One of Dizzy Gillespie's hippest big band sessions ever – and one of the few dates as a leader from arranger Gil Fuller! Fuller will always be best-remembered as the man who composed some of Dizzy Gillespie's best known tunes from the bop era – like "Manteca", "One Bass Hit", and "Things To Come" – but on this album from 1965, he's reunited with Dizzy for a large group set of tracks that feature Diz as the main soloist – at a level that really shows the growth of both men at the time! Fuller's charts are large and full, but with a sense of space that's really amazing – almost like some of the soundtrack work Dizzy had done for The Cool World – with a mix of soulful and modern moments that's really wonderful. The group's kind of a mix of hip LA players – with Phil Moore Jr on piano, Dennis Budimir on guitar, and Jimmy Bond on bass – plus a larger set of horn players backing Dizzy up. Titles include a number of great originals – such as "Be's That Way", "Big Sur", "Things Are Here", "Man From Monterey", and "Angel City". LP, Vinyl record album

While actually not as electrifying as some of Dizzy's other albums from the time, this one's still pretty darn great, and features his great group with Leo Wright on alto and Lalo Schfrin on piano. The band grooves with a subtly Latinish vibe, and the tracks are nice and long long long. Titles include "Kush", one of Dizzy's best Latin numbers, plus "The Mooch" and "Night In Tunisia". LP, Vinyl record album

Featured sidemen include Joe Carroll, Dexter Gordon, Milt Jackson, Charles Mingus, Bud Powell, Max Roach, and Billy Taylor. LP, Vinyl record album

With John Coltrane, Milt Jackson, Kenny Burrell, JJ Johnson, Art Blakey, Joe Carroll, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

A nice collection of tracks recorded by Diz during the early 50s – mostly in Paris, with backing by players that include tenorist Don Byas and pianist Wade Legge, and occasional vocals by Joe Carroll. Titles include "This Is The Way", "Always", "Crutch", "Fais Gaffe", "Hurry Home", "Moon Nocturne", and "I Don't Know Why". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A rare 60s meeting of groovy talents from both sides of the Atlantic – and a record that matches the trumpet of Dizzy Gillespie with the hiply swinging vocals of The Double Six Of Paris! The group were a wonderfully groovy precursor to the Swingle Singers – and sung in a scatting approach to jazz vocals that was very much in the tradition of Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross – but also drew inspiration from the earlier work of Eddie Jefferson, King Pleasure, and others. Their sound is great – much more 60s groovy than some other vocal groups – and pairing them with Dizzy gives this record an added punch that some of their other sessions are missing! Backing is small combo throughout – with either Bud Powell or Kenny Barron on piano, Kenny Clarke on drums, and James Moody on tenor – and with the presence of Diz, most of the material here is of bop orientation – taken at a fast and lively clip! Lalo Schifrin arranged the whole session too – and titles include "One Bass Hit", "Blue N Boogie", "Emanon", "Groovin High", "Ow", "The Champ", "Tin Tin Deo", "Hot House", and "Con Alma". LP, Vinyl record album

Great RCA comp of Dizzy's earlier bop sides for the label, many of which came out first only as singles! Titles include "Anthropology", "Jumpin With Symphony Sid", "Ool Ya Koo", "Duff Capers", "I'll Be Boppin Too", and "Guarachi Guaro" – the precursor to "Soul Sauce"! LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary live set from Dizzy Gillespie – recorded over in Paris, but featuring a very hip large ensemble! The group includes extra trumpet from Dave Burns, trombone from Ted Kelly and William Shepherd, alto from John Brown, tenor from George Nicholas, baritone from Cecil Payne, piano from John Lewis, bass from Al McKibbon, and drums from Kenny Clarke – plus congas from the great Chano Pozo, and a bit of vocals from Kenny Pancho Hagood! LP, Vinyl record album

