Search - Dizzy Gillespie :: Talkin Verve

Get Dizzy wit' it

tcbnyc | New York, NY USA | 02/11/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"You should not buy this record because it reveals the roots of acid jazz. The tail is wagging the dog; it's like saying you should listen to Beethoven because he paved the way for the Electric Light Orchestra. You should pick it up because Dizzy was an inspired, innovative huge-cheeked trumpet player. And his music swings, rocks and bops in all the right places. The record should really be called "Dizzy does Cuba" or something because it compiles highlights from his so-called "Afro-Cuban" phase. He developed a style of Jazz that borrowed heavily from Africa and Cuba and fused them into an exotic-sounding pork sandwich. I came across this record by accident; I was in the jazz room at an HMV store and they were playing it. I asked what it was and had the good sense to buy it on the spot. You should do the same."