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27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
5 stars for content, no stars for sound quality, April 5, 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Dizzy Gillespie Story (Audio CD)
A friend told me the latest edition of the Penguin Guide to Jazz gave this a crown recommendation, so I decided to check it out. I couldn't argue with the track selection, which does a great job covering all the highlights of Gillespie's peak years, however I was VERY disappointed by the sound quality.
In the past, Penguin has recommended some marvelous budget, import jazz collections with fantastic sound quality, but unlike the JSP CD's of Louis Armstrong or Jelly Roll Morton, or the Hep CD's of Count Basie, Benny Goodman, and Teddy Wilson, this box set from Proper is the pits. They have been poorly transferred, and poor sources may have been involved. You'll notice some tracks overlap with the Complete RCA Victor Recordings and the recent Savoy/WEA reissues; the same tracks on those CD's sound FAR, FAR better (I always thought the RCA Victor set used too much noise reduction, but it still sounds FAR better than this box set).
Very, very disappointing, someone should get the clearance necessary to compile a domestic box set with the same track listing, and then get John R. T. Davies, Ted Kendall, or Steve Hoffman to master all this properly from top notch sources. Until then, if you have the money, I think you're much better off getting the Complete RCA Victor Recordings and the Odyssey set from Savoy/WEA (if money's an issue, get the Complete RCA Victor Recordings instead for now).
[edit: Subsequent reviewers said they heard no difference, and one said I probably didn't know what to expect from 78 rpm recordings. I OWN 1,058 different 78 rpm records, half of which predate WWII, and have personally transferred a large number of recordings to DAT and CD-R for archival use - i.e. I KNOW what to expect. If you can't hear the heavy processing and noise reduction that sucks the life out of these recordings, feel free to buy this as the track selection is good. As for the packaging and liner notes, they're not spectacular. The photo reproductions aren't great, and while the liner notes are comprehensive, they don't provide any great insight or analysis.]
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exhaustive, detailed treatment of early Dizzy, October 1, 2005
This review is from: Dizzy Gillespie Story (Audio CD)
Most of us that love and follow the origins of modern jazz seem to know all about the early recordings of Charlie Parker, for instance, the Jay McShann recordings, the Redcross acetates, the Tiny Grimes session, and finally the Bird/Diz output of 1945 for Guild and the Comet session with Red Norvo.
This CD box covers the early years of bebop via the recordings of Dizzy Gillespie. It includes all important sessions leading up to the Bird/Diz recordings (Teddy Hill, Cab Calloway, Lionel Hampton, Coleman Hawkins), and after the split with Bird, covers his output with his big band and small groups up to 1950.
Some very rare recordings are included, such as his 1st recording of Groovin' High, with Dexter Gordon, and a session with strings of Jerome Kern's compositions, that was pulled because the estate of Kern objected to Dizzy's liberties.
I have never seen so complete a box set dealing with Dizzy Gillespie's early work. The liner notes are quite complete as well.
Highly recommended!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bebop Brilliance, August 22, 2006
This review is from: Dizzy Gillespie Story (Audio CD)
The breadth of Dizzy's work covered in this box set is staggering. You could easily spend 4 times the amount of money gathering these sessions together. I am a big fan of Charlie Parker, and I especially love the music in which Bird and Diz played together. I have to admit though, that while Charlier Parker contributed the phrasing and the genius that launched bebop, it was Dizzy that provided the leadership and the mentoring that kept it moving forward. The recognition of Dizzy's contributions seems to be sorely lacking, then and even now.
This box set captures Dizzy's efforts during this most crucial period that shaped what modern jazz sounds like today. It covers his early work with Cab Calloway, Lionel Hampton, Billy Eckstine, and Coleman Hawkins, and the early small group work with Bird leading up to their trip to California. It includes Dizzy's bebop big band after returning to New York, as well as his earliest Afro-Cuban recordings with Chano Pozo.
If this wasn't enough, the box set includes Bird and Diz's 1947 Carnegie Hall concert, and the famous Bird/Diz/Monk recordings from 1950, when Norman Granz got exactly what he didn't want, and we bebop fans got exactly what we did want (thank you Mr. Granz).
Dizzy's energy, power, and enthusiasm never diminish throughout these selections, and the bands, small and large, swing with incredible precision. It is so good to hear his fluttering trumpet lines soaring over the lush big band background and settling back to earth.
Finally a word about the sound quality- An early review of this box set decried the sound quality, and frankly that is what kept me from purchasing it for a long time. Having nearly worn out the CDs now, I think the sound quality is just fine. I have duplicates of many of the songs in this set, including the early small group bebop sessions and the master takes of the Bird/Diz/Monk set, and I can tell you that the sound quality is as good or better in this set than in the duplicates.
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