A very famous moment from Dizzy Gillespie – tracks from his famous concert at Salle Pleyel, in Paris, from 1953! Gillespie's in fine form throughout – working in a great mix of bop and modern elements, with a few occasional playful touches to please the crowd – but never in a way that cuts into the integrity of his music at all! Players include Bill Graham on alto and tenor, Wade Legge on piano, Lou Hackney on bass, and Al Jones on drums – and Joe Carroll sings guest vocals on a number of tracks. Titles include "Tin Tin Deo", "The Champ", "The Bluest Blues", "Birk's Works", "Mon Homme", "Ooh Shoo Be Doo Be", "School Days", "Swing Low Sweet Chariot", and "Good Bait". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary live set from Dizzy Gillespie – recorded over in Paris, but featuring a very hip large ensemble! The group includes extra trumpet from Dave Burns, trombone from Ted Kelly and William Shepherd, alto from John Brown, tenor from George Nicholas, baritone from Cecil Payne, piano from John Lewis, bass from Al McKibbon, and drums from Kenny Clarke – plus congas from the great Chano Pozo, and a bit of vocals from Kenny Pancho Hagood! LP, Vinyl record album

Classic Savoy bop work from Diz – featuring some sides cut with the orchestra of Johnny Richards, plus some cut with the "Bepop (sic) Boys", a group that includes Milt Jackson, James Moody, Hank Jones, Dave Burns, and John Brown. The Richards sides are great – a bit more swinging than the ones he and Diz cut on Verve, but no less well-conceived. Titles include "Interlude In C", "Lullaby Of The Leaves", "The Things I Love", "Moody Speaks", "For Hecklers Only", and "Boppin The Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "The Champ", "Exactly Like You", "Jessica's Day", "It Don't Mean A Thing", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Birk's Works", "I Know That You Know", and "Night In Tunisia". LP, Vinyl record album

Great RCA comp of Dizzy's earlier bop sides for the label, many of which came out first only as singles. Tracks include all the classics like "Cubana Be", "Cubana Bop", "Manteca", "Night in Tunisia", and a whole bunch more that you've heard him reprise a million times on later albums, but which are laid out here in their (mostly) original recordings. Great bop classics, and a nice cover of Dizzy with his head in his hands. LP, Vinyl record album

Some of Dizzy Gillespie's earliest bop recordings! LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of recordings by Dizzy's second band, with Dave Burns, Elmon Wright, Matthew McKay,and Ray Orr on trumpets, Ted Kelly and Bill Shepherd on trombones, John Brown and Howard Johnson on alto, George Nicholas and Joe Gales on tenor, Cecil Payne on baritone, and Kenny Clarke on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

A rare 50s performance – featuring a smoking version of "The Afro Suite" – plus some more boppish numbers too! LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic bit of late 60's funk, and a surprisingly slammin' record from Dizzy! The album's got tight, hard, choppy funk arrangements from Ed Bland – who went onto to do some great work at the Perception label – and the group features James Moody blowing hard lean funky solos right next to Diz, in the way that he'd do on some of his own funk work from the same time. The record is wonderful all the way through – killer heavy drums, heavy electric bass, searing sax solos from Diz and Moody – all produced with a mad mad full-on funk sound that will make your jaw drop! Titles include "Blue Chuchifrito", "Chicken Giblets", "Rutabega Pie", "The Fly Fox", "Pot Licka" "Stomped & Wasted" and "Casbah Melon". LP, Vinyl record album

Heavy trumpets here – lead lines from both Dizzy Gillespie and Arturo Sandoval, playing together in a sweet session recorded in Finland! The set's got an open, flowing feel – one that matches some of the best Gillespie work on Pablo – those sides where the label really was able to let Gillespie hit that mature later groove – a strong fusion of soul, Latin, and other jazz modes! The core rhythm group is definitely hip enough for the spirit of the date – Esko Linnavalli on piano, Pekka Sarmanto on bass, and Esko Rosnell on drums – and the tracks are all nice and long, and nicely inventive, too. Titles include "Dizzy The Duck", "Rimsky", "And Then She Stopped", "First Chance", and "Wheatleigh Hall". LP, Vinyl record album

