Category Archives: 1940s

Dizzy Gillespie Big Band – Cubano Be, Cubano Bop (1947)

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Cubano Be, Cubano Bop, arranged by George Russell and recorded by the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band featuring Chano Pozo, New York, Dec. 22, 1947.

Luciano Pozo González, better known as Chano Pozo (January 7, 1915 in Havanna - December 3, 1948 in New York City) was an Afro-Cuban jazz percussionist, singer, dancer and composer who played a major role in the founding of Latin Jazz. Though he died young of unnatural causes, no discussion of Latin jazz is complete without mentioning his name and no discussion of the trumpet giant Dizzy Gillespie, the godfather of Latin jazz in the U.S., can begin without the name of Pozo, who was the first in a long line of Latin percussionists in Dizzy’s various bands. Dizzy’s dozens of Latin-flavored compositions, including the hit song “Manteca” and “Tin Tin Deo” (both co-written by Pozo), “Fiesta Mojo” and others – have Afro-Cuban drumming derived from the ritual rhythms of West Africa as their rhythmic backbones. Despite a short stint in Dizzy’s band abbreviated by Chano’s early death, Pozo’s influence could be felt in Dizzy’s playing and compositions for decades, which Dizzy acknowledged without hesitation. [source]

Dizzy Gillespie – Trumpet / Dave Burns – Trumpet / Elmon Wright – Trumpet /
Lamar Wright Jr. – Trumpet / Benny Bailey – Trumpet / William Shepherd – Trombone /
Ted Kelly – Trombone / John Brown – Alto Saxophone / Howard Johnson – Alto Saxophone /
Joe Gayles – Tenor Saxophones / Big Nick Nicholas  - Tenor Saxophones /
Cecil Payne –  Baritone Saxophone / John Lewis – Piano /Al McKibbon – Bass /
Kenny Clarke –  Drums / Luciano “Chano” Pozo – Congas , Bongos.

 

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Miles Davis / Tadd Dameron Quintet – All The Things You Are (1949)

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This legendary live-recording with Miles Davis / Tadd Dameron Quintet  from the album In Paris Festival International DeJazz is probably the coolest version of  All The Things You Are. The album is recorded at the Festival International De Jazz at the Salle Pleyel, Paris, France on May 8 & 16, 1949. Four years earlier, someone had said that Miles Davis had no technique – in spite of the fact that Miles had started out with Charlie Parker, and then learned the acrobatics of bop from the pianist’s compositions, and received the full backing of the genre’s master drummer Kenny Clarke. Miles had just founded a revolutionary nonet in New York, and he was elated after the welcome he had received in Paris. Henri Renaud released this recording in 1977.

Taking a break from his duties with the Charlie Parker band, this live album is a fascinating glimpse of Miles while still forming, playing fast and hard bebop trumpet with Tadd Dameron and James Moody along with Pierre Michelot on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums. He rips through the Dameron originals like “Good Bait” with an agility borne of playing with the likes of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, but it is on the ballads that we really hear the Miles to come. This album is a very interesting look at the road not taken, as Miles would soon return to the United States and form his famous Birth of the Cool Nonet and say good-bye to orthodox bebop. A young James Moody is very impressive as well, sticking to alto and playing with the fleet grace he would keep up for the next sixty plus years. The over-enthusiastic French disc jockey talking over the music at times and the muddy sound quality makes gives this something of a bootleg feel, but it is worth slogging through to hear some great music [source]

Miles Davis (Trumpet), Tadd Dameron (Piano), James Moody (Tenor sax), Barney Spielery (Bass), Kenny Clarke (Drums)