Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review
(12 customer reviews) 20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Can we have a remaster?,
December 13, 2005 kkase "Ken" (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (Audio CD)
Of course this is a fine collection. Of course Dizzy's big band in the forties made some fantastic music. Of course this is an indispensible part of jazz history. But oh, the sound...
Previous issues of this music on both CD and vinyl far surpass this one in terms of sound quality. The dreaded nineties-era noise reduction technology is all over this music, taking great hunks of sonic elements away from these vital performances. Since Bluebird corrected similar problems by issuing the Blanton/Webster sides by Duke Ellington, should they not do the same for these great records?
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Oop-Bob-Sh-BAM!!,
November 22, 2004 madamemusico "madamemusico" (Cincinnati, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (Audio CD)
From the first time I heard Dizzy's big band, on a now-defunct RCA Vintage LP ("The Bebop Era"), I was hooked...then I found out that my father had heard the band for FREE when he worked at the Metropole in NYC on 52nd Street...and HATED it because Dizzy didn't play like Sammy Kaye (his favorite band)!! How I envied and disliked him for that!!
These innovative Gil Fuller arrangements, in which the entire trumpet section swung like five Dizzies, are simply staggering. The music swirls and eddies, jumps and dives like a hyperactive jazz dancer. And all the soloists are fabulous: inventive, original, highly swinging. The jam sessions at the Metronome All-Star sessions are also very historic, with a trumpet section of Dizzy, Miles Davis and Fats Navarro, all trying to sound like Dizzy in their solos (and succeeding!), as well as scintillating piano solos by the brilliant but anti-social Lennie Tristano. All in all, an exciting and important album that no jazz lover should...Read more
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Simply Smokin'!,
June 1, 2000 George Grella "Urbane citizen" (Brooklyn) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (Audio CD)
Here it is, the best Dizzy Gillespie set out there. This music is distinct from the Parker/Gillespie Quintet, as it features Dizzy's ultra-pwerful big band and the founding tunes of Afro-Cuban jazz, with the great Chano Pozo. The sheer exuberance of Dizzy's personality is all over these recordings, from the opening seconds of 'Manteca,' to the fascinating pre-bop recordings with Teddy Hill and Lionel Hampton, where Dizzy umistakbly shines. The good humor of the vocal tracks is irrepressable too! This is an essential part of a jazz fans library, and you'll love every cut.