That's the Modern Jazz Sextet – not the Modern Jazz Quartet – although the group definitely borrows a bit of energy from the MJQ, and some personnel too! The group was only put together for this date – and combines the subtle touches of MJQ members John Lewis on piano and Percy Heath on bass, with some harder-edged, hardbop-driven sounds from Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, Sonny Stitt on alto, Skeeter Best on guitar, and Charlie Persip on drums! The set's got an open, easygoing feel – that loose Verve studio mode of the time – which stems from their jam session modes, but is a bit tighter overall – in ways that really help the players find their energy together in the tunes. Titles include 2 standards, in the usual Verve style – "Mean To Me" and a ballad medley of "Old Folks", "What's New" and "How Deep Is The Ocean" – plus 3 originals – "Blues For Bird", "Tour De Force", and "Dizzy Meets Sonny". LP, Vinyl record album

Featuring undated 50s recordings with the Teddy Wilson Trio, with Milt Hinton, Jo Jones, and Dizzy Gillespie, as well as a 1959 date with the Eddie Higgins Trio. LP, Vinyl record album

A well-done set, and one that stretches from the pre-Verve years of these groupings, to the big run when they were starting to really shine on record! The first half features mid 40s material – with performances from Illinois Jacquet, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Flip Phillips, and Jack McVea on tenors – plus Willie Smith on alto, Buck Clayton and Shorty Sherock on trumpets, JJ Johnson on trombone, Nat King Cole on piano, and Les Paul on guitar. The second half features early 50s material, including three long ballad medley tracks – with performances from Benny Carter and Willie Smith on altos, Oscar Peterson on piano, Dizzy Gillespie and Roy Eldridge on trumpets, and Ben Webster, Lester Young, and Flip Phillips on tenors! LP, Vinyl record album

Genius work from Moody – and a larger session than usual – one that shows his strong talents with an expanded lineup! Moody's working here with players that have a definite Dizzy Gillespie Big Band bent – including trumpeter Dave Burns, trombonist William Shepherd, baritonist Pee Wee Moore, and pianist Jimmy Boyd – but they're working with Moody in a groove that's got equal parts modern alongside the bop, in a way that makes for some complicated arrangements that bristle with electricity. There's almost a bit of Gigi Gryce or Benny Golson in the spirit of the set – and Moody's work on alto is an especially good example of this on the record. Eddie Jefferson makes a great vocal appearance on "Disappointed" – and other tracks include "Little Ricky", "Big Ben", "Show Eyes", "Hard To Get", and "And You Called My Name". LP, Vinyl record album

Trumpeter Fats Navarro was one of the true giants of the early bop years, but he passed away at a young age just as the music was taking off – leaving behind just a handful of killer recordings to document his legacy! This set was put together by Blue Note as a great reminder of his genius – a style on the trumpet that was different than that of Dizzy Gillespie or Miles Davis – and which really set the tone for some of the more expressive players who would follow him on the instrument. Navarro is incredibly deft, yet never in a way that calls attention to itself too much – truly organic, and set up here in groups led by pianists Tadd Dameron and Bud Powell, plus some recordings in a group he co-led with trumpeter Howard McGhee. Titles on this first volume include "Wail", "The Chase", "The Squirrel", "Our Delight", and "Dameronia". LP, Vinyl record album

Trumpeter Fats Navarro was one of the true giants of the early bop years, but he passed away at a young age just as the music was taking off – leaving behind just a handful of killer recordings to document his legacy! This set was put together by Blue Note as a great reminder of his genius – a style on the trumpet that was different than that of Dizzy Gillespie or Miles Davis – and which really set the tone for some of the more expressive players who would follow him on the instrument. Navarro is incredibly deft, yet never in a way that calls attention to itself too much – truly organic, and set up here in groups led by pianists Tadd Dameron and Bud Powell, plus some recordings in a group he co-led with trumpeter Howard McGhee. Titles on this second volume include "Lady Bird", "Jahbero", "Symphonette", "Double Talk", and "The Skunk". LP, Vinyl record album

An 80s issue looking back on alternate takes of seminal bop material cut by Bird for Savoy. The recordings here are all of alternate versions of those originally released by Savoy on 10"s and 78s, and feature Parker alongside Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Bud Powell and others. 16 tracks in all, including "Tiny's Tempo", "Romance Without Finance", "Billie's Bounce", "Thriving On A Riff", "Donna Lee", "Chasin' The Bird", "Milestones", "Half Nelson", "Bluebird" and more. . . LP, Vinyl record album

