Record Reviews

DIZZY GILLESPIE ~ POLISH RADIO JAZZ ARCHIVES VOL.25 POLSKIE RADIO 2057 (Barcode: 5907812249793) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1965 Released: 2016 This is the twenty-fifth installment in the series of releases initiated by the Polish Radio, which presents archive Jazz recordings from the radio vaults. Radio recordings are always a fabulous source of remarkable material, and as far as Polish Jazz history is concerned, the Polish Radio, which was a state monopoly for 45 years, recorded over time a plethora of invaluable material, which apart from the albums released by the Polskie Nagrania record company (also a state monopoly), is the only available additional source of Polish Jazz recordings. For many years Polish Radio recorded concerts presented during Poland´s most important Jazz venues, including the annual Jazz Jamboree Festival and many other festivals as well. The tracks presented here were recorded live on December 7, 1965 during the eighth Jazz Jamboree Festival in Warsaw. The Dizzy GillespieFind albums by this artist Quintet included also saxophonist / flautist James MoodyFind albums by this artist, pianist Kenny BarronFind albums by this artist, bassist Chris WhiteFind albums by this artist and drummer Rudy CollinsFind albums by this artist. Of the seven tracks five are original compositions by Gillespie, one is by Moody and one is by Brazilian Godfather of Bossa Nova Antonio Carlos JobimFind albums by this artist. The Quintet plays a superb set, with Gillespie, the Godfather of Bee Bop, expanding the basic Jazz lines with World Music elements, being one of the earliest pioneers of Jazz-World Fusion. His love of Cuban and other Latin music motifs made him one of the great propagators of Latin Jazz. All the members of the Quintet are of course top class musicians. Especially interesting is the young Barron at the piano, later to become one of the great American pianists of all time. The historic importance of this album is to emphasize the crucial role that the Jazz Jamboree Festival in Warsaw played for the entire Jazz scene behind the Iron Curtain. It was the only opportunity for the thousands of musicians and hundreds of thousands of fans living in the Socialist Countries to hear top Western Jazz musicians. The picture of the thick crowd in front of the Sala Kongresowa in Warsaw, trying desperately to get in, is something I will remember as long as I live. The yearning for Jazz was a yearning for Freedom, an expression of individuality and a window of hope in those long dreary years of the Socialist Regime. Therefore the Jazz Jamboree is something way beyond just a music festival, it should be remembered as a symbol of struggle for Freedom, and this is how the people organizing it envisaged it. The beautifully restored sound quality is excellent and the warm ambience of the analog recording is a true joy. As usual with this series, which is very reasonably priced, I miss the presence of "in depth" liner notes / booklet, which should convey the circumstances at which this music was recorded and its importance to the development of Jazz in Poland. Nevertheless this is an absolutely essential piece of Jazz history which every Jazz fan will surely consider an absolute must.

Updated: 03/10/2016Posted: 03/10/2016

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