#diz gillespie

[gardenwalrus]

Brian Epstein & Diz Gillespie's relationship

So I put together most of the quotes on Brian and John 'Diz' Gillespie's relationship from Peter Brown & Steven Gaines's book The Love You Make & Jim Irvin's MOJO article on Brian's death earlier to make it a bit easier for me to look at in full - I'll put it on here too if anyone wants to read.

(Some of the quotes from the MOJO article are in the BBC documentary The Brian Epstein Story. It's available on YouTube here but its also available on BBC iPlayer for the next three weeks in better quality)

//

In spring 1965, Brian meets and quickly falls for 'Diz' Gillespie, a young Californian actor living in London, who soon moves into his Whaddon House flat. 

'Dizz was an aspiring actor-singer in his early twenties, with dark hair, mischievous eyes and an impish, upturned nose. Brian was so taken with him he seized upon Dizz’s phantom acting career to play Svengali. … Using the excuse that Dizz was a NEMS artist, Brian paid many of his debts and began to dole out a small allowance from his own pocket. Naturally, all of Brian’s friends warned him against being used by this boy. “He may be manipulative,” Brian said, “but he’s different than most. There’s something special about him, something that I can’t name.”'  - Peter Brown, The Love You Make: An Insider’s Story of The Beatles (1983) p.172

Despite Brian's infatuation, the relationship is evidently volatile and unhappy - 

'But Diz was bisexual and upset Brian by bringing women back to the flat and causing scenes in public, once in front of Brian's parents. Their doomed relationship lasted too long and clearly made him miserable.' - Jim Irvin, “The Death of Brian Epstein”, MOJO (November 2002)

- and this instability was further intensified by the pair spending many nights at Brian’s flat ‘ingesting large amounts of uppers, Tuinals, and Cognac’, which would often turn violent:

‘…these drugged, drunken nights ended in some sort of unhappy confrontation. They ran from simple arguments to all-out fistfights, which included breaking vases and mirrors. One night, unhappy with Brian’s largesse, Dizz worked himself into a rage. When Brian ordered him out of the house, Dizz raced to the kitchen, grabbed the largest knife he could find, and held it to Brian’s jugular vein while extracting an additional sum of money from Brian’s wallet.’ [Brown, p.72] 

As a result of the incident, Brian ends the relationship, yet according to Brown ‘[Brian] only pined away for the boy, lovesick over him.’

Yet it isn’t long until Gillespie appears again in August 1965, contacting Brian, who was in New York two days ahead of the Beatles’ Shea Stadium concert. Brian appeals to his New York business partner, Nat Weiss, to keep Diz away. 

In a meeting with Weiss, Gillespie pushes for a car in exchange for staying away from Brian. When told this information, Brian insists that Nat Weiss gives Diz $3,000 to buy a car. Weiss therefore strikes a deal with Diz - that he was to ‘be kept locked in a hotel room at the Warwick Hotel on Sixth Avenue - with a private guard hired by Nat - until the Beatles and Brian left town.’ [Brown, p.185] 

After this event, Gillespie disappears again, only to appear a year later in LA on August 28 1966, the day of the Beatles’ penultimate live performance. Brian, overjoyed, believes it to be a true show of Diz’s love for him, and the pair spend the day together at a house in Beverly Hills - despite Nat Weiss’ scepticism: 

‘At first Nat was incredulous, then angry. “Brian, you must not have anything to do with that boy–��  “Now, now,” Brian interrupted, “he came all this way to find me. He said he came because he loves me.”  Nat sighed but said nothing. As preposterous as it was that Dizz Gillespie had any real affection for Brian, Nat could see by the smitten look in Brian’s eyes that he believed it. ... Brian had been so skittish lately that one wrong word could send him off on a three-day snit.' [Brown, p.205]

Weiss’s caution was not unfounded - the following day, Diz had disappeared and taken briefcases belonging to Brian and Weiss. Weiss’s case had contained important business documents, whereas the contents of Brian’s case would have been even more damaging if made public: 

