Search - Dizzy Gillespie :: New Faces

Perfect nonfusion blend

Noel Pratt | Washington, D.C., and better places | 05/02/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What is it about this crisp and jumpy album? I thought it would be old-jazz pre-bop, but there's some rock & roll propellant in here that merges sweetly with the brass leads. A sharp pianist too, whoever he is (my library copy is missing the cover). And the date -- was Dizzy still blowing it in 1984-?"

A Great Album, One of Dizzy's Best!

Noel Pratt | 05/23/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of my favorite Gillespie albums! It is really great. Marsalis's saxophone really compliments Dizzy's trumpet. I reccomend this album highly."

Dizzy With Some New Faces: No Other Way For Me To Say It

Andre S. Grindle | Brewer Maine | 01/22/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dizzy had a great idea for this 1985 album. Rather than try to bring a group of seasoned players for this early full digital jazz recording he decided on bringing in some young musicians such as Kenny Kirkland,Branford Maraslis and drummer Robert Ameen for a really fresh take on on old songs and some new Dizzy originals. Now the sound is excellent,the best you can get. As opposed to going for some flattened out flavor or some kind of early loudness war the the sound is crisp and clear. Even versions of old chestnuts like "Birk's Works and Chano Pozo's "Tin Tin Deo",with some great modern day Pozo style percussion by Steve Thornton,who by the way does and excellent job on similarly Cuban-jazz flavored tunes such as "Lorraine" and the lively "Fiesta Mojo". There are two newly written songs here and both have a strong funk kick to the otherwise pretty standard bop arrangements. "Tenor Song" and "Every Mornin'" have plenty of R&B grooves and breaks in and out of the song. During the 80's there was a lot of this approch;fairly straight jazz incorperating purely the rhythms of funk rather than it's electric instrumentation. Even the very sudtle use of electric bass in "Every Mornin'" could never seem to intrude on the music itself to even the most anti fusion of jazz fan. The songs are all long enough to allow the musicians to make the most out of solos and keep the attention of the listener. This is especially evident on the song "Ballad" which is not only self explanatory but actually has a great vocal type section it it. It would be great for a singer. Maybe it's already been done-I don't know. Either way this is a great Dizzy album from an era when a lot of people could've written him off as a currently non producing musical legend and kept him musically in the game."