Best Dizzy Gillespie's Cds

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by alex-57, Nov 23, 2008.

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  1. alex-57

    alex-57 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Hello!!
    I appeal to those who are fond of jazz music and first of all to those who know and like Dizzy Gillespie.
    Recently I have bought Cd Dizzy Gillespie "Compact jazz" by Mercury records. I like this complilation very much.
    Can you recommend me 1-3 his best Cds in order to understand his music better? There is a variant to consult Allmusic.com but I don't always agree with it, sometimes 2 stars rated Cds are good enough and 5 stars rated ones are not interesting.
    Thanks in advance. Alex.
     
  2. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    "An Electrifying Evening With The Dizzy Gillespie Quintet" on Verve is essential. This has his classics in superb sound. Recorded at the Museum Of Modern Art in New York City in 1961 for Verve. Available recently on Verve Master Edition.
     
  3. Matt I

    Matt I Forum Resident

    Location:
    Alabama
    I really like At Newport, a great live album. They seemed to be having a lot of fun.
     
  4. I'm very partial to "Gillespiana" and the big-band compilation set on Verve. Also, the Dizzy and United Nations Orchestra recording from late in his career is great. Dizzy himself is "just OK" on that one, but the band is on fire. Best version of "Tin Tin Deo" that I've heard.
     
  5. Catywampus

    Catywampus Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona
    Sonny Side Up is another stellar one. Gillespie with Sonny Rollins & Sonny Stitt. "I Know That You Know" is worth the price of admission alone.
     
    Jackie P likes this.
  6. Mike in OR

    Mike in OR Through Middle-earth...onto Heart of The Sunrise

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    I would definately grab Dizzy's Big 4. It is excellent.
     
    Jackie P likes this.
  7. alex-57

    alex-57 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Thanks for information.:righton:
     
  8. Hypnotoad

    Hypnotoad Active Member

    Location:
    Chicago, IL, USA
    The 40's material is the musically most important and best, in my opinion, but it is very frustrating to find good versions of it.

    The Complete RCA Victor is no-noised and sounds a bit dead, but is great music.
    A lot of the same material, with better sound, is on the Chano Pozo box set (El Tambor de Cuba), but that is expensive and really only makes sense if you are interested in this Afro-Cuban giant.

    I don't know of a great source for Parker/Gillespie 40's collaborations. There are a few concerts from the 40's. And then there is "The Greatest Jazz Concert Ever" from the early 50's, featuring Parker, Gillespie, Powell, Mingus.

    I agree that "An Electrifying Evening" from '61 is a great album. My favorite post-40's one.
     
  9. biffrhodes

    biffrhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
    +1 on Gillespiana and Complete RCA Victor. Suggest also Birks Works, 2cd set on Verve
     
  10. reeler

    reeler Forum Resident

    These three have good music, the first two sound better than the 3rd which is decent 1956 mono-
    "Have Trumpet will Excite" (Columbia 30th street studio 1959)
    "Cool World" (Tom Nola Studio 1964)
    "Modern Jazz Sextet" (Fine sound NYC 1956)

    If you want to go all out there's this:
    http://www.mosaicrecords.com/prodinfo.asp?number=234-MD-CD
     
  11. Hank

    Hank Senior Member

    Location:
    Massachusetts
    In 2005, the Uptown label released a great Gillespie/Parker performance on CD called Dizzy Gillespie-Charlie Parker: Town Hall, New York City, June 22, 1945. Features great extended performances of some of their early classic sides, including "A Night in Tunisia," "Groovin' High," "Salt Peanuts," and "Hot House." Excellent sound for its time, too.
     
  12. bluesbro

    bluesbro Forum Hall of Shame

    Location:
    DC
  13. kiddo4

    kiddo4 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    I've always liked "Swing Low Sweet Cadillac"...
     