First, there was his large and questionable supply of pills, obviously the property of a junkie. Then there were half a dozen or so billets-doux containing explicit references to his conquests, along with Polaroid photographs of his young friends. Lastly, there was $20,000 in brown paper bag money skimmed from concert funds to be distributed as a bonus [Brown p.206] 

Nat Weiss soon received a blackmail note from Gillespie, demanding an additional $10,000 for the return of Brian’s personal photographs and letters. The suitcase was eventually recovered, however $8,000, the pills and Brian’s photos and letters were all missing - as was Gillespie, who had not been found by the police. 

Alongside the fear that the content of the suitcase may still at some point be made public, as well as the realisations that:

‘...he'd been duped by someone he trusted – coinciding with the last performance by his boys – seemed to tip Brian into despair. "That accounts for his first major depression," says Weiss. "That was the beginning of Brian's loss of self-confidence." [Irvin, 'The Death of Brian Epstein']

--

Also of note - this livejournal account pointed out that a ‘vendor’ mentioned in the descriptions of two Christie’s auction items in 2006 was most likely Diz Gillespie. The items were a 1962 Beatles handbill and an autographed copy of John Lennon’s book In His Own Write, which was addressed ‘To Diz, You're a great turn, good God, from John Lennon’

The description of the 1962 handbill: 

‘According to the vendor, he was given this handbill by Brian Epstein in 1966. The two met at a party in Los Angeles in 1964 and maintained a friendship for many years.’

The description of the autographed book: 

The vendor first met John Lennon and Brian Epstein in 1964 and was given this book by John Lennon when he visited him at his home, Kenwood, in Weybridge, Surrey. Diz was the vendor's nickname.

[thesobsister]

The Slim Gaillard Orchestra, "Slim's Jam"

In December '45, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie take a chorus apiece on a fun and casual side from jazz singer and musician Gaillard.

[cinenthusiast]

another batch of new-to-me albums, 2024

criola - denis mpunga & paul k. (2017) estudando o samba - tom zé (1976) peace rock - nimbudala (2022) i survived, it's over - rich ruth (2022) bird & diz - charlie parker and dizzy gillespie (1950/1952) sonny side up - sonny rollins (1957/1959) ella & louis - ella fitzgerald and louis armstrong (1956) ellington uptown - duke ellington (1953) endlessness - nala sinephro (2024) in a silent way - miles davis (1969) afro - dizzy gillespie (1954) caravan - art blakey and the jazz messengers (1963) gillespiana - dizzy gillespie (1960) blues-ette - curtis fuller quintet (1959) money jungle - ellington, mingus, roach (1963) in the land of hi-fi - sarah vaughan (1955) soul of things - tomasz stańko quartet (2001) time of the last persecution - bill fay (1970) slapp happy - slapp happy (1974) clifford brown and max roach at basin street - clifford brown-max roach quintet (1956) sea shells - peggy lee (1958) let freedom ring - jackie mclean (1963) jazz giant - bud powell (1950) wild god - nick cave and the bad seeds (2024) first narrows - loscil (2004) here in the pity - jessica pratt (2024) perceive its beauty, acknowledge its grace - shabaka (2024) good morning kisses - michael farneti (1976) clifford brown & max roach - the clifford brown-max roach quintet (1954) a night in tunisia - art blakey & the jazz messengers (1958) royal flush - donald byrd (1962)

[whileiamdying]

Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane

Certain combinations of men have been leaving marks on music called jazz since its beginning. Some formed a lifetime association; others were together only for a brief period. Some actively shaped the course of jazz; others affected it more osmotically. All have had one thing in common; they produced music of lasting value.

