The Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band's
Dizzy's Business continues where 2002's
Things to Come (credited to
the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars) left off. Gone is the fabulous trumpeter
Jon Faddis, who also led that aggregation, but many of the other key players return, among them tenor saxman
Jimmy Heath, baritone saxman
Gary Smulyan, alto saxmen/flutists
Antonio Hart and
Frank Wess, trombonists
Jay Ashby and
Douglas Purviance, trumpeters
Greg Gisbert and
Claudio Roditi, guitarist
Marty Ashby, drummer
Dennis Mackrel, and bassist
John Lee (who co-produced with the Ashbys). This time around, the all-star cast boasts even greater star power, however, with the additions of
James Moody on tenor sax, flute and vocals,
Randy Brecker on trumpet, and
Mulgrew Miller playing piano. Trombonist
Slide Hampton, who also performed on
Things to Come, returns here as bandleader, trumpet hotshot
Roy Hargrove appears as a guest soloist, and Italian vocalist
Roberta Gambarini adds her deliciously sweet tones, scatting dizzily with
Hargrove on
Gillespie's steaming "Blue 'N Boogie" and turning in a sensitive, moody lead on the classic "Stardust." Not surprisingly, there's a lot of world-class blowing going on here, both in an ensemble format and in the solos.
Miller does
Thelonious Monk proud on the album-closing "Off Minor" and "I Mean You" (which
Monk co-penned with
Coleman Hawkins).
Brecker shines on
Gillespie's "Tour de Force" and the opening title track, and
Hargrove proves himself up to the task of playing in the
Gillespie vets' company with his solo turn on the classic "Hot House." The updated arrangements fashioned by
Mackrel and
Hampton remain faithful to
Gillespie's vision without becoming trapped in retro-ville. Recorded live in Pittsburgh in 2005,
Dizzy's Business accomplishes what it sets out to do: pay tribute to the master and nudge him into the future. ~ Jeff Tamarkin