Dizzy Gillespie Verve/Phillips Small Group Sessions

[mikeweil]

Regardless of what will be included - I think a Mosaic treatment of Dizzy Gillespie is long overdue. Considering the enormous quantity and diversity of the material for Verve alone (ranging from small working groups to his own big band, all star groups, jam sessions, special orchestral projects, and sideman dates) it's no wonder Universal did not attempt it - I found that compilation box set box set issued several years ago was a disappointment as it confirmed there would be no "complete" edition. Splitting this output into thematically focussed sub-units seems like a practical way.

BTW - is there any Dizzy Disco somewhere online? I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't.

[mikeweil]

FWIW, some entries from Bruyninckx:

Dizzy Gillespie (tp, vcl) Hank Mobley (ts) Wade Legge (p) Lou Hackney (b) Charli Persip (d)

New York, May 25, 1954 (Norgran 1083 Jazz Recital)

- Sugar Hips

- Hey Pete

- One Alone (Lonely One)

- Money Honey

Dizzy Gillespie (tp) Jimmy Cleveland (tb) Hank Mobley (ts) Wade Legge (p) Lou Hackney (b) Charli Persip (d)

New York, June 8, 1954 (Norgran 1083 Jazz Recital)

- Blue Moon

- Rails

- Devil and the fish

- Rumbola

Dizzy Gillespie (tp) Henry Coker (tb) Gigi Gryce (as, arr*) Benny Golson (ts, arr°) Pee Wee Moore (bs) Ray Bryant (p) Tommy Bryant (b) Charli Persip (d)

New York, December 17, 1957 (Verve 8352 The Greatest Trumpet of them All)

- Blues after dark°

- Sea breeze°

- Out of the past°

- Shabozz*

- Reminiscing*

- A night at Tony's*

- Smoke Signals*

- Just by myself°

More to come .....

[J.A.W.]

I checked my Bruyninckx "Modern Jazz" discography (Vol.2: D-H), and found that Dizzy made very few small-group recordings for Limelight; these two were issued as far as I could see:

Recorded on November 4, 1964

Dizzy Gillespie - trumpet

James Moody - tenor saxophone, flute

Kenny Barron - piano, bass (?), vocal

Chris White - bass, guitar, vocal

Kansas Fields - percussion

Ann Henry - vocal

Recorded on October 21, 1966

Dizzy Gillespie - trumpet

James Moody - tenor saxophone, flute

Kenny Barron - piano

Billy Butler - guitar

Frank Schifano - bass

Otis Candy Finch, Jr. - drums

Candido Camero - conga

Panama Francis - percussion

[mikeweil]

To quote from Mosaic's site:

The Verve & Phillips Dizzy Gillespie Small Group Sessions (7 CDs)

While most of Dizzy Gillespie’s Verve albums were all-star or big band situations, he also recorded with his 1954 quintet with Hank Mobley (1), a 1957 octet with Gigi Gryce and Benny Golson (2), his 1959 quintet with Les Spann and Junior Mance (3) and a 1961 live concert with Leo Wright (4). The following year, Dizzy signed with Philips where he made six albums with his working bands featuring first Wright and Lalo Schifrin (5) and later James Moody and Kenny Barron (6). Much of the material on set it on CD for the first time. The set includes 11 previously unissued tracks.

(My index numbers)

Here's what I found in Bryuninckx:

(1) - Norgran 1083 Jazz Recital

(2) - Verve 8352 The Greatest Trumpet of them All

(3) - Verve 8313 Have Trumpet will excite

Verve 8328 The ebullient Mr. Gillespie (2 unissued tracks)

(4) - Bruyninckx lists a single Verve 10213 and six unissued tracks recorded March 28-29, 1960 in a Chicago studio and four unissued live tracks from the Konzerthuset in Stockholm dated November 21, 1960 with Leo Wright - the latter also has Schifrin.

(5) - Verve 8401 An electrifying evening (February 9, 1961)

Philips 200-048 Dizzy on the French Riviera

Philips 200-070 New Wave

(6) - Philips 200-091 Something old, something new

Philips 200-123 Dizzy Goes Hollywood

Philips 200-138 The Cool World

The next albums of the Moody-Barron band were for Limelight.