One historic teaming was that of Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane at New York's Five Spot Cafe, beginning in the summer of 1957. Although the group remained together for only a half-year, those of us who heard it will never forget the experience. There were some weeks when I was at the Five Spot two and three times, staying most of the night even when I intended just to catch a set or two. The music was simultaneously kinetic and hypnotic. J.J. Johnson has compared it to the mid-Forties union of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. "Since Charlie Parker, the most electrifying sound that I've heard in contemporary jazz was Coltrane playing with Monk at the Five Spot... It was incredible, like Diz and Bird," Jay said.

Monk and Coltrane complemented each other perfectly. The results of this successful musical alliance were beneficial to both. In this setting, Monk began to receive the brunt of a long-overdue recognition. On the other hand, Coltrane's talent, set in such fertile environment, bloomed like a hibiscus. 'Trane's comments in a Down Beat article [September 29, 1960] clearly describe how he reveres Monk. "Working with Monk brought me close to a musical architect of the highest order. I felt I learned from him in every way through the senses, theoretically, technically. I would talk to Monk about musical problems and he would sit at the piano and show me the answers by playing them. I could watch him play and find out the things I wanted to know. Also, I could see a lot of things that I didn't know about at all," he stated.

Later in the piece, 'Trane added: "I think Monk is one of the true greats of all time. He's a real musical thinker- -there's not many like him. I feel myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with him. If a guy needs a little spark, a boost, he can just be around Monk, and Monk will give it to him." Monk certainly brought 'Trane out beautifully. It was in this period that John began to experiment with what at the time I called "sheets of sound." Actually, he was thinking in groups of notes rather than one note at a time. Monk's practice of "laying out" allowed 'Trane to "stroll" against the pulse of bass and drums and really develop this playing attitude on his own. Pointed examples of this can be heard here in "Trinkle, Tinkle" and "Nutty."

Toward the latter part of '57, Ahmed Abdul-Malik took over Wilbur Ware's bass post. But in the three selections here, the original quartet is intact. Ware and Monk had played together on one of Thelonious's visits to Chicago, and when Wilbur migrated to New York he was Monk's choice for the group. I find no coincidence in Martin William's statement that Ware ... has something of the same basic interest in displacement of accents and rhythmic shiftings and in unusual sequence of harmonics that one hears in Thelonious Monk." Listen to Ware's solo on "Trinkle, Tinkle" for evidence.

Shadow Wilson was about two and a half months short of his 40th birthday when he died on July 11, 1959, and another of jazz's Coltrane (left), Monk tremendous talents had left the scene far too early. A great big-band drummer, Wilson had performed most notably with Count Basie and Woody Herman (the Herman band once voted for him en masse, when a replacement was needed for Dave Tough), but he was equally capable of ministering to the specific needs of a small group. His post. But in the three selections here, the original quartet is intact. Ware and Monk had played together on one of Thelonious's visits to Chicago, and when Wilbur migrated to New York he was Monk's choice for the group. I find no coincidence in Martin William's statement that Ware ... has something of the same basic interest in displacement of accents and rhythmic shiftings and in unusual sequence of harmonics that one hears in Thelonious Monk." Listen to Ware's solo on "Trinkle, Tinkle" for evidence.

Shadow Wilson was about two and a half months short of his 40th birthday when he died on July 11, 1959, and another of jazz's Coltrane (left), Monk tremendous talents had left the scene far too early. A great big-band drummer, Wilson had performed most notably with Count Basie and Woody Herman (the Herman band once voted for him en masse, when a replacement was needed for Dave Tough), but he was equally capable of ministering to the specific needs of a small group. His aware accenting of "Trinkle, Tinkle" shows how well he understood Monk's music and his nourishing beat, here and on "Nutty," is a rare combination of swing and taste. Don Schlittenk and Wilson on the bandstand at the Five Spot.