Older Charlie Parker material – originally recorded as 78rpm releases for Savoy, packaged up here in full LP form, along with alternate takes and a great cover, in the years after his early death! Players include Miles Davis on trumpet, Tiny Grimes on guitar, Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet and piano, Duke Jordan and John Lewis on piano, and Max Roach on drums – and titles include "Red Cross", "Sippin At Bells", "Little Willie Leaps", "Donna Lee", "Chasing The Bird", and "Half Nelson". LP, Vinyl record album

The complete presentation of a legendary live performance, and one that's often billed as a high moment in the history of bebop – a special concert-only group that brings together five key bop heavyweights – Charlie Parker on alto, Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, Bud Powell on piano, Charles Mingus on bass, and Max Roach on drums – all coming together in a unique one-off performance! The set was recorded up in Canada, and represents one of the first widely-circulated live recordings of a straight bop set – different than some of the mix of styles you'd get on a JATP record, with long tracks that really show the nonstop creative energy that shifts between the players. The original vinyl release broke the concert out into two records – both of which are united here with additional material! The set features two takes on the Quintet material – without bass overdubs, and with them added – on titles that include "Night In Tunisia", "Perdido", "Salt Peanuts", "All The Things You Are/52nd Street Theme", "Wee", and "Hot House". The package then also adds in the second half of the concert – a set that features the core rhythm trio, without Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie – a killer lineup that has Bud Powell on piano, Charles Mingus on bass, and Max Roach on drums! The tunes are a bit shorter than on the quintet sides, but maybe that's because Powell can always pack so much into such a short space – and Mingus has plenty of sharp small group imagination here, while Roach is a young genius, really breaking out here too. Titles include "Sure Thing", "Lullaby Of Birdland", "Jubilee", "Cherokee", and "Embraceable You". Plus, the set features a stunning solo drum performance by Max Roach – "Drum Conversation". LP, Vinyl record album

The second half of the legendary Jazz At Massey Hall performance from 1953 – a set that features the core rhythm trio, without Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie – a killer lineup that has Bud Powell on piano, Charles Mingus on bass, and Max Roach on drums! The tunes are a bit shorter than on the quintet sides, but maybe that's because Powell can always pack so much into such a short space – and Mingus has plenty of sharp small group imagination here, while Roach is a young genius, really breaking out here too. Titles include "Sure Thing", "Lullaby Of Birdland", "Jubilee", "Cherokee", and "Embraceable You". LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of recordings from the mid to late 40s, with accompaniment by Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Teddy Wilson, Billy Taylor, Don Byas, JC Heard, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

10-LP set collecting volumes from Inner City's Jazz Legacy series – with classic recordings by Clifford Brown, Roy Eldridge, Johnny Hodges, Django Reinhardt, Zoot Sims, Mary Lou Williams, Milt Jackson & JJ Johnson, Sidney Bechet & Martial Solal, Buck Clayton, and Dizzy Gillespie. LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by Billie Holiday, Pete Johnson & His Boogie Woogie Boys, Will Bradley, Count Basie, Hot Lips Page, Roy Eldridge, Coleman Hawkins, Noble Sissle Swingsters, and Dizzy Gillespie. LP, Vinyl record album

A killer collection of previously-unissued jazz from Mercury Records – with material by Roland Kirk, Ben Webster, Dinah Washington, Bob James, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Farmer, Cannonball Adderley, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

That's the Modern Jazz Sextet – not the Modern Jazz Quartet – although the group definitely borrows a bit of energy from the MJQ, and some personnel too! The group was only put together for this date – and combines the subtle touches of MJQ members John Lewis on piano and Percy Heath on bass, with some harder-edged, hardbop-driven sounds from Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, Sonny Stitt on alto, Skeeter Best on guitar, and Charlie Persip on drums! The set's got an open, easygoing feel – that loose Verve studio mode of the time – which stems from their jam session modes, but is a bit tighter overall – in ways that really help the players find their energy together in the tunes. Titles include 2 standards, in the usual Verve style – "Mean To Me" and a ballad medley of "Old Folks", "What's New" and "How Deep Is The Ocean" – plus 3 originals – "Blues For Bird", "Tour De Force", and "Dizzy Meets Sonny". LP, Vinyl record album

