Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. With Sonny Rollins & Sonny Stitt- Duets: Wheatleigh Hall
2. With Sonny Rollins & Sonny Stitt- Duets: Sumphin'
3. With Sonny Rollins & Sonny Stitt- Duets: Con Alma
4. With Sonny Rollins & Sonny Stitt- Duets: Haute Mon'
5. Tour De Force: Steeplechase
6. Tour De Force: Tour De Force
7. Tour De Force: Ballad Medley: (a) I'm Through With Love (b) The Nearness Of You (c) Moonlight In Vermont (d) Summertime

Disc 2:

1. Sittin' In: Dizzy Atmosphere
2. Sittin' In: Ballad Medley- (a) I'm Through With Love (b) Without A Word Of Warning (c) Sweet Lorraine (d) Love Walked In (e) September Song
3. Sittin' In: Ballad Medley- (a) On The Alamo (b) Stompin' At The Savoy (c) This Time The Dream's On Me (d) Time After Time (e) Gone With The Wind
4. Sittin' In: The Way You Look Tonight
5. Dizzy Gillespie & Stuff Smith: Rio Pakistan
6. Dizzy Gillespie & Stuff Smith: It's Only A Paper Moon
7. Dizzy Gillespie & Stuff Smith: Purple Sounds

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5297 in Music
• Released on: 2009-06-15
• Number of discs: 2

CD Description
AVID Jazz here presents three (and a half!) classic Dizzy Gillespie albums, including original LP liner notes on a finely re-mastered and low priced double CD. 'Dizzy Gillespie: with Sonny Rollins & Sonny Stitt: Duets', 'Tour De Force', 'Sittin' In', plus selections from 'Dizzy Gillespie & Stuff Smith'. The Sonny's were truly shining during December 1957 when this remarkable meeting of giants took place as Dizzy Gillspie met sax men Sonny Rollins and Sonny Stitt. The influence of the legendary altoist Charlie Parker hangs over these sessions as the two Sonny's join Dizzy in a series of truly accomplished 'Duets'. 'Tour De Force' finds Dizzy a little earlier in 1955 in the company of a couple of true jazz trumpet legends, Roy Eldridge and Harry Edison. Proving that these two giants, from what appeared to be another era some 15-20 years earlier still had what it takes, the sessions simply swing with a ferocious sense of energy and vitality. Again we march forward to 1957 for 'Sittin' In' where we find Dizzy this time in the company of more jazz greats Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins and Paul Gonsalves for the first time this quartet had recorded together. We conclude our Dizzying round up with three sides from a 1957 session Dizzy cut with unique jazz violinist Stuff Smith, heavy stuff indeed!! All three (and a half!) albums have been digitally re-mastered for probably the finest sound quality ever!

Customer Reviews

Dizzy and friends

Another 155 minute bargain from the Avid label. Basically three Gillespie LPs from the fifties: Tour de force 1955; Duets 1957; Sittin' in 1957 plus three tracks from the Stuff Smith+Dizzy Gillespie 1957 LP (with two tracks missing).

Of the three LPs I preferred Sittin' in because it includes Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins and Paul Gonsalves playing some knockout jazz on two 'Ballad Medley' tracks totaling twenty-three minutes and then a wonderful thirteen minute 'The way you look tonight'. The three tenors play in sequence and I found it fascinating to hear them together like this playing extended solos, Hawkins (predictably) is outstanding.

Duets has a splendid 'Wheatleigh Hall' with Gillespie and Sonny Rollins and Tour de force has a great track with the seventeen minute `Steeplechase' with Gillespie, Roy Eldridge and Harry Edison all playing on top form.

I thought the three Stuff Smith fillers rather unnecessary, not because they are not good tracks, just that they are rather out of style with the other LPs. These tracks were originally sold as Smith plus Dizzy and Oscar Peterson.

Great jazz for the price!