As we were to regret the passing of Shadow Wilson in 1959, many of us, in a different way, bemoaned the demise of that particular Monk quartet at the end of 1957. The fact that the group had presumably not been recorded was especially distressing. Now we have three gems to hold in our hands and enjoy, facet by facet. All are Monk compositions, and it is interesting to note that they were originally recorded in trio contexts by him: "Ruby, My Dear," which I once described as "sentiment without sentimentality," was first done around 1948, although it was probably written several years before. Coltrane states its tender beauty with a tone that helps transmit the sadness pervading the melody. Monk's half-chorus says more than most pianists do in a whole LP.

"Trinkle, Tinkle" originated in 1952. There is some fascinating interplay between piano and tenor in 'Trane's first improvised chorus. This is followed by some fantastic Coltrane in the "strolling" section. If you close your eyes, it is easy to imagine a cello or viola being bowed by a demonic force of vivid imagination. Thelonious rephrases his own melody in his inimitable manner before Ware's solo.

"Nutty," written in 1954, swings relaxed in an optimistic mood. Coltrane spins out his amazingly long-lined offerings, handing them together with shorter bursts and an overall personal sense of logic. Monk again divides and subdivides his own theme, paraphrasing from one of his earlier speeches, as it were.

To round out the album, three alternate masters from previously released Monk sessions are included. "Off Minor" and "Epistrophy" were heard on Monk's Music (Riverside RLP 242). It is stimulating to compare the different versions and how the solos vary and coincide from take to take. "Off Minor" has solos by Hawkins, Copeland, and Monk, but the bits by Ware and Blakey are not as developed as on the original issue. "Epistrophy," in the original version, featured all the horns of the septet and Monk. Here, only Coltrane and Copeland are heard in solo.

The first "Functional" is on Thelonious Himself (Riverside RLP 235). This version is as different in individual idea and, at the same time, close in spirit to the other, as two takes can be. It almost deserves a title of its own. I only wish I had two turntables. I think the two "Functional’s might make a wild duet for four Monk hands.

But, as intriguing as these alternate masters are, the main attraction here is the unearthing of the quartet tracks. These are milestones in jazz history and important to every serious listener.

Steve Lacy, the soprano saxophonist who worked with Monk for sixteen weeks in 1960, has said of Monk's music: "Monk has got his own poetry and you've got to get the fragrance of it."

It is obvious that in 1957, Coltrane was doing some deep breathing.

Ira Gitler

[bamboomusiclist]

11/1 おはようございます。Nancy Holloway / Hello Dolly Svs2690 など更新しました。

Nancy Holloway / Hello Dolly Svs2690Ruth Olay / Olay Ok lpbr5218Ernestine Anderson / live from Concord to London cj54Mainstream & Kisa Magnusson / Aquarium Live no2 Zsx670Charlie Parker Dizzy Gillespie / Bird And Diz MGV-8006Freddie Hubbard / the Hub of Hubbard mps15267stHaywood Henry Joe Newman Hank Jones / The Gentle Monster UP2713Stanley Turrentine / Blue Hour bst84057Sonny Stitt / Burnin…

[checkitout-checkitout]

Nov 12, 2023: Weekly Desert Island Discs Report

Based on the long-running BBC radio series. Eight songs, one book, one luxury. Tracking every single week like it's a pop chart.

I'M GOING TO GO BACK THERE SOMEDAY, The Muppets

DON'T WORRY BABY, The Beach Boys

MR. APOLLO, The Bonzo Dog Band

FOLK FORMS NO. 1, Charles Mingus

ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE, Dizzy Gillespie

I LOVE IT, Icona Pop ft. Charli XCX

ON A MAGIC CARPET RIDE, Kiki Dee

ALLEMANDE, Roomful of Teeth

Items in bold are new entries, two jazz tracks replacing the Kinks and New Radicals. My tastes tend to go in cycles, and jazz is making a return this week. My preferred subgenre is the early days of free jazz, such as the Mingus track which features my favorite saxophonist Eric Dolphy. I'm also re-immersing myself in classic bop as I'm also rediscovering beat poetry -- beatniks love some Bird and Diz, and "All the Things You Are" is a classic on all cylinders.

