Happy [posthumous] Birthday to Dizzy Gillespie

Happy [posthumous] Birthday to Dizzy Gillespie.  I was lucky to see Diz twice--once at the Village Gate on Bleecker St. and once at the Paramount in Seattle (on the tour where he introduced his young protege Wynton Marsalis to the world).  At the Gate, he performed some hilarious dance moves... (photo:  Bird, with Diz).

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Jazz Superstars on film

This is a pretty cool video...starting off with Bird watching Coleman Hawkins play and then Coleman watching Bird play. This is followed by various other luminaries like Ray Brown, Lester Young, Ella Fitzgerald, and Phil Harris dropping in and out, and ending with the whole band and Ella taking a couple of choruses to scat sing. I have to admit, also, that Phil Harris's trombone is spectacular...

Here is the rough rundown of who appears when and with whom:

Charlie Parker - Saxophone
Coleman Hawkins - Tenor saxophone
Hank Jones - Piano
Ray Brown - Double bass
Buddy Rich - Drums
Bill Harris - Trombone
Lester Young - Tenor saxophone
Harry Edison - Trumpet
Flip Phillips - Tenor saxophone
Ella Fitzgerald - Vocals, Scatting

The Lineup(s):

0:18 - Coleman Hawkins,
Hank Jones, Ray Brown, and Buddy Rich.

2:53 - Charlie Parker,
Hank Jones, Ray Brown, and Buddy Rich.

5:15 - Hank Jones,
Ray Brown, and Buddy Rich.

7:12 - Bill Harris, Lester Young,
Hank Jones, Ray Brown, and Buddy Rich.

10:43 - Flip Philips, Harry Edison,
Ella Fitzgerald, Bill Harris, Lester Young,
Hank Jones, Ray Brown, and Buddy Rich.

14:56 - The End
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Old Film of Bird & Diz playing "Dexterity"

Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie play Dexterity on film. Bird has been my favorite saxaphone player since I first heard him when I was about 19. He doesn't disappoint in this filmed snippet.