DIZZY GILLESPIE – The Champ (1956-2003) RM | Savoy Jazz Classic Masters | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

An early LP on Savoy that gathers Dizzy Gillespie's small-group recordings from 1951-52, The Champ has a lot to recommend it -- songs, sidemen, and performances. With just one exception, each of the selections are drawn from quintet or sextet dates, boasting work by Art Blakey, Milt Jackson, J.J. Johnson, Percy Heath, and Stuff Smith in addition to an early appearance from John Coltrane (he made his debut with Diz, though not here). On the title track, a six-minute jam released as a two-part single, Gillespie plays furiously and tenor Budd Johnson contributes a great squawking solo. "Birk's Works," one of Dizzy's finest compositions, gets its first commercial recording, while Stuff Smith's violin solo gives "Caravan" exactly the exotic touch it needs to lift it above competing versions. Diz and Joe Carroll trade vocals on "On the Sunny Side of the Street," and bop culture meets gospel for "Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac."  John Bush
 Tracklist :
1 The Champ 05:43
 Dizzy Gillespie
2 Birk's Works 03:09
Dizzy Gillespie
3 Caravan 02:56
Duke Ellington / Irving Mills / Juan Tizol
4 Time On My Hands 02:26
Harold Adamson / Mack Gordon / Vincent Youmans
5 On the Sunny Side of the Street 03:09
Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh
6 Tin Tin Deo 02:43
Gil Fuller / Dizzy Gillespie / Chano Pozo
7 Stardust 03:07
Hoagy Carmichael / Mitchell Parish
8 They Can't Take That Away from Me 03:46
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
9 The Bluest Blues 02:57
Dizzy Gillespie / Gary McFarland / Sir Charles Thompson
10 Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac 03:10
 Dizzy Gillespie
11 Ooh-Shoo-Be-Doo-Bee 03:21
Joe Carroll / Dizzy Gillespie / Bill Graham
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Bill Graham (tracks: 3 to 5, 7 to 11), John Coltrane (tracks: 2, 6)
Baritone Saxophone – Bill Graham (tracks: 3 to 5, 7 to 11)
Bass – Bernie Griggs (tracks: 8, 11), Percy Heath (tracks: 1 to 7, 9, 10)
Drums – Al Jones (tracks: 3 to 5, 7 to 11), Art Blakey (tracks: 1), Kansas Fields (tracks: 2 to 6)
Guitar – Kenny Burrell (tracks: 2, 6)
Organ – Milt Jackson (tracks: 3 to 5, 7 to 9)
Piano – Milt Jackson (tracks: 2, 6, 10), Wynton Kelly (tracks: 8, 11)
Tenor Saxophone – Budd Johnson (tracks: 1), John Coltrane (tracks: 2, 6)
Trombone – J.J. Johnson
Trumpet – Dizzy Gillespie
Vibraphone – Milt Jackson (tracks: 2, 6, 10)
Violin – Stuff Smith (tracks: 3 to 5, 7, 9)
Vocals – Dizzy Gillespie (tracks: 10), Joe Carroll (tracks: 1, 3 to 5, 7 to 11), Melvin Moore (tracks: 1, 10), Milt Jackson (tracks: 3 to 5, 7 to 9)

DIZZY GILLESPIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1949-1950 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1168 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This entry in the Classics label Chronological series features the final recordings by Dizzy Gillespie's 1940s big band, a few jump jazz titles geared toward the R&B market, and a session in which Dizzy's trumpet is backed by a string section arranged by Johnny Richards. It is definitely a mixed bag. The big band titles are generally weak ("You Stole My Wife, You Horsethief" would never be considered a classic), as Gillespie tried hard to come up with a hit to save his orchestra. The jump titles are more fun, with "She's Gone Again" being particularly catchy. Richards' string arrangements are not very creative, although Gillespie plays well throughout. This set is not without interest overall, but is mostly for Dizzy completists and is far from essential. Scott Yanow  Tracklist :

DIZZY GILLESPIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1951-1952 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1286 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This intriguing CD features trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie during a transitional period, more than a year after his 1940s bebop orchestra broke up. "We Love to Boogie" has the first commercially recorded solo of tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, four years before he joined Miles Davis. Gillespie is heard with five different small groups playing music that is both boppish and a little R&B-influenced. Three of the combos match him with baritonist Bill Graham, with Milt Jackson playing as much piano as vibes and violinist Stuff Smith guesting on one session. Highlights include "Birk's Works," Joe Carroll's vocal on "Oh, Lady Be Good," the heated two-part "The Champ," "The Bluest Blues," and Carroll and Gillespie's singing on "On the Sunny Side of the Street." The final four numbers, taken from singles cut for the Atlantic label, are particularly rare. Scott Yanow          Tracklist :

DIZZY GILLESPIE – 1952-1953 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1347 (2004) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Longtime collectors of vintage Dizzy Gillespie recordings will be delighted with this package of predominantly but not exclusively Parisian blowing sessions. The eighth installment in the Classics Dizzy Gillespie chronology opens with three selections from a Blue Star date that took place in Paris on April 6, 1952. A hauntingly soulful "Summertime" is followed by a refreshing "Blue Moon." This is Diz in his early maturity, full of cool whimsy. "Blues Chanté" is essentially a rehearsal take for the excellent "Cripple Crapple Crutch," a humorous blues containing references to a blind sow, a crippled crab, and an elephant's member. This and seven subsequent tracks were recorded for the Vogue label with a sextet featuring tenor saxophonist Don Byas, the brothers Hubert and Raymond Fol, and aspiring bassist Pierre Michelot on April 11, 1952. With the exception of the aforementioned blues and a smart version of Tadd Dameron's "Lady Bird" (here titled "Dizzy Song") the play list for this richly rewarding session is all standards and ballads. Back in the U.S.A. on July 18th, Gillespie presided over a Dee Gee recording date in Chicago with 20-year-old pianist Wynton Kelly and outrageous vocalist Joe "Be Bop" Carroll. In addition to the definitive version of "Oo-Shoo-Be-Doo-Be," this date resulted in a hilarious version of "Blue Skies" (wherein Diz and Joe ponder the possibility of getting eaten by a whale), a really nutty take on "Umbrella Man," a wild Louis Armstrong impersonation by Diz, and a gorgeous version of "They Can't Take That Away from Me." On November 24, 1952, Gillespie participated in one of those "jazz battles" contrived by music critics. Presented live at Birdland, "Hot vs. Cool" placed a team of young "modern" musicians (Dizzy Gillespie, tenor man Ray Abrams, bassist Al McKibbon, and drummer Max Roach) alongside players who were more closely associated with "traditional" fare. Trumpeter Jimmy McPartland, the most conspicuous member of this contingent, verbally introduces "Muskrat Ramble." (McPartland's professional career reached back into the mid-'20s when he recorded with the Wolverines after the departure of Bix Beiderbecke.) "Battle of the Blues" quickly develops into a kicking R&B jam, while "How High the Moon," naturally, belongs to the boppers. In truth, of course, McPartland and Gillespie got along marvelously and the only real conflict was between opinionated journalists. The packaging of this CD includes a wonderfully weird snapshot of the two men fingering each other's trumpets while simultaneously trying to blow their horns and smoke tobacco; from the corners of their mouths McPartland dangles a cigarette while Dizzy chews a big cigar. On February 22, 1953, Gillespie and Joe Carroll were back in Paris recording for Vogue. The cream of this session and one of Gillespie's all-time best recordings is their very hip version of Irving Berlin's "Always.". arwulf arwulf    Tracklist + Credits :