Search - Dizzy Gillespie, Gil Fuller :: Gil Fuller & The Monterey Jazz Festival Orchestra Featuring Dizzy Gillespie

Among the best in every Jazz collection

Jazzcat | Genoa, Italy Italy | 08/27/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The right adjective for this album here is really "essential" because this 1965 Pacific Jazz recording was an event in the history af Jazz music. Dizzy chose again Gil Fuller (his arranger of his bop time orchestra) to direct this big band, the Monterey Jazz Festival Orchestra and to record this music. Gil Fuller in the forties was responsible for the orchestration of bebop gems like "Manteca", "Things to come", "One bass hit", "Ooi Ya Koo". I think now you have the picture. Gil could produce visionary, thunderous arrangements that could shake your house from the basements or magnificient tender and ethereal orchestra works lights as the wings of a butterfly! Gil Fuller was really terrific in the arranging department! A master!!! I think here he reached the top of the world! His pen job here is astounding. I never heard arrangements so beautiful and so vibrant. Dizzy on top of this music played some of the best solos of his career, flashing and balanced at the same time. The tracks list is spectacular. The album is a magic listening experience but if you want to know which tunes stand out they are the opener "Man from Monterey", the exceptional "Big Sur" which have a really magical sixties California mood, the beautiful rearranged "Love theme from the Sandpiper" which is really a painting, and obviously the ironic and swinging "Groovin high" or the Gil Fuller's own "Moontide". This album is incredible, an absolute masterpiece in every sense. I can't understand how Blue Note records (the owner of Pacific Jazz nowadays) could put this one out of print. It is an incredible loss for the jazz community. This is Jazz at the highest level and one of the best recording ever from Dizzy."