Dave Rickert
July 2001

Combing the Catalog
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By David Rickert

The fifties were interesting years for those surrounding Dizzy Gillespie. His fellow bebop innovators fell on hard times; Charlie Parker's excesses caught up with him in 1955 while Monk was virtually out of commission due to cabaret laws. In addition Clifford Brown and Fats Navarro, two pioneers who posed a serious challenge to the trumpet throne, died before they realized the full extent of their talents. Dizzy, however, continued to forge on, working in occasional big bands and small groups, his status already cemented in history. Here are two recent reissues that document this period.

Have Trumpet, Will Excite!
Dizzy Gillespie
1959/2001

Have Trumpet, Will Excite!, making its first appearance on CD, must have bewildered listeners when it was first released. After his long association with Parker, Gillespie had gone through a series of second hornmen to share the front line, none of whom stayed for long. Sonny Stitt was with him briefly, but then went on to form his own group; Junior Cook left to join Horace Silver. His next choice represented a bold move; instead of a saxophonist, he recruited Les Spann, who doubled on guitar and flute, and brought a cooler sensibility to Gillespie's combo. In addition to Spann, Gillespie stole the Cannonball Adderley rhythm section of Junior Mance, Sam Jones, and Jimmy Cobb (who was later replaced by Lex Humphries when Cobb left to join Miles). Forgoing his bebop roots, Dizzy chose mostly standards and ballads for this session, many of which seemed odd choices for the jazz treatment. But as Gillespie himself says, "It's not the tune it's what you do with it." Dizzy for the most part plays with a mute, at times recalling another muted horn classic, Relaxin' With the Miles Davis Quintet. However, whereas Miles' muted trumpet is melancholy and languid, Dizzy's is crisp and piquant, and he's not afraid to climb into the upper registers of the horn from time to time. Diz can peel off licks as quickly as anybody, but this album also displays his smoother side and his refined use of space. Sticking mostly to medium tempos, the session has a subtle, West Coast feel (no doubt helped by the guitar/flute combo), yet the quintet never stays in the same place for very long, often shifting tempos and switching keys within each tune. The only real fire breather here, and the sole link to Diz's bebop years, is an intense "Woody 'n' You", in which Spann follows Gillespie's gymnastics with a knucklebuster of his own. Mance gets in a few gentlemanly solo spots and the rhythm section provides ample support throughout. Of course, there's the obligatory Latin-tinged tune, with Valdez added on congas. An unusual album for Gillespie, but well worthwhile. There are also multiple alternate takes to satisfy the diehards.

Diz and Getz
Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz
1953-54/2001

Norman Granz must have been one of those kids who enjoyed putting two hornets in a jar to get them to fight, for he employed a similar strategy with musicians on several of his Verve sessions. At first, Getz and Diz seem like unlikely sparring partners, one the professor of bebop and the other a reluctant leader of the cool school, but past sessions indicate that both men were up to the challenge of a little cutting contest. As Oscar Peterson explains, "Dizzy was out for blood. He wanted to take advantage of somebody and I decided it wasn't going to be me." What with the addition of Max Roach on drums all signs pointed to a great blowing session; however, the end result is hit or miss. The opening track is the only real horse race; the sextet blazes through "It Don't Mean A Thing" at a frightening pace that surely challenged all involved. Getz and Diz bring out the best in each other here, trading off responsive licks that create thunder and lightning. It's a treat listening to these two try to outdo each other, but sadly the rest of the album fails to capitulate on this energy. The two hornmen stumble over each other on "I Let A Song Out of My Heart" and "Exactly Like You", only really hitting stride when they get out of each other's way. A lovely reading of "It's The Talk of the Town" puts things back on track, playing to Getz's strength of interpreting ballads with a silky, inviting tone and Diz gets in a lush trumpet solo of his own as well, but the blues "Impromptu" is too fast; everyone seems simply to be trying to keep up with the tempo. Interestingly enough, the real highlight here is the rhythm section, which displays a high level of competency throughout, demonstrating the empathy they would later fine tune as the Oscar Peterson Trio a few years later. Yet again, there's a song with a Latin beat to finish things off. Although quite a bit of this CD is thoroughly enjoyable, it's hard to imagine it couldn't have been more exciting. Perhaps the two musicians didn't quite click on this day or maybe different tunes would have generated more heat. A puzzling sidenote is the inclusion of "One Alone", recorded half a year later, which substitutes the rhythm section and a young Hank Mobley for Getz. This is a tune which isn't from the same session yet was included on the CD, oddly sandwiched right in the middle. It's a fairly good performance and Mobley fans, given their fanaticism, will probably scarf this one up.

Dizzy Gillespie-Have Trumpet, Will Excite!
Tracks: 1. My Heart Belongs to Daddy, 2. My Man, 3.Moonglow, 4.St. Louis Blues, 5.Woody 'n' You, 6.Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams, 7. There Is No Greater Love, 8. I Found a Million-Dollar Baby in a Five & Ten Cent Store, 9.There Is No Greater Love (alternative take), 10.There Is No Greater Love (alternative take), 11.There Is No Greater Love (alternative take), 12. I Found a Million-Dollar Baby in a Five and Ten Cent Store, (alternative take).
Personnel: Dizzy Gillespie - trumpet, Junior Mance - piano, Les Spann - guitar/flute, Sam Jones - bass, Carlos "Potato" Valdez - conga, Lex Humphries - drums.

Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz-Diz and Getz
Tracks: 1. It Don't Mean a Thing (if It Ain't Got That Swing), 2. I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart, 3. Exactly Like You, 4. It's the Talk of the Town, 5. Impromptu, 6. One Alone, 7. Girl of My Dreams, 8. Siboney (Parts 1 and 2).
Personnel: Dizzy Gillespie - trumpet, Stan Getz - tenor saxophone, Hank Mobley - tenor saxophone, Wade Legge - piano, Oscar Peterson - piano, Herb Ellis - guitar, Lou Hackney - bass, Ray Brown - bass, Charlie Persip - drums, Max Roach - drums.

Verve on the web: http://www.vervemusicgroup.com