Jazz Haus Records continues to mine its vaults of broadcasts from the 40s-70s, filling in gigantic historical and musical gaps with these sumptuous concert recordings. This one, except for an alternate take, is from Liederhalle Stuttgart from a thrilling show on November 27, 1961 and has Dizzy Gillespie with one of his all time best teams. We’ve got Diz in prime form with Leo Wright/as-fl, a pre-Mission Impossible Lalo Schifrin/p, Bob Cunningham/b and Mel Lewis/dr going through some of the funnest and finest bebop that was ever spoken.
Mixing stretched out pieces to let the solos breath a bit with concise spotlights, Dizzy is the perfect leader as he weaves horns in and out of a moody and intriguing take of Ellington’s “The Mooche” which features some authoritative block chording by the pianist. Wright’s alto is hotter than a piston, and his flute floats like a feather on “Willow Weep For Me.” Gillespie is in jocular form on “Oops-Shoo-Be-Doo-Be” and gets down to business on “I Can’t Get Started.” His tone is in vintage form, while the band simmers on a hot plate for the closing “Kush.” An alternate take of “Con Alma” simply makes you want more of the same, which is a good sign for any meal. Encore!
Jazz Haus Music
www.jazzhaus-label.com