Morgenstern, Dan. [Record Review: Dizzy Gillespie: the Real Thing
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Records ore reviewed by Chris Albertson, Mike Bourne, Bill Cole, Don DeMicheol, Alon· Heineman, Wayne Jones, Larry Kart, John Litweiler, John McDonough, Dan Morgenstern, Don Nelsen, Harvey Pekar, Doug Ramsey, Harvey Siders, Carol Sloane, and Jim Szantor. Reviews are signed by t he writers. recurRatings are: * * * * * excellent, * * * * very good, * * * good, * * fai r, * poor. Most reco rdings reviewed ar e available for purchase through the down beat/RECORD CLUB. ( For membership Information see details elsewhe re In this Issue or write to REVIEVIS down beat/RECORD CLUB, 222 W. Ada ms, Chicago, IL 60606 1 fast stuff in Diz's patented vein . Here and but the symphonic buff is never contei DIZZY GILLESPIE there, there's some experimenting with with excerpted pieces. As for the jazi fai THE REAL THING-Perception PLP 2: multiple tracking, used sparingly enough his favorite sounds are also intermitteu; N' Bani ; l\tatrix: Alligator; Closer (oocal); Clostr But as I've already pointed out, the tra (i11Strummla/); Soul Kiss; Hi gh On A Cloud; to come off. High, a pretty bossa-nova Summ trtime; Let Mt 01111a H t-rt; Ding-a-Ling. tune, has lyrical trumpet (you can hear eclectic will have a field day-like you: Personn el: Gjtlespie, trumpet, vocal; Mike truly, who was able to pull out ·the origi& Longo, piano; (all tracks); James Moody, tenor where Miles copped), and there's more of sax (uacks I , 6, 7, 9, 10); Eric Gayle (tracks I, the same on Ding-a-Ling, which sounds classical recordings to bear how arrang11 6, 7, 10) or George Davis, i;uitar; Paul \Vest Horn, Collazzi and Lon Norman treat~ (tracks 1, 7, 10), Chuck Rainey (trac k 6) or not all like its title. Phil Upch urch. b•ss; Nate Edmonds. organ On that one, there's some fine, strong them . (track 6); Candy Finch (tracks 1, 7, 10), Ber• Moody tenor, but there's woefully little Well Bach. Palestrina, Debussy and (;I; nard Purdie (track 6) or David Lee, drums. outside the ensemble from him elsewhere. telnuovo-Tedesco never had it so go« Racing: * * * * Equally important, even Burt Bacharat During the past year or so, several No wonder he quit! His brief bit on High never had it so good: his Look of Lu, labels have recorded jazz giant Gillespie in is just lovely . Longo doesn't solo much either, but has is prefaced with a high-calorie flute ll. various "commercia l" settings. This one is right out of the dawn sequence in Ravel something else again, and much better. a nice spot on Let Me . His writing fits Dizzy to perfection. Davis makes effective Daphnis et Chloe ballet score. While Iii Not that this is a "pure" jazz album. other flutists fade to the background-, The flavor is distinctly contemporary soul. ensemble contributions, as does Gayle on where they come up with some gh06 But the musical content is high. The prod N'Bani, a good piece by Diz. Lee is a fine echo effects-Horn stretches out on uct of three separate sessions, one co drummer, with that certain New Orlean s thing that still seems to be there (c.f. Ed other horn, the alto sax, and the rhytbc produced by Diz, it uses his regular gets rockier as Parlato's electric bass line group{s), alone or as a nucleus, and much Blackwell). Upchurch is an above-average get more adventuresome. of the material stems from his regular Fender bassist, and the rhythm work is Flute lines intermingle with harp sicb group repertoire. good throughout, sometimes even great. and guitar in a very restful arrangement Personnels indicate that the session Odd that Dizzy Gillespie, though he's the Siciliano. From the serene discipli which produced tracks 1, 7 and 10 were far from being in obscurity, isn't more in of the Bach sonata, Miss Collins displaJ taped some time ago, while Soul Kiss the limelight of music today. In an essen her masculine keyboard approach in might date from late 1969 and the rest tial respects-as a