Thanks for posting this! I studied with pianist Mike Longo for a few years, who played with Dizzy and was also his musical director. The aspect of Longo’s pedagogy that he focused on with me was rhythm and phrasing, which he said all derived from Dizzy’s mentorship. Longo considered Dizzy the principal rhythmic “architect” of bebop, with Bird as melodic counterpart. Not sure what to think of that position, but what Longo taught me about rhythm was profound, clearly influenced by African and Afro-Latin musics, but all channeled through Dizzy.
Yes, Longo had a great reputation as a teacher, as did Dizzy in his less formal way. Longo wrote quite a few method and practice books for learning jazz piano which I'm sure are well worth checking out: https://jazzbeat.com/?product_cat=mike-longo-instruction
Diz had all the technique and rhythmic savvy he ever needed by this point, but hadn't quite moved into the new harmonic territory that he would show us in just a year.
And he kept growing--in the late 50s into the 60s he began using dynamics in his solos, starting softly, which was tremendously effective. THANK YOU STEVE
That classic balance in phrasing, daring range, and powerful rhythm make it clear what part of Dizzy’s idiosyncratic trumpet sound Fats Navarro picked up on. My god what a solo! Diz: “It’s all in Arbans.”
I read that somewhere during an interview with him and that was his hilarious reply.
Fats also smoothed out the playing in different registers. Diz’s low end was bulbous, his high end pointed. Fats sort of gave each register an evenness that other trumpeters could build from. Of you try and build from Diz it’s hard not to sound like him. Subjectivity speaking….
That's funny about Arbans--although I suppose he could have been serious, his way of saying "If you know your scales and arpeggios, it's all in there." Absolutely, most trumpeters followed Navarro's more even style, not only in tone but in melodic phrasing. Diz was very hard to copy, and yes, it would be copying. THANK YOU LAZARO
Yeah, the lick at 1:05 comes from "It's Sand Man". Great, having learned that. Thanks man ;) ... Seems to me that Diz did not only everything, as Jimmy Dorsey (or was it Maynard Ferguson?) has put it (https://youtu.be/HLpTNNwQDec), he also listened to everything. By the way, since you've unfortunately posted the echoed version, here's the original of "It's Sand Man", as dry as a carpet: https://youtu.be/z_sZnXmsmsY
Yes, that Dorsey broadcast is a great tribute to Diz from 1949--I agree that it's not clear who wrote it, Dorsey or Ferguson or even someone else--but Maynard is great and by the way Check out that WILD trombone solo--that's the little-known Chuck Maxon! And thanks for the better link to "Sand." THANK YOU BREWSK
Hi Scott, Yes, these are not well known at all. There are only radio broadcasts and they are summarized in one of my late friend Jan Evensmo's thorough recording guides:
That’s the coolest Dizzy solo I’ve ever heard— good catch! And Webster kills it in the brief bit we got there. I wish I could find more from that session— that was a great period for Webster and all the obscure stuff of his from that time that I’ve managed to track down is great
Yes, that's a good one but Jan was aware of Every private tape including ones that were not known when the printed discog was made. Also my late friend and Webster biographer Frank Buchmann-Moller wrote an extensive Webster reference here to supplement the bio:
A trumpet playing friend heard echoes of Armstrong in this solo. So listen at 1:50 on this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gXm_xZZ3vo and then at 1:08 in the Dizzy solo. What do you think?
That's a famous Armstrong break but it has no notes in common with Diz's break--however one might say that the Idea of playing fast triplets during a break going back to Louis.
"Man, what just happened?" Indeed!
Thanks for posting this! I studied with pianist Mike Longo for a few years, who played with Dizzy and was also his musical director. The aspect of Longo’s pedagogy that he focused on with me was rhythm and phrasing, which he said all derived from Dizzy’s mentorship. Longo considered Dizzy the principal rhythmic “architect” of bebop, with Bird as melodic counterpart. Not sure what to think of that position, but what Longo taught me about rhythm was profound, clearly influenced by African and Afro-Latin musics, but all channeled through Dizzy.
Yes, Longo had a great reputation as a teacher, as did Dizzy in his less formal way. Longo wrote quite a few method and practice books for learning jazz piano which I'm sure are well worth checking out: https://jazzbeat.com/?product_cat=mike-longo-instruction
THANK YOU RANDY!
