The Great Blue Star Sessions 1952âÂÂ1953 is a compilation album by trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie featuring performances recorded in 1952 and 1953 and originally released on the French Blue Star label. Many of the tracks were first released as 78 rpm records and re-released in the US as albums on the Atlantic and Fontana labels such as Dizzy at Home and Abroad and Dizzy Gillespie and His Operatic Strings Orchestra.
Reception
The Allmusic review stated "it's not for the casual fan, but anyone who knows of these recordings on any level understands what a key place they hold on Dizzy's shelf as he transitioned from the bebop of the 1940s into the hard bopping, big-group wailing of the 1950s. Highly recommended".
Track listing
All compositions by Dizzy Gillespie except as indicated
Disc One:
- "Cocktails for Two" (Sam Coslow, Arthur Johnston) â 2:44
- "Cognac Blues" â 2:42
- "Moon Nocturne" (Nathaniel Shilkret) â 3:05
- "Sabla y Blu" â 3:07
- "Blue and Sentimental" (Count Basie, Mack David, Jerry Livingston) â 2:44
- "Just One More Chance" (Coslow, Johnston) â 3:14
- "The Man I Love" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) â 3:14
- "Night and Day" (Cole Porter) â 3:04
- "Night and Day" alternate take (Porter) â 3:06
- "Sweet and Lovely" (Gus Arnheim, Harry Tobias, Jules LeMare) â 3:27
- "Sweet and Lovely" [alternate take 1] (Arnheim, Lemare, Tobias) â 3:51
- "Sweet and Lovely" [alternate take 2] (Arnheim, Lemare, Tobias) â 3:28
- "My Old Flame" (Coslow, Johnston) â 3:22
- "My Old Flame" [alternate take] (Coslow, Johnston) â 3:41
- "I Waited for You" (Gil Fuller, Gillespie) â 3:18
- "Ghost of a Chance" (Bing Crosby, Ned Washington, Victor Young) â 3:05
- "They Can't Take That Away from Me" (Gershwin, Gershwin) â 3:16
- ""They Can't Take That Away from Me" [alternate take] (Gershwin, Gershwin) â 4:01
- "Taking a Chance on Love" (Vernon Duke, Ted Fetter, John Latouche) â 2:44
- "Taking a Chance on Love" [alternate take 1] (Duke, Fetter, Latouche) â 3:29
- "Taking a Chance on Love" [alternate take 2] (Duke, Fetter, Latouche) â 3:36
Disc Two:
- "When It's Sleepy Time Down South" (Clarence Muse, Leon René, Otis René) â 2:57
- "Lullaby in Rhythm" (Benny Goodman, Clarence Profit, Edgar Sampson) â 4:24
- "Lullaby in Rhythm" [alternate take] (Goodman, Profit, Sampson) â 4:07
- "Just Blues (One More Blues)" â 3:01
- "Ain't Misbehavin'" (Harry Brooks, Andy Razaf, Fats Waller) â 2:58
- "Summertime" (George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward) â 4:18
- "Blue Moon" (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) â 4:27
- "Mama's Blues (Mrs. Dizzy's Blues)" â 4:04
- "Undecided" (Sid Robin, Charlie Shavers) â 2:34
- "The Way You Look Tonight" (Dorothy Fields, Jerome Kern) â 4:16
- "Stormy Weather" (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler) â 3:51
- "Jalousie" (Vera Bloom, Jacob Gade) â 2:36
- "The Very Thought of You" (Ray Noble) â 2:37
- "Fine and Dandy" (Paul James, Kay Swift) â 3:44
- "I've Got You Under My Skin" (Porter) â 2:24
- "Pennies from Heaven" (Johnny Burke, Arthur Johnston) â 2:25
Recorded on March 25 (Disc One, tracks 1âÂÂ6), April 5 (Disc One, tracks 7âÂÂ21) and April 6 (Disc Two, tracks 1âÂÂ8), 1952 at the Théâtre des Champs-ÃÂlysées and on February 22 (Disc Two, tracks 9âÂÂ16), 1953 at the Studio Pathe Magellan in Paris, France
Personnel
- Dizzy Gillespie â trumpet, vocals
- René Bigerille â flute (Disc One, tracks 7âÂÂ16)
- André Gosset, Guy Destanges, René Vasseur â trombone (Disc One, tracks 7âÂÂ16)
- Albert Gillot â clarinet (Disc One, tracks 7âÂÂ16)
- Don Byas â tenor saxophone (Disc One, tracks 1âÂÂ6, Disc Two, tracks 19, 21, 22 & 25)
- Jean-Jacques Tilché â guitar (Disc One, tracks: 7âÂÂ21)
- Wade Legge (Disc Two, tracks 9âÂÂ16), Arnold Ross (Disc One, tracks 7âÂÂ21, Disc Two, tracks 1âÂÂ8), Art Simmons (Disc One, tracks 1âÂÂ6) â piano
- Joe Benjamin (Disc One and Disc Two, tracks 1âÂÂ8), Lou Hackney (Disc Two tracks 9âÂÂ16) â bass
- Bill Clark (Disc One and Disc Two, tracks 1âÂÂ8), Al Jones (Disc Two tracks 9âÂÂ16) â drums
- Humberto Morales â congas (Disc One, tracks 1âÂÂ6)
- Robert Jeannoutot â oboe (Disc One, tracks 7âÂÂ16)
- Jean Louchez â bassoon (Disc One, tracks 7âÂÂ16)
- Yvan Allouche, Maurice Elhan, Lionel Gali, Leon Locatelli, Octave Marchesini, Georges Mignot, Albert Mousseux, Roger Sanard, Jean Sauvage â violin (Disc One, tracks 7âÂÂ16)
- Gabriel Beauvais, Andre Saulnier â viola (Disc One, tracks 7âÂÂ16)
- Pierre Coddee, Georges Schwartz â cello (Disc One, tracks 7âÂÂ16)
- Bernard Galais â harp (Disc One, tracks 7âÂÂ16)
- Jo Boyer, Daniel White â arranger (Disc One, tracks 7âÂÂ16)
- The Paris Operatic String Orchestra arranged by Michel Legrand (Disc Two, tracks 11âÂÂ16)
References