creativ e musician, bril Tatume sque ad lib tempo cadenza to Al from ca. January '70, when this personnel liant instru mentalist, master showman, based on its release. When (with Upchurch on bass) was playing in human being-he is qualified to be a Together superstar. And there is not the slightest rhythm enters, it's straight ahead in Chicago. respects: stand-up bass behind the Ir Since then, there have been other doubt that he can reach the young. Major piano solo; a good bass solo with changes, and only Da vis and Longo re record companies and smart managers, get a fashioned comping from brushes and piar main in the current Gi11espie group. Still, hip to Mr. John Birks Gillespie! He has it jabs: exchanges of eights and sixteens the album is the best impre ssion we have all . a Jot more than he was able to tween piano and drums. All dated-but of Dizzy's music as it is today. show here. -Morgenstern are Bach and Palestrina. The track is · He's always been a "rhythm man," as he one well-appreciated jam session. once put it, so there are no adjustments Pale strina's Magni{icat comes in for needed to get into today' s beats. Diz has run the gamut from flat-foote d swing PAUL HORN sober, straightforward reading-as straigl: through bop accents and Afro-Cuban and forward as flutes in an echo chamber a PAUL HORN AND THE CONCERT ENSEM• be. It contrasts effectively with the ct Latin to 5/4, so the Boogaloo is no prob BLE-Ovation 14-05: Look Of Lo,·,: Sici/ia,io (From Bach's F/11/t Snna•a No. 21: A/011r T o• tered flutes in the Oliver Nels on origi · lem. gdbtr; i\fagnificat; St olttJ Moments,· Pr ts to Stolen Moments, which finds a set of The music here all moves, and hope (from Bach's P/11tt Souata No. I); Paramal,ansa ; Golliu:og 's f"akt Walk: Tb, Gtru lt Rait1; Cot1• phisticated extensions over traditional bl11 fully , though this is on a new, small ct rlo i11 D (Second movement, by Castlenuovo in a minor mode. The tag on the bca; label , some of of it has gotten to the Tedesco): LJgbt l\fy Fire. Personnel: Horn. flutes, piccolo, reeds; Libbie carries it beyond the usual 12 bars. (Pt hipper jockey s, both soul and jazz. The Jo Snyder. flutes. piccolo: Bruce Emarine. Tim haps those are the stolen moments. ) vocal version of Closer, with Diz's engag Weisberg, flutes; Jo~ce Collins, piano, electric piano. harp <ichord: Chuck Collaz,i. elecrric and The Bach Presto is an excellent rewor ing, warm singing and gospel flavor, classical guitar; Dave Parlato. acoustic and elec backed with Soul Kiss, a rocking novelty, tric bass; Ban Hall, drums, percussion. ing: what Bach had originally scored one flute and an obbligato harpsichord would make a good single, and for all I Rating: * * * * * know, it might be one. For the genuine eclectic. this album is spread more realistically among at I But chances are that the album will be a dream come true. For the musicians three flutes. guitar and harpsichord. overlooked, also by the buyers, which involved in this undertaking. it must have what sounds like bowed bass doubling would be a shame. M atrix, Alligator, Let been a source of great satisfaction. For harpsichord. Lon Norman's conception Me, and Ding-a-Ling, all Longo composi the executives at Ovation, however, there more realistic since the Presto is built tions (he also did Kiss), have good help would necessarily be the mixed emotions a no-nonsense . three-part fugue. Per ings of splendid trumpet. Let Me is a par that accompany the release of a superior the most impressive aspect of the ticularly groovy, strictly jazz blues, and product that has little chance of breaking dating game" is that this version swings. Dizzy's slow, Harmon -muted preaching , even. I don't know what Paramahansa me while not quite up to heard-in-person stan There is some rock, but not enough to I only know it gives off a Don Ellis dard, is a gas. Alligator has some stylish satisfy a bubble-gummer; some classical, bience with rock-tinged ostinatos and 22 □ DOWN BEAT .