RECORD: "Don't Worry Baby" BOOK: On Poetry, by Glyn Maxwell [w/Principia Discordia as my preferred "religious" text] LUXURY: A selection of films, including One Way Passage with Kay Francis, The Court Jester with Danny Kaye, and the animations of Don Hertzfeldt.

My luxury and my "favorite" record remain the same. The book I've chosen this time around is a remarkable text which made me rethink the art of creativity, reinvigorated my love of poetry, and gave me some maxims and exercises that I still use in my own writing.

[whatilistenedtoatwork]

From October 2nd to October 5th, 2023

02-10-23

THE FALL “The Wonderful And Frightening World Of The Fall”; WILLIE NELSON “Red Headed Stranger”; ROY ELDRIDGE & DIZZY GILLESPIE “Roy & Diz #2”; BUTTHOLE SURFERS “Locust Abortion Technician”; JASON FORREST “The Unrelenting Songs Of The 1979 Post Disco Crash”; PLANXTY “After The Break”; CURTIS MAYFIELD “Curtis”; SCOTT BRADLEE’S POSTMODERN JUKEBOX “BACK When They Called It Music: The 90’s, Vol. 1”; RAY CHARLES “The Genius Of Ray Charles”; SUM 41 “All Killer No Filler”; BAD RELIGION “No Control”; LOU REED “Transformer”; JOHN LENON “Imagine”; DIZZY GILLESPIE “Dizzy Gillespie At Newport”; QUINCY JONES “Big Band Bossa Nova”; R.E.M. “Reckoning”;  EDGUY “Mandrake”

03-10-23

SINEAD O’CONNOR “Universal Mother”; DRAKE “Nothing Was The Same”; SHACKLETON “Three EPs”; DIZZY GILLESPIE “World Statesman”; ANTHONY MANNING “Islets In Pink Polypropylene”; THE FALL “Perverted By Language”; GOODIE MOB “Soul Food”; SEPULTURA “Beneath The Remains”; BO DIDDLEY “Have Guitar Will Travel”; SKYCLAD “Irrational Anthems”; REUBEN WILSON “On Broadway”; THE DESCENDENTS “Everything Sucks”; DAVE “PSYCHODRAMA”;

04-10-23

LUOMO “Vocalcity”; OLIVIA RODRIGO “SOUR”; OUTKAST “Speakerboxxx”; SONIC YOUTH “Dirty”; ELLA FITZGERALD “Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Rodgers & Hart Songbook”; CHUCK BERRY “Rockin’ At The Hops”; MODEST MOUSE “This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About”; AROVANE “Tides”; PET SHOP BOYS “Behaviour”; KIRSTY MacCOLL “Galore”

05-10-23

BOLA “Soup”; LUTHER VANDROSS “Give Me The Reason”; BO DIDDLEY “Bo Diddley Is A Lover”; MERCURY REV “Boces”; SCOTT BRADLEE’S POTMODERN JUKEBOX “The Essentials”; THE NATONAL “Boxer”; BUTTHOLE SURFERS “Psychic… Powerless… Another Man’s Sac”; BON IVER “For Emma, Forever Ago”; CHUCK BERRY “Fresh Berry’s”; RAY CHARES “Modern Sounds In Country & Western”; THE PASTELS “Illumination”; EXODUS “Fabulous Disaster”; FOUR TET “Pause”; THE WONDER STUFF “Construction For The Modern Idiot”; TALKING HEADS “More Songs About Buildings And Food”; JANELE MONAE “Metropolis: The Chase Suite”; PIXIES “Doolittle”

[tramblr]

Diz

[detroitlib]

John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993)

View of musician Dizzy Gillespie, playing trumpet. Printed on front: "Dizzy Gillespie. Associated Booking Corp., Joseph G. Glaser, President. New York, Chicago, Beverly Hills, Miami, Dallas, Las Vegas, London."

