Live at the Royal Festival Hall

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Live at the Royal Festival Hall
Live album by Dizzy Gillespie and the United Nation Orchestra

Publication
(s)

1991

Label (s) Enja ; Red ink; Eagle vision

Format (s)

CD, DVD

Genre (s)

jazz

Title (number)

7th

running time

71:19

occupation

production

John Hawkins, Charles Fishman, Brian Theobald

Studio (s)

Live at the Royal Festival Hall , London

Live at the Royal Festival Hall is Dizzy Gillespie's first live album with the United Nations Orchestra, which he founded in 1988 . In addition to Gillespie, the United Nations Orchestra consisted of 14 musicians of various origins, including three Brazilians, three Cubans, a Puerto Rican, a Panamanian and six Americans. Many of the band members are important jazz musicians and even band leaders, such as Paquito D´Rivera, so that the band can be considered an "all-star" ensemble.

background

The recording "Live at the Royal Festival Hall" comes from the last concert on a European tour in which the band had 18 performances in eleven different countries in twenty-one days in 1989. On June 10th, 1989, the band was perfectly integrated. The extensive rhythm section was not only able to confidently combine complex polyrhythmic passages with Latin entertainment , but also harmonized perfectly with the soloists, both in terms of arrangement details and dynamic peaks, spontaneous modifications of formal elements or communication during improvisations.

The album begins with the classic "Tin Tin Deo", with solos from Gillespie, D´Rivera, Turre and Slide Hampton.

The second piece consists of two compositions, first the slow Peruvian waltz "Seresta", played by Paquito D´Rivera on the clarinet and accompanied by Danilo Perez on the piano; the second part, "Samba for Carmen", a tribute to the great singer Carmen McRae , ended in a stormy finale with solos by D´Rivera, Roditi and Hampton.

The Gillespie composition "And Then She Stopped" consists of solos by Gillespie and his Cuban colleague Sandoval, accompanied by Perez on the piano.

Gillespie's “Tanga” (arranged by Bill Kirchner ) is sung by Flora Purim. The "Saxophone Duel" is introduced by Mario Rivera, into which D´Rivera and Moody join. The piece closes with solos by Berroa, Airto and Hidalgo.

Another Gillespie classic, “Kush”, shines with solos by Moody and Gillespie, accompanied by Ed Cherry on guitar.

On the track "Dizzy Shells", Steve Turré plays on various sea shells, from which he elicits highly exotic sounds.

The recording ends with Gillespie's “ A Night in Tunisia ” with brilliant solos by Roditi and Sandoval. This version managed (as an alternative to the style- defining model from the 1940s) to present an arrangement that shaped the following interpretations .

At the end of the concert, the audience thanked them with a ten-minute standing ovation. In 1992 the recording won a Grammy for “Best Performance by a Large Jazz Ensemble”.

reception

Scott Yanow wrote about the album on Allmusic :

Dizzy Gillespie, who was nearing 72 years old at the time of this concert, headed one of his finest big bands during his later years, The United Nation Orchestra…. Whether it is "Tanga," "And Then She Stopped" or an 18-minute version of "A Night in Tunisia," every selection on this excellent CD works.

“Dizzy Gillespie, who was almost 72 at the time of the concert, was leading one of his best big bands in his later years, The United Nation Orchestra ... whether it was" Tanga "," And Then She Stopped "or an 18 minute version from "A Night in Tunisia" is, every piece on this excellent CD is a success. "

Track list

  1. Tin Tin Deo - 9:51 ( Gil Fuller , Chano Pozo )
  2. Seresta / Samba for Carmen - 8:10 ( Hank Levy , D'Rivera)
  3. And Then She Stopped - 7:27
  4. Tanga - 13:50
  5. Kush - 8:59
  6. Dizzy Shells - 5:15 (Turré)
  7. A Night in Tunisia - 18:23

The compositions are by Gillespie (unless otherwise indicated).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Ralf Dombrowsky Basis-Diskothek Jazz . Reclam, Stuttgart 2005, p. 89.
  2. ^ Dizzy Gillespie And The United Nations Orchestra | Live At The Royal Festival Hall. www.allaboutjazz.com, accessed March 28, 2009 .
  3. ^ Review by Scott Yanow at allmusic.com

Web links

Commons : Dizzy Gillespie  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files