MGV-8017)
Track #15, from the 45rpm single Verve 89173
Track #16, from the 12" LP "The Playboy Jazz All Stars, Vol.1" (Playboy 1957)
Track #17, from the 12" LP "The Big Band Sound of Dizzy Gillespie"
(UK, Verve 2317 080)
Tracks #18 & 19, scheduled to be released on the LP "Dizzy Gillespie Big Band" (Verve MGV-8357), but not included.
Track #20, never issued on LP
Personnel CD 1:
Tracks #1-3:
Dizzy Gillespie (lead, tp), Ernie Royal, Ermit Valgean Perry, Idrees Sulieman (tp), Billy Byers, Jimmy Cleveland, Frank Rehak (tb), Jerome Richardson (fl, as), Sahib Shihab (as), Lucky Thompson, Ernie Wilkins (ts), Danny Bank (bs), Wade Legge (p), Nelson Boyd (b) and Charlie Persip (d).
Recorded in New York City, on February 14, 1956
Tracks #4-19:
Dizzy Gillespie (lead, tp, vcl), Quincy Jones, Joe Gordon, Carl Bama Warwick, Ermit Valgean Perry (tp), Melba Liston, Frank Rehak (tb), Rod Levitt (b-tb), Phil Woods, Jimmy Powell (as), Ernie Wilkins, Billy Mitchell (ts), Marty Flax (bs), Walter Davis Jr. (p), Nelson Boyd (b) and Charlie Persip (d).
Recorded in New York City, on June 6, 1956
Arrangements by Dizzy Gillespie (#7,11,14), Ernie Wilkins (#3,4,10,15), Quincy Jones (#1,5,6,8,12), Melba Liston (#9,16,18), Howie Kravitz (#13), A.K. Salim (#17), Tadd Dameron (#19), unknown (#2).
Personnel CD 2:
Track #1:
Dizzy Gillespie (lead, tp, vcl), Quincy Jones, Joe Gordon, Carl Bama Warwick, Ermit Valgean Perry (tp), Melba Liston, Frank Rehak (tb), Rod Levitt (b-tb), Phil Woods, Jimmy Powell (as), Billy Mitchell, Ernie Wilkins (ts), Marty Flax (bs), Walter Davis Jr. (p), Nelson Boyd (b) and Charlie Persip (d).
Recorded at Coastal Studios, New York City, on June, 1956
Tracks #2-15:
Dizzy Gillespie (lead, tp, vcl on #3), Lee Morgan, Carl Bama Warwick, Ermit Valgean Perry, Talib Ahmad Dawud (tp), Melba Liston, Al Grey (tb), Rod Levitt (b-tb), Jimmy Powell, Ernie Henry (as), Billy Mitchell, Benny Golson (ts), Billy Root (bs), Wynton Kelly (p), Paul West (b), Charlie Persip (d), Austin Cromer (vcl on #2,6,8,16).
Recorded at WOR Recording Studios, New York City, on April 7 (2-9), April 8 (10-15), 1957
Tracks #16-20:
Dizzy Gillespie (lead, tp, vcl), Lee Morgan, Ermit Valgean Perry, Talib Ahmad Dawud (tp), Melba Liston, Al Grey (tb), Ray Connors (b-tb), Jimmy Powell, Ernie Henry (as), Billy Mitchell, Benny Golson (ts), Pee Wee Moore (bs), Wynton Kelly (p), Paul West (b), Charlie Persip (d), Austin Cromer (vcl).
Recorded at WOR Recording Studios, New York City, on July 8, 1957
Arrangements by Dizzy Gillespie (#1,4,6), Ernie Wilkins (#2,3,5,8,10), Melba Liston (#7,9,19), Benny Golson (#11,12,17), A.K. Salim (#13,14), unknown arranger (#15,16,18).
Original recordings produced by Norman Granz
Reissue produced by Jordi Pujol & Jean-Michel Reisser
24-Bit Digitally Remastered