Courtesy of the E. Azalia Hackley Collection of African Americans in the Performing Arts, Detroit Public Library

[drumrguy75]

To Diz with Love  -  1992

Track 1  -  Billie’s Bounce (Live)

Track 2  -  Confirmation (Live)

Track 3  -  Moon Indigo (Live)

Track 4  -  Straight, No Chaser (Live)

Track 5  -  A Night in Tunisia (Live)

[holmesburg-rec]

Monday, 12 October, 2020

Appetite for Destruction (1987) - Guns N’ Roses

Thoughts: I can totally appreciate the impact GNR, and, in particular, this album, had on culture in the late ‘80s. Anything that gets society away from Bon Jovi being “rock” is a win in my book. But I’ve never been that much of a GNR fan. Slash is a pretty great guitarist, and he’s obviously a huge part of guitar culture, but I’ve never seen him as a masterful hard rock virtuoso among the likes of Yngwie, Buckethead, or EVH (RIP). I could generally do without Axl Rose. And before listening to this album, I couldn’t even name one of the other three people that show up on its iconic cover. It doesn’t necessarily help that the good songs on this album are radio staples that are played, like, seven times a day each on every “classic rock” station. Nonetheless, listening to this album all the way through was an interesting experience. I was able to hear Axl Rose swearing like a motherfucker on songs like “It’s So Easy” and “Out Ta Get Me”, which you definitely don’t get on the radio. The intro to “Mr. Brownstone” really caught me off guard for some reason, and I had to look it up to make sure it was, in fact, still in 4/4. I heard “My Michelle” for the first time, which is actually a really cool song with an interesting, if sad, backstory. It’s a song I enjoyed quite a bit and will probably listen to again outside of this album. But, perhaps most importantly, I got to really listen to those radio staples I’ve come to take for granted. The intro to “Welcome to the Jungle” hit just a little bit different, and the opening riff on “Paradise City” was more enjoyable than I remember it being. (Did you know Axl Rose is playing the synth on the intro to that song? I didn’t know he could do that! Also, the original line Slash wrote was, “Take me down to the paradise city / Where the girls are fat and they got big titties”. That’s pretty funny.) But the real fun came when listening, and I mean really listening, to “Sweet Child O’ Mine”. It’s a riff that gets memed for its overuse in Guitar Centers across the globe, but there is kind of a reason for that. That reason is, of course, that it’s a pretty kick ass riff. But the solo. Oh man. The solo is something I’ve always taken for granted, but really listening to it was a real treat. I mean I legit smiled. Tonally, it’s a lot like the dark solo on “Comfortably Numb”, my favorite solo of all time. It’s much darker than the instrumental breaks that came before, and the random minor scale makes for a real shift from the rest of the song, but Slash absolutely kills it. That wah bit that always sticks in my head is a serious resolution from a solid 30 seconds of otherworldly-sounding shredding. It is really glorious. On whole, I am glad I listened to Appetite for Destruction by Guns N’ Roses. Is it “one of the greatest albums of all time”? I wouldn’t say that, but it is a really fun listen. Especially if you take GNR for granted, like me.

