Dizzy Gillespie - World Statesman

This LP has been out of print so long that there is little point searching for it, though the sessions were reissued on Birk's Works: The Verve Big-Band Sessions. This set introduced the new Dizzy Gillespie big band which was making headlines for the acclaim it received (and for the excitement it caused) during its State Department-sponsored world tours. Sidemen at the time included trumpeter Joe Gordon (who got to take Gillespie's famous break on this version of "Night in Tunisia"), trombonist/arranger Melba Liston, altoist Phil Woods, pianist Walter Davis and tenors Ernie Wilkins and Billy Mitchell. Read More