Customer Reviews

Jazz Maturity Where Is Coming From

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This is true meeting of Jazz Giants. Dizzy Gillespie, who is in exceptional form on this record, came to dominate Modern Jazz in the mid-1940s, but in the late 1930s, he had been criticized for playing too much like his idol - Roy Eldridge, who co-stars on this album. After more than 50 years in the business, in which he never failed to top every act, to outshine every other soloist, his powers were clearly spent. But any Roy Eldridge record is still beyond par in comparison to every other trumpeter in the field. Oscar Peterson is perhaps the most celebrated pianist in Jazz. His (short) solos on this record are all great, but what is truly outstanding is his partly funky, partly bone-dry, partly pushing, but never extrovert support for the two trumpeters. This even beats his work on the JATP records. Ray Brown and Mickey Roker, giants in their own right, do not solo here, but their accompanying work is marvellous. (Play this to any would-be-accompanists and tell him/her that this is how it is done.) The tracks range from funky and lively romps (Quasi-Boogaloo and Drebirks) and solid classics (Take the A-Train) to moving ballads (When Its Sleepy Time Down South). Thus, you get a master lesson in classical jazz by some of the greatest players that have ever played this music. So fasten your seat-belts and enjoy.

This is an album that you're going to especially going to want if you're a Dizzy fan. He is very laid back and in a pretty good groove throughtout. Meanwhile, you have Roy almost struggling to keep up. Don't get me wrong, he has plenty of shining moments, just not nearly as many as Dizzy. Then, as always, you have THE Oscar Peterson showing spactacular skills and showing both the trumpet players up. It is a must have for any one sirously interested in jazz. --- James Leggett (Game_On@webtv.net )

Being a great fan of both Eldridge and Gillespie, I feel free to say that, although highly enjoyable, this CD is far from their top performances. Both Roy and Dizzy show their age (dry sound, lack of strength...) although in the same period they had better and more energetic recordings (for instance, check Eldridge on Count Basie jam session in Montreaux with Milt Jackson, Johnny Griffin and Niels Pedersen!).
To cut a long story short, this is a very good CD, with particularly strong performance by the rhtythm section, starring Oscar Peterson on piano.

If your into Traditional Jazz....this is a great album