Thrill of the Arts (2015) - Vulfpeck

Thoughts: All I really knew about Vulfpeck before listening to this album was that they did funk, Joe Dart was a great bassist, and somewhere along the way they had a guitarist named Corey Wong (not on this album, though). That was pretty much it, so I really had no expectations going in. I will admit, Thrill was definitely not something I would put on if I just randomly wanted to listen to music, but it was still a pretty great experience nonetheless. “Welcome to Vulf Records” was a really fun intro track. “Back Pocket” was definitely a bit jarring, considering the expectations the end of the intro set, and it seems like a bit of a one-off. “Funky Duck” was just so much fun. A legitimately impressive, soulful vocal performance by Antwaun Stanley consisting entirely of nonsense lyrics, random references to Ovaltine and TED Talks, and wholehearted assertions of the titular Duck’s “Funk”, all over a conga beat fit for a Funky Duck. What a cool song. “Christmas in L.A.” was a bit of a weird one, and I could have done without Mushy Krongold telling me to check in with my ass on “Guided Smile Meditation”. But “Rango II” slapped. The instrumentals for every song were just unreasonably funky. I mean I had heard Joe Dart was a good bassist, but holy hell. Did I mention “Rango II” slapped? It slapped about as hard as Joe Dart slapped that bass. Just killer. Other standout instruments are the clarinets at the end of “Back Pocket”, the sax on “Welcome”, and, above all else, on most of the album, that motherfuckin’ Wurli. That sexy, sexy, Wurli. I love a good, funky electric piano, and the Wurlitzer is one of my favorite keys sounds ever. And goddamn, do those keyboardists nail it on that Wurli (and the Rhodes on “Game Winner”, for that matter). It was really fun to listen to, and if you don’t move your head or tap your feet to this album, you might be dead, at least on the inside. Will I put it on next time I walk to work or do homework? Probably not. But next time I am behooved to groove, you can bet I’ll be listening to Vulfpeck.

Bird and Diz (1952) - Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie

Thoughts: To be honest, I only put this on as background music to write a report to, so I wasn’t as focused on the music as I was with the other albums. I’ve heard some Bird and some Dizzy before, but this was my first time listening to something with both, and the album really kicks off with one of the best displays of both players’ prowess. “Bloomdido” starts out with Bird and Diz syncing up their sax and trumpet to play the main melody. Both players show a real mastery of the dynamics of their instruments, and it feels like every space left by one instrument is filled by the other. It’s a really great tandem performance, which is then followed by an improvised solo from Parker, who then passes the talking pillow to Gillespie with a really smooth transition. We get solos from Thelonious Monk on piano and Buddy Rich on drums (seriously, this album is a veritable “who’s-who” of jazz legends) before Bird and Diz join forces again for a reprise of the tandem melody from the intro. Everybody plays super tightly, and the grace with which one soloist defers unto the next is testament not only to his skill on the instrument, but to his comfort with the style on whole -- this is definitely not anyone’s first bebop jam. After “Bloomdido” ended, I admit, I kind of stopped “listening” to the music so I could focus on my paper. I could still hear everything, and no paper is gonna make me not tap my foot to Buddy Rich and Curley Russel’s rhythm section, but I wasn’t really paying attention to the killer sax, trumpet, or piano solos from Bird, Diz, or Monk like I was on the first track. I’ll probably end up giving this album another listen at some point -- Bird and Diz is kind of a staple for Parker aficionados, so it would be sacrilegious of me to give it a half-assed listen-through without really listening to anything other than the first track. Anyway, I’m a big bebop fan, and everything I did hear was just good jazz, so I liked it. (Also, the version of this album on Spotify subtitled The Genius of Charlie Parker #4 has alternate takes of most of the songs on the album. I love a good alternate take, so this version gets my recommendation.)

[kubotty]

音楽のススメ357

本日はThelonius Monkからの繋がりで、米国よりCharlie Parkerをご紹介していきます。

Charlie Parker(チャーリー・パーカー)とは、1920年米カンザス州生まれのジャズミュージシャン、アルトサックス奏者。作編曲家。 幼少期から並外れた音楽的才能に恵まれていたと言う記録は残っておらず、彼に大きな影響を与えたのは、インプロビゼーションの基本を教えてくれた若きトロンボーン奏者だったと言われている。

1940年代初頭かビパップスタイルの創成にディジー・ガレスピーと共に携わり、ビパップの基本であるアドリブのセンスが天才的だったことから、「「モダン・ジャズ（ビバップ）の父」と言われている。

活動最盛期は1945-1948年で、1945年には自分のバンドに、若き日のマイルス・デイヴィスを起用。また1947年にはマイルスの初リーダー・セッションもサポートする。ディジー・ガレスピーとともに『 (Bird and Diz)』を発表し、ビバップの誕生を告げた。アルバムにはセロニアス・モンクやカーリー・ラッセル、バディ・リッチも協力した伝説の一作とされている。

