Dizzy's Business

The Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 26, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mcg Jazz
• ASIN: B000HIVOAU
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #209,709 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

The Dizzy Gillespie™ All-Star Big Band was formed in 1998 to perform Gillespie’s classic big band repertoire and continue the legacy left by the late master. Over the past eight years, The Dizzy Gillespie™ All-Star Big Band has been invited to perform at festivals and concert halls all around the world, including the Blue Note in New York City and Tokyo, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, Disney Hall in Los Angeles, CA, the Baalbeck Festival in Lebanon and the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam. In 2004, the band released its first album, Things To Come (MCGJ 1009), on the MCG Jazz label.

The band’s second album builds on the groundwork that Dizzy laid with his notions of what the big band sound should be. The combination of sounds from jazz masters such as Hampton, Moody, Heath, Wess and Lee – and featured artists Hargrove and Gambarini – are unique enough to keep alive the spirit of Dizzy himself.

Master trombonist, composer, arranger and educator Slide Hampton worked on and off with Gillespie from the 1960s on. His mission to bring jazz to audiences around the world has placed him as the international ambassador of jazz.

James Moody, another Gillespie follower since the early 1960s, has a healthy respect for tradition, but takes great delight in discovering new musical paths, which makes him one of the most consistently expressive and enduring figures in modern jazz today.

Jimmy Heath has long been recognized as a brilliant instrumentalist and a magnificent composer and arranger. This was also the outlook of Gillespie, who performed many of HeathÂ’s original compositions throughout his career.

With over 60 years on the bandstand, Frank Wess is a legend of sax and flute. Though perhaps best known for his years with Count Basie, bookending those years are decades of vigorous development and art.

Bassist, producer, and Dizzy Gillespie™ All-Star Big Band Executive Director John Lee worked with Gillespie beginning in the 1980s, up until Gillespie fell ill in 1992. Lee’s commitment to Dizzy’s legacy is what drove him to form and manage The Dizzy Gillespie™ All-Star Big Band.

As a special guest for the band, trumpeter Roy Hargrove lends his trademark sound and riveting solos. At 36, Hargrove has firmly established himself among the premier players in jazz and beyond. Ever stretching into more challenging and colorful ways to flex his musical muscle, Hargrove has already left indelible imprints in a vast array of musical settings. Another new addition to the big band is Italian vocalist Roberta Gambarini. An accomplished musician in her own right, Gambarini takes an instrumental approach and possesses a warm timbre, impeccable timing, incredible technique and improvisational skills. Both artists make a stunning addition to the already prestigious big band.

Product Description

DizzyÂ’s Business is a passionate, high-energy experience. The 13 tracks on The Dizzy Gillespie™ All-Star Big BandÂ’s sophomore CD – built on Dizzy GillespieÂ’s original big band charts with new arrangements by musical director and Grammy Award winning arranger Slide Hampton, master saxophonist Jimmy Heath and drummer extraordinare Dennis Mackrel – come to life through the collective talents of what can only be categorized as GillespieÂ’s Â"dream band.Â"

Recorded live at Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild in Pittsburgh, PA, during a four-night stand in September-October 2005, Dizzy’s Business showcases the talents of 18 disciples from the Gillespie school – many of them musical luminaries in their own right – under the leadership of the great trombonist Slide Hampton. Included in the star-studded lineup are Jimmy Heath, James Moody, Frank Wess, Claudio Roditi, Randy Brecker, Antonio Hart, and Executive Director John Lee – all veterans who played with Dizzy at various times throughout the past five decades. Special guest trumpeter Roy Hargrove and the Italian-born vocal sensation Roberta Gambarini round out the ensemble. Hargrove lends his expert sound and riveting solos while Gambarini brings a remarkable range and gift for improvisation.