Dizzy Gillespie

Dizzy Gillespie is heard at the height of his vanguard years on the single-disc compilation Gettin' Dizzy: The High Flying Dizzy Gillespie, featuring 15 remastered tracks, recorded between 1945 and 1952 for the Savoy label. This is the era that Dizzy outgrew his all-star sideman status as trumpeter in Billy Eckstine's big band to become a first-rate bandleader, innovator, and showman in his own right. At this time he began to formulate three new directions in jazz: bebop, big-band bebop, and Afro-Cuban jazz. Of particular interest are six tracks that earmark the remarkably lucid and rapid-fire interplay of bebop invention between Dizzy and Charlie Parker, especially on three Gillespie-penned standards: "Salt Peanuts," "Groovin' High," and "Dizzy Atmosphere." Also of note are early appearances by future jazz stalwarts including tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, vibraphonist Milt Jackson, guitarist Kenny Burrell, and trumpeter Kenny Dorham. Even though Gettin' Dizzy: The High Flying Dizzy Gillespie is by no means a complete representation of those evolutionary years, it does provide an excellent snapshot marking the inceptive brilliance of Dizzy Gillespie. ~ Al Campbell, All Music Guide