Personnel includes: Dizzy Gillespie (vocals, trumpet); Ella Fitzgerald (vocals); Phil Woods, Johnny Hodges, Charlie Parker, Benny Carter (alto saxophone); Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt, Benny Golson, Paul Gonsalves, Stan Getz (tenor saxophone); Roy Eldridge, Lee Morgan, Quincy Jones (trumpet); Julius Watkins (French horn); J.J. Johnson (trombone); Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Wynton Kelly, Walter Davis Jr., Kenny Barron, Ray Bryant, Bud Powell (piano); Herb Ellis (guitar); Ray Brown, Pierre Michelot (bass); Mel Lewis, Louis Hayes, Louis Bellson, Buddy Rich (drums); Ray Barretto, Candido Camero, Carlos "Patato" Valdez, Emil Richards (percussion).
Producer: Norman Granz.
Compilation producer: Michael Lang.
Recorded between 1950 and 1964. Includes liner notes by Phil Schaap and an interview with Jon Faddis by Kenny Washington.
Digitally remastered by Gary Mayo.
Many of trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie's recordings for the Verve label in the '50s and early '60s show him at the peak of his powers. This three-CD set is a sampler of his legacy, with the discs subtitled "Big Band," "Small Groups & Guests" and "In an Afro Cuban, Bossa Nova, Calypso Groove." The programming jumps all over the place and makes little sense but this set serves as a good excuse to acquire 40 performances by the great Gillespie and the many all-stars who recorded with him. Few but the most fanatical veteran Gillespie fans will have all of these selections. This collection filled a void until Verve got around to doing a much more comprehensive Dizzy Gillespie reissue program. ~ Scott Yanow
Professional Reviews
Down Beat (12/92, p.52) - 3 Stars - Good - "...Overall rating for the music: four stars, mostly due to the big band and all-star dates..."
Stereo Review (1/93, p.90) - "...when the music is good, reissues benefit us all, and this new Verve set is about as beneficial as they get...DIZZY'S DIAMONDS sparkles gloriously..."