  14. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict

    These are my Dizzy Gillespie CDs - I can recommend all of them:
    The Complete RCA Victor Recordings – 2CD, Bluebird; 1937, 1939, 1946-1949 recordings in various settings
    Shaw 'Nuff – Musicraft; 1945-1946 quintet/sextet/nonet and big-band recordings
    Groovin’ High – Savoy (Japan); 1945-1946 recordings in various settings
    Dizzy Gillespie-Charlie Parker, Town Hall, New York City, June 22, 1945 – Uptown; live quintet/sextet recordings
    The Complete Dial Sessions (1946-1948) – Spotlite (UK); 1946 septet recordings; CD shared with trumpeters Sonny Berman and Fats Navarro
    The Verve/Philips Dizzy Gillespie Small Group Sessions – 7CD, Mosaic (limited edition); 1954-1963 recordings in various settings; this set includes the Norgran and Verve albums Diz and Getz, Dizzy Gillespie and His Orchestra, Jazz Recital, Have Trumpet, Will Excite, The Ebullient Mr Gillespie, The Greatest Trumpet of Them All, A Portrait of Duke Ellington and An Electrifying Evening with the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet, and the Philips albums Dizzy on the French Rivièra, New Wave!, Something Old, Something New, Dizzy Gillespie and the Double Six of Paris, Dizzy Goes Hollywood and Original Score from the Cool World
    Birks' Works: The Verve Big-Band Sessions – 2CD, Verve; 1956-1957 recordings; this set includes the albums World Statesman, Dizzy in Greece and Birks' Works

    As was posted earlier in this thread, the complete RCA Victor set is no-noised and sounds pretty bad. It's essential stuff, though.
     
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  15. alex-57

    alex-57 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Thanks in advance.I will looking for this CD's:goodie:
     
  16. aoxomoxoa

    aoxomoxoa I'm an ear sitting in the sky

    Location:
    USA
    The new reissue of "Dizzy In Hollywood" sounds very good. My only complaint is lack of liner notes. It doesnt tell who plays on the CD. I think James Moody is on this one.
     
  17. ATR

    ATR Senior Member

    Location:
    Baystate
    Max and Dizzy Paris 1989, Verve, 2 CD's. Duets and an interview.
     
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  18. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict

    Dizzy Goes Hollywood has the following personnel:

    Dizzy Gillespie - trumpet
    James Moody - flute, tenor saxophone
    Kenny Barron - piano
    Chris White - bass
    Rudy Collins - drums
    Billy Byers - arranger

    The album was recorded at Universal Recording, Chicago. These are the recording dates and tracks:

    September 11, 1963
    Theme from Exodus

    September 12, 1963
    Theme from Picnic
    Caesar and Cleopatra Theme
    Love Theme from Lolita


    September 13, 1963
    Theme from Lawrence of Arabia
    More
    Never on Sunday
    Days of Wine and Roses


    September 14, 1963
    Moon River
    Carioca (Flying Down to Rio)
    Paris Blues
    (unissued, tape no longer exists)
    Walk on the Wild Side
     
  19. lschwart

    lschwart Senior Member

    Location:
    Richmond, VA
    All great recommendations here. I'd also suggest considering "Dizzy's Diamonds" a nice 3 disk survey of the Verve years organized as one disk of Big Band sides, one of small group sides, and one of afro-cuban, bossa nova, and calypso flavored tunes. It's a good way to get a sense of what the output was like during those years.

    As others have noted, if you have to have one Gillespie set, however, the key one to own (and "it should be in every serious jazz collection," as they say) is "The Complete RCA Victor Recordings." It's essential jazz, even with the NR.

    L.
     
  20. jgnagy

    jgnagy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Santa Barbara, CA
    Reviving this old thread in my quest for Bird and Diz. Since the above link is now dead, which show were you referring to bluesbro?
     
  21. leshafunk

    leshafunk Forum Resident

    Location:
    Moscow, Russia
    Not mentioned here yet, but I really enjoy Dizzy's both Perception studio albums. However the recording quality is far from audiophile. I have checked both Collectables and Castle CD releases, Castle twofer sounds a bit better.

    Also big fan of his one-time collaboration with Lalo Schifrin; the only CD version available sounds good to me.
     
  22. hbbfam

    hbbfam Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chandler,AZ
  23. Scope J

    Scope J Senior Member

    Location:
    Michigan
    Summer bump

    i need some Diz in my
    collection too !
     
  24. Scope J

    Scope J Senior Member

    Location:
    Michigan
    Snagged yesterday

    [​IMG]
     
  25. profholt82

    profholt82 Resident Blowhard

    Location:
    West Michigan
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