The above does not quite correspond to Mosaic's listing, maybe Bruyninckx has some dates wrong or my edition is too dated.

Edited December 23, 2005 by mikeweil

[Stereojack]

My understanding is that while Philips may have been a separate entity from Mercury when Dizzy first signed with the label in the early 1960's, the label was connected to Mercury by the time Dizzy's 3rd Philips album "Something Old Something New" was released in 1963. My copy of the original LP identifies Philips as "A Division of Mercury".

In answer to the question of the quality of the 5 Philips LP's:

Dizzy On the French Riviera *****

New Wave ****

Something Old Something New *****

Dizzy Goes Hollywood **1/2

The Cool World ***1/2

After this his releases were transferred to the newly created Limelight label, (as were many of the artists signed to Mercury/Philips, like Gerry Mulligan, Roland Kirk, Oscar Peterson, et al.) As far as I can tell, there were only 2 Dizzy releases on Limelight:

Jambo Caribe (a rather commercial effort that can be omitted)

The New Continent (a big band session recorded for Philips in 1962, not released until c. 1966)

[Stereojack]

I forgot about this one:

Dizzy Gillespie and the Double Six of Paris (Philips) noteworthy for the presence of Bud Powell, but otherwise not essential **1/2

Actually, there were 3 Limelight albums:

Jambo Caribe (a calypso record, fun but on the light side)

The New Continent (a big band session recorded for Philips in 1962, not released until c. 1966)

The Melody Lingers On (this was the rather commercial side I referred to in the previous post)

One of the first times I saw Dizzy, the latter was his newest album. At one point James Moody, in a mock attempt to hawk the album on stage, held it up and read off the song titles, effectively ridiculing the record and jokingly humiliating Dizzy. As light as the record is, the band totally kicked ass live.

[sidewinder]

This will be a good set. I think I've got most of the material apart from 'The Cool World' on vinyl or (in the case of 'Jambo Caribe') on CD so will probably pass on this one. Some of the 'Cool World' material I have on a Diz anthology set.

Particular thumbs up to the Lalo Schifrin arranged 'New Continent' - released on Limelight (as mentioned above). 'The Chains', in particular, is a real good arrangement and the whole thing is well recorded. Sounds like it won't be on this set though.

Edited December 24, 2005 by sidewinder

[tranemonk]

One thing this has got me wondering.. .is if this set was one of the earliest sessions for Kenny Barron? He didn't get his own recording date until 1973's Sunset at Dawn (according to AMG)...

Any thoughts on that???

'Cause if it is... that's even more reason to look forard to this set...

Also... what sessions are likely to be left OUT (probably because they're still in print)??? I know the "Sittin' In" session I mentioned earlier???

Edited December 24, 2005 by tranemonk

[garthsj]

Actually I rather enjoy the Double Six album (as I do the Double Six with the MJQ) ... Dizzy plays very well, and this is what Charlie Parker with The Dave Lambert Singers should have sounded like in a perfect world ... I do hope that they include it in the set. Of course the real gems are "The Greatest Trumpet of Them All" (never reissued on CD) and "Have Trumpet, Will Excite" (recently reissued on a very poorly remastered CD .. but great Gillespie and Junior Mance solos ... listen to "My Man" for example.

I forgot about this one:

Dizzy Gillespie and the Double Six of Paris (Philips) noteworthy for the presence of Bud Powell, but otherwise not essential **1/2

[paul secor]

I'll add a vote for the Double Six recording - not my favorite Diz, but one I enjoy listening to now and again. From the memories I have of the other Philips sides I've heard (Riviera and Cool World), I may end up passing on this Mosaic. I'll try to keep an open mind and wait to see what's included.

[Swinging Swede]

As far as the the Limelight recordings are concerned, there is also the 1965 Charlie Parker Memorial Concert on which Gillespie's working band with James Moody recorded 5 tracks. And there is a track from the Jambo Caribe sessions (Fickle Finger of Fate) that only was on Limelight's "We Had A Ball" compilation. For some reason it wasn't included as a bonus track on the 1998 VBR reissue of "Jambo Caribe".

