Dizzy's Dream Band

Starring:Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, John Lewis, Milt Jackson
Studio: Fox Lorber
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

This film, recorded in 1982 at Lincoln Center, captures legendary jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie performing with his Dream Band, consisting of a wide array of jazz music's finest musicians, many of whom worked with Gillespie during the evolutionary era of the early-'40s bebop period. It includes an all-star cast highlighted by pyrotechnic drum wizard Max Roach, Gillespie's protégé trumpeter Jon Faddis, and Modern Jazz Quartet cofounders John Lewis (piano) and Milt Jackson (vibraphone). The leader's crowd-pleasing persona, trademark puffy cheeks, and no-nonsense trumpet solos steal the show. Selections range from Gillespie's Afro-Cubop favorites "Manteca," "Tin Tin Deo," and "A Night in Tunisia" with master percussionist Candido Camero, to the timeless bebop compositions "Groovin' High" (with baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan) and "Salt Peanuts (Vote Dizzy)." Along with rare archival footage of Gillespie and his greatest musical companion, alto saxophonist Charlie Parker, this collection accurately captures the artistry that made Dizzy Gillespie great. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Customer Reviews:

good but short dvd.......2006-10-29

My dvd doesent have the best sound, the big band could have sounded fuller, richer,as is it sounded thin and not as powerful as it should. But it is a dvd that I do watch over again this says a lot, the jerry mulligan tunes are good, I'm not sure if grady tate, the drummer fits in all that good with his style, he is funky in kind of a technical way, also the band seemed nerveous too me, like they hadn't had much rehersal, but they were all great! solos were a little short. dvd was short I could have listened to another 5-6 tunes easy, I just wish they had better audio quality.

One complaint.......2006-07-19

It's 2 short!!!! Wow, what good music and it was good seeing some of the old timers :)

The performance cooks........2005-03-02

The title "Dizzy's Dream Band" is appropriate. A "dream band" is what is found on the disc. The picture quality is excellent. The sound quality is excellent. Many of the images feature closeups of hands playing instruments, e.g., hands on trumpet valves, or hands on congas, where each hand takes up one quarter of the screen. The camera lovingly rests on the "hand images" for an adequate amount of time (the camera does not rush from one angle to another angle). One particularly artistic shot shows Mr.Gillespie's (God) trumpet and hands (close up and out of focus) while in the background, and bracketed by Mr.Gillespie's instrument, is Mr.Mulligan in sharp focus (looking on and listening). The disc features Mr.Roach's lecture/demonstration of the high hat. It is the same lecture/demonstration that he gave in 1982 on the Univ.of Wisconsin-Madison campus, on a program that featured Richard Davis on bass. I would have liked to see more of Max Roach (also God) playing the drum kit, e.g., doing a 3-4 minute solo, but a developed percussion solo is not shown here. The disc also features Mr.Gillespie (God) and Mr.Faddis in an amusing "squeaking contest." A nice surprise was a cameo appearance by Paquito D'Rivera, whom I'd not previously heard. At the next opportunity, I shall purchase a D'Rivera album. There are no disappointments in the disc being reviewed, though the opening minutes of the disc, which features a hand-clapping duet complete with a Jew's harp, made me somewhat apprehensive, and concerned that the entire hour might consist of hand-clapping. The title is "Dizzy's Dream Band, and so as it turns out, what you see is what you get (wysiwyg). Is anything missing? Yes, I would have liked to have seen Sonny Stitt on this disc, as I'd seen him perform twice before at Keystone Korner in San Francisco in the late 1970s, and once in a tiny venue in Milwaukee in early 1981.

Masters in action.......2003-11-27

i just finished watching this for the first time. It is outstanding. I am 29 and this is the first time i have ever seen some of these cats play. I agree with some of the other reviews, it is not flawless. But these guys are all animals in great form. Great tunes!! Great shots!!

Diz the wiz.......2003-11-17

I attended this concert in 1982 and it was both electrifying and memorable. No superlatives are really necessary when describing these masters and sadly most are now gone. My only problems with this DVD release are that all of the music performed on that great evening is not presented here and that the tape pitch wavers a great deal. Most noticeably on Bags feature of Lover Man. It also saps the power and impact of John Lewis beautiful touch on the piano. In addition the audio and video are out of sync in several spots. I very much recommend this DVD due to the fact that you have Diz, Max, Bags and John Lewis on the same stage. Hopefully some day soon this will re-released with the care and content which it deserves. All in all there is much great music and humor here which simply exuded from the great John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie.

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