Dizzy Gillespie

Featuring: Dizzy Gillespie (tp), Henry Coker (tb), Gigi Gryce (as), Benny Golson (ts), Pee Wee Moore (bs), Ray Bryant (p), Tommy Bryant (b), Charlie Persip (d)

Dizzy Gillespie is showcased brilliantly through these sides as the pivotal figure of a small band with which he has not been identified often. When Gillespie told Benny Golson of his desire to record something with a new instrumentation, Benny suggested the octet pattern and called Gigi Gryce to share the writing chores. The results achieve their goal, presenting excellent voicing and accompaniment to a straight forward Gillespie in a refreshingly new framework for “the greatest trumpet of them all.”

Tracklisting:

01. Blues after Dark (Golson) (6:29)
02. Seabreeze (Norman-Douglas/arr.Gryce) (3:17)
03. Out of the Past (Golson) (5:32)
04. Shabozz (Gryce) (6:00)
05. Reminiscing (Gryce) (4:50)
06. A Night at Tony’s (Gryce) (5:11)
07. Smoke Signals (Gryce) (5:04)
08. Just by Myself (Golson) (4:47)

Total time: 41:00 min.

Orginally issued in LP as Verve MGV-8352.

Personnel:
The Dizzy Gillespie Octet Dizzy Gillespie (tp), Henry Coker (tb), Gigi Gryce (as), Benny Golson (ts), Pee Wee Moore (bs), Ray Bryant (p), Tommy Bryant (b) and Charlie Persip (d).

Recorded in New York City, on December 17, 1957.