若い頃から麻薬とアルコールに耽溺し、心身の健康を損ない、1955年、34歳という若さで衰弱と心不全で早世。 彼の演奏スタイル、そして作曲家としても今でも多くの人に語り継がれており、その伝説はクリントイーストウッド監督の「Bird」で描かれている。

というわけで、本日はビパップの夜明けを告げた不朽の名作「Bird and Diz」から、豪華メンバーの輝かしい名演と、出だしのフィルとSAXが印象的な「Leap Frog」をお届けします。ピアノはセロニアス・モンク、ドラムはバディ・リッチです。

Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie - Leap Frog

[yerlifeguard]

Happy Birthday, Diz! 

Dizzy Gillespie, born October 21, 1917

From Wikipedia:

John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie (October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer and occasional singer.

AllMusic’s Scott Yanow wrote, “Dizzy Gillespie’s contributions to jazz were huge. One of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time (some would say the best), Gillespie was such a complex player that his contemporaries ended up copying Miles Davis and Fats Navarro instead, and it was not until Jon Faddis’s emergence in the 1970s that Dizzy’s style was successfully recreated […] Arguably Gillespie is remembered, by both critics and fans alike, as one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time.”

Gillespie was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuoso style of Roy Eldridge but adding layers of harmonic complexity previously unheard in jazz. His beret and horn-rimmed spectacles, his scat singing, his bent horn, pouched cheeks and his light-hearted personality were essential in popularizing bebop…

Bebop was known as the first modern jazz style. However, it was unpopular in the beginning and was not viewed as positively as swing music was. Bebop was seen as an outgrowth of swing, not a revolution. Swing introduced a diversity of new musicians in the bebop era like Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Kenny Clarke, Oscar Pettiford, and Gillespie. Through these musicians, a new vocabulary of musical phrases was created. With Parker, Gillespie jammed at famous jazz clubs like Minton’s Playhouse and Monroe’s Uptown House. Parker’s system also held methods of adding chords to existing chord progressions and implying additional chords within the improvised lines.

Gillespie compositions like “Groovin’ High”, “Woody ‘n’ You” and “Salt Peanuts” sounded radically different, harmonically and rhythmically, from the swing music popular at the time. “A Night in Tunisia”, written in 1942, while Gillespie was playing with Earl Hines’ band, is noted for having a feature that is common in today’s music, a non-walking bass line. The song also displays Afro-Cuban rhythms… Gillespie taught many of the young musicians on 52nd Street, including Miles Davis and Max Roach, about the new style of jazz.

The full Wikipedia entry can be seen at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dizzy_Gillespie

[elza32358]

Bird and Diz is a studio album by jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. It was recorded on June 6, 1950 in New York City.

[bamboomusiclist]

11/1 おはようございます。Herbie Hancock / Fat Albert Rotunda ws1834 など更新しました。

Nancy Holloway / Hello Dolly Svs2690 Ruth Olay / Olay Ok lpbr5218 Ernestine Anderson / live from Concord to London cj54 Mainstream & Kisa Magnusson / Aquarium Live no2 Zsx670 Charlie Parker Dizzy Gillespie / Bird And Diz MGV-8006 Freddie Hubbard / the Hub of Hubbard mps15267st Haywood Henry Joe Newman Hank Jones / The Gentle Monster UP2713 Stanley Turrentine / Blue Hour bst84057 Sonny Stitt / Burnin lps661 Herbie Hancock / Fat Albert Rotunda ws1834 Herbie Hancock / Crossings Bs2617 Pumpkin / Pumpkin 27495xot Alegre All Stars / Perdido aslp6010 Eddie Palmieri / the Sun of Latin Music Clp109 Doobie Brothers / the Doobie Brothers ws1919