Dizzy Gillespie with Sonny Rollins and Sonny Stitt - Duets (1957) {Verve 835 253-2 rel 1988}

One of the greatest jam session records on Verve! Although some of the label's "big horn talent" albums tended to be a bit snoozy, this one crackles with energy, and features three different classes of boppers working together perfectly on long, lively tracks with Ray Bryant on piano, Tommy Bryant on bass, and Charlie Persip on drums. In fact, it's probably the soulful rhythm section that makes the whole thing so darn good – as they really chop up some nice rhythms on cuts like "Wheatleigh Hall", "Haute Mon", and the album's classic version of "Con Alma". Great stuff, and essential for fans of Diz and Rollins especially!

Dizzy Gillespie - The Verve/Philips Dizzy Gillespie Small Group Sessions (1954-1964) {7CD Box Set Mosaic MCD7-234 rel 2006}

These sessions document unequivocally why Dizzy Gillespie is still considered one of the greatest improvisers in the history of jazz, for his mastery of the instrument, his command of time, his control over musical ideas, and his ability to entertain. He was blessed during this period, which spans 1954 to 1963, with stellar sidemen, unparalleled arrangements, and a surge of excitement for making music.

Dizzy Gillespie - Dizzy Digs Paris (1953) [2CD] {2006 Giant Steps Remaster}

Dizzy Gillespie - Dizzy Digs Paris (1953) [2CD] {2006 Giant Steps Remaster}

EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 572 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 370 Mb

Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 364 Mb | 5% repair rar

© 2006 Giant Steps | GSCR 016

Jazz / Mainstream Jazz / Bop / Trumpet

On February 9, 1953, Dizzy Gillespie played a live concert at the Salle Pleyel in Paris that was recorded, though when excerpts were first released, there were only enough used to fill one 10" LP. This two-disc set not only includes the entire 84-minute show (which actually fills just over one disc) for the first time on CD, it also adds 16 studio tracks that Gillespie cut in Paris that same month, as well as eight Gillespie-less studio tracks (also done in Paris in February 1953) by three of his sidemen, working under the name the Wade Legge Trio. It's the live Salle Pleyel set that's the main feature, presented here, according to the liner notes, in an "unedited remastered version of that evening's events with a number of butchered solos fully restored plus the addition of [alto and baritone saxophonist] Bill Graham's previously discarded showcase "'I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance,'" for which Dizzy made a rare appearance on piano."