Diz had all the technique and rhythmic savvy he ever needed by this point, but hadn't quite moved into the new harmonic territory that he would show us in just a year.
And he kept growing--in the late 50s into the 60s he began using dynamics in his solos, starting softly, which was tremendously effective. THANK YOU STEVE
That classic balance in phrasing, daring range, and powerful rhythm make it clear what part of Dizzy’s idiosyncratic trumpet sound Fats Navarro picked up on. My god what a solo! Diz: “It’s all in Arbans.”
Ha--did Dizzy say that about the Arbans method book? And yes, Navarro was less wild than Dizzy, but clearly came from him. THANK YOU LAZARO
I read that somewhere during an interview with him and that was his hilarious reply.
Fats also smoothed out the playing in different registers. Diz’s low end was bulbous, his high end pointed. Fats sort of gave each register an evenness that other trumpeters could build from. Of you try and build from Diz it’s hard not to sound like him. Subjectivity speaking….
That's funny about Arbans--although I suppose he could have been serious, his way of saying "If you know your scales and arpeggios, it's all in there." Absolutely, most trumpeters followed Navarro's more even style, not only in tone but in melodic phrasing. Diz was very hard to copy, and yes, it would be copying. THANK YOU LAZARO
And thanks to Louis Smith for teaching me that.
Did you know Smith personally? I know he was a teacher in addition to an excellent player. Or do you mean from listening to him?
Oh, yeah: got to know him. He did workshops here at Blue Lake Fine Arts camp and concerts, too. Check out this version of “Oleo” Blue Lake Public Radio recorded by him with our faculty at a restaurant in Whitehall, MI, 1984. https://bluelake.ncats.net/ondemand/Studio%20Performances-Blue%20Lake%20Jazz%20Faculty%20at%20White%20Sands%20Set%20Two-0-19841117.mp3
what a marvelous moment! thanks so much, Lewis! Just awesome
Thank you Ethan!
Yeah, the lick at 1:05 comes from "It's Sand Man". Great, having learned that. Thanks man ;) ... Seems to me that Diz did not only everything, as Jimmy Dorsey (or was it Maynard Ferguson?) has put it (https://youtu.be/HLpTNNwQDec), he also listened to everything. By the way, since you've unfortunately posted the echoed version, here's the original of "It's Sand Man", as dry as a carpet: https://youtu.be/z_sZnXmsmsY
Yes, that Dorsey broadcast is a great tribute to Diz from 1949--I agree that it's not clear who wrote it, Dorsey or Ferguson or even someone else--but Maynard is great and by the way Check out that WILD trombone solo--that's the little-known Chuck Maxon! And thanks for the better link to "Sand." THANK YOU BREWSK
Very cool!
I knew that Dizzy was playing with John Kirby, but I'd never heard any recordings with that band. Are there other examples available?
Hi Scott, Yes, these are not well known at all. There are only radio broadcasts and they are summarized in one of my late friend Jan Evensmo's thorough recording guides:
https://www.jazzarcheology.com/dizzy-gillespie/
All the best,
Lewis
That’s the coolest Dizzy solo I’ve ever heard— good catch! And Webster kills it in the brief bit we got there. I wish I could find more from that session— that was a great period for Webster and all the obscure stuff of his from that time that I’ve managed to track down is great
Check out my late friend Jan Evensmo's absolutely complete Webster listings:
https://www.jazzarcheology.com/?s=webster
Thank you Karl!
Will do! I have a good physical Webster discography (langhorn/sjogren) but I suspect the Evensmo one may be more complete.
Yes, that's a good one but Jan was aware of Every private tape including ones that were not known when the printed discog was made. Also my late friend and Webster biographer Frank Buchmann-Moller wrote an extensive Webster reference here to supplement the bio:
https://press.umich.edu/pdf/0472114700-appendix.pdf
A trumpet playing friend heard echoes of Armstrong in this solo. So listen at 1:50 on this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gXm_xZZ3vo and then at 1:08 in the Dizzy solo. What do you think?
That's a famous Armstrong break but it has no notes in common with Diz's break--however one might say that the Idea of playing fast triplets during a break going back to Louis.
THANK YOU LAZARO
Very interesting take, like the drummer's ride cymbal!
Good observation! Thank you Alec!