You'll be hard pressed to find a better collection of Charlie Parker's classic work on vinyl! Bird's great recordings for Savoy have often been poorly packaged over the years, but here you get the whole batch of seminal bop sides by the pioneering artist of the genre! Bird's the leader on most of these sides, but there's a nice set of recordings under Tiny Grimes and a very young Miles Davis too, with a host of players from the dawn of the bebop age, including Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Sadik Hakim, John Lewis, Duke Jordan, Curly Russell, Tommy Potter and Max Roach. An as you'd expect from this kind of set, you get loads of multiple takes so you can hear these pioneering players creating the style that would change the face of jazz forever. Put together in 1978, this set features 66 tracks in all, spread out over 5 LPs, with a nicely annotated book, and includes "I'll Always Love You Just The Same","Romance Without Finance", "Billie's Bounce", "Now's The Time", "Thriving On A Riff", "Koko", "Donna Lee", "Chasin The Bird", "Buzzy", "Milestones", "Half Nelson", "Another Hair Do", "Bird Gets The Worm", "Barbados", "Ah-Leu-Cha", "Constellation", "Parker's Mood", "Perhaps","Marmaduke", "Steeplechase" and more! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few albums ever cut by trumpeter Dave Burns – an excellent batch of soul jazz numbers with a comfortable easy swing that will make you wonder why he wasn't a much bigger success! Dave played trumpet briefly in the Dizzy Gillespie and Duke Ellington groups – and at the time of this set, he was playing with Al Grey and Billy Mitchell. This album's quite different than his work with them, though – as it's a very tight, very in the pocket set of grooves that feels like the best on Blue Note or Prestige from the time. Burns' trumpet is fantastic – sounding a bit like a young Lee Morgan – and his group features a young Kenny Barron on piano, plus sharp tenor work by Herbie Morgan, a player who recorded as rarely as Burns. Titles include "Tali", "Something Easy", "CB Blues", "Rhodesian Rhapsody", and "Straight Ahead". LP, Vinyl record album

A great illustration of the genius of Carmen McRae in the 70s – a record that easily shows why Carmen was hipper than most of her contemporaries from two decades before! The set has the vocalist somehow managing to still stick in a straight jazz style, without going for cheaper soul routines – yet also opening up with more of a sense of mature presence that showed the sophistication of the times – a killer blend that really makes the album a gem from these 70s years! The live setting features Carmen working through a mixture of new and old material in some really unique variations – working with a small group that includes Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet and Marshall Otwell on keyboards, carving out some space with a really wonderfully confident feel. Numbers include "No More Blues", "Only Women Bleed", "A Beautiful Friendship", "Star Eyes", "Dindi", "Never Let Me Go", "On A Clear Day", "On Green Dolphin Street", and "I'm Always Drunk In San Francisco". LP, Vinyl record album

Older Charlie Parker material – originally recorded as 78rpm releases for Savoy, packaged up here in full LP form, along with alternate takes and a great cover, in the years after his early death! Players include Miles Davis on trumpet, Tiny Grimes on guitar, Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet and piano, Duke Jordan and John Lewis on piano, and Max Roach on drums – and titles include "Red Cross", "Sippin At Bells", "Little Willie Leaps", "Donna Lee", "Chasing The Bird", and "Half Nelson". LP, Vinyl record album

Older Charlie Parker material – originally recorded as 78rpm releases for Savoy, packaged up here in full LP form, along with alternate takes and a great cover, in the years after his early death! Players include Miles Davis on trumpet, Tiny Grimes on guitar, Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet and piano, Duke Jordan and John Lewis on piano, and Max Roach on drums – and titles include "Red Cross", "Sippin At Bells", "Little Willie Leaps", "Donna Lee", "Chasing The Bird", and "Half Nelson". LP, Vinyl record album