Video: Giants of Jazz in Holland, 1972

The Giants of Jazz was a bebop supergroup assembled by George Wein in 1971 after a riot at the Newport Jazz Festival in Newport, R.I., suspended the event. To recoup the losses, George sent the newly formed sextet and the festival itself out on tour. Starting in the fall, the Giants performed in Australia followed by Europe and the U.S. in 1972, where they appeared at mostly indoor venues throughout the country before heading off to Europe again that fall. I saw them in July 1972 when I was 15 at Carnegie Hall. Post-riot, the Newport Jazz Festival had relocated to New York. A jazz fan for three years and by then versed in the music recorded by the bop legends on stage, I was blown away.

On October 29, 1972, on the second European tour, the group—Dizzy Gillespie (tp), Sonny Stitt (as/ts), Kai Winding (tb), Thelonious Monk (p), Al McKibbon (b) and Art Blakey (d)—appeared at Rotterdam's De Doelen in the Netherlands. The Giants had appeared a year earlier at the concert hall, which had been rebuilt in 1965 with its main hall holding 2,200 seats.

Earlier this week, Danilo Morandi in Switzerland sent along a two-part video of the Giants of Jazz's performance there taped originally for Dutch TV. I figured since most of you are recovering from yesterday's meal, this would be perfect sofa viewing and listening.

Here's Part 1...



And here's Part 2...