[marcello]

As far as the the Limelight recordings are concerned, there is also the 1965 Charlie Parker Memorial Concert on which Gillespie's working band with James Moody recorded 5 tracks.

The version of Groovin High, from that concert, is a favorite of mine.

[felser]

One thing this has got me wondering.. .is if this set was one of the earliest sessions for Kenny Barron? He didn't get his own recording date until 1973's Sunset at Dawn (according to AMG)...

Any thoughts on that???

'Cause if it is... that's even more reason to look forard to this set...

Kenny recorded with his older brother Bill Barron for Savoy in '61, a couple of years ahead of his recordings with Dizzy.

[Harold_Z]

Also with Dave Burns on Vanguard. The liner notes on that say that it's KB 's first recording. Also Herbie Morgan's first.

[Alfred]

I have no discography books here. My question: Can we expect extensive unreleased material?!

If not I'll also pass on this one for the same reason sidewinder mentioned. Otherwise it's a 10,000 Mosaic/Universal release with a european low price guaranty!

Edited December 25, 2005 by Alfred

[sidewinder]

. Otherwise it's a 10,000 Mosaic/Universal release with a european low price guaranty!

I may have a re-think then !

[brownie]

One thing this has got me wondering.. .is if this set was one of the earliest sessions for Kenny Barron? He didn't get his own recording date until 1973's Sunset at Dawn (according to AMG)...

Any thoughts on that???

Michael Fitzgerald has this Kenny Barron discography on his Jazz Discography site!

[mikeweil]

The Barron discography mentions a 1996 CD issue:

Verve CD: 314 531 123-2 - The Cool World/Dizzy Goes Hollywood

Anyone has this to tell how the music is?

As I posted above, Dizzy's output is so voluminous one has to think selective when planning a box set; but to me, a cut before Barron joined the band and another set with the Barron sessions would have been just as logical especially as Philips and Limelight both belong to Universal.

Edited December 26, 2005 by mikeweil

[Dennis_M]

Oh man, I CANNOT wait!

[kh1958]

The Cool World is great, Dizzy Does Hollywood isn't.

The Barron discography mentions a 1996 CD issue:

Verve CD: 314 531 123-2 - The Cool World/Dizzy Goes Hollywood

Anyone has this to tell how the music is?

As I posted above, Dizzy's output is so voluminous one has to think selective when planning a box set; but to me, a cut before Barron joined the band and another set with the Barron sessions would have been just as logical especially as Philips and Limelight both belong to Universal.

[Matthew]

This is supposed to be out next month, which is great. Does anyone know if The Dizzy Gillespie/Stan Getz Sextet, Vols. 1 & 2 will be included on this, or left out? No response to my emails from Mosaic on the subject for some reason.

[David Ayers]

This is supposed to be out next month, which is great. Does anyone know if The Dizzy Gillespie/Stan Getz Sextet, Vols. 1 & 2 will be included on this, or left out? No response to my emails from Mosaic on the subject for some reason.

I don't know, but it isn't listed on the site. I sincerely hope this isn't another one of those sets with arbitrary exclusions of good material. Same reason I don't like muddled concept of many Select sets. Somebody tell me I'm wrong!

[Clunky]

the Dizzy And Stuff stuff also appears be have been excluded

[Bluerein]

I believe the sessions with co leaders are excluded (Stuff, Getz, etc.) But these are available elsewhere so no worries!!!

[David Ayers]

I believe the sessions with co leaders are excluded (Stuff, Getz, etc.) But these are available elsewhere so no worries!!!

Thanks Reinier. I do wonder though about sets that exclude 'already available' material. It can happen that the material excluded is more important than much material in the set. The notion of the integrity of the set goes out of the window. 'Already available' material may in fact be in need of re-editing, re-mastering etc. And why buy a set if the best material is already out and cheaper? What is available one day is often gone the next. These questions aren't aimed at you or anybody else! Just thinking out loud. I dislike the patchwork effect of the Selects and don't like it leaking over into the 'real' sets. Anyway, I'll be getting this in the euro-nice-price edition, as and when, so I won't be complaining!