Dizzy Gillespie Matrix DVD Audio

24 bit/96 kHz DVD-Audio and 24 bit/48 kHz Dolby Digital 5.1 options; stunning 5.1 surround sound, artist liner notes, artist photos. Playable on all DVD players.

3 LPs on 2 CDs: THE REAL THING (1970)/PORTRAIT OF JENNY (1970)/GIANTS (1971).
Personnel: Dizzy Gillespie (vocals, trumpet); James Moody (saxophone);
Bobby Hackett (trumpet); Mike Longo, Mary Lou Williams (piano); Nate "Gator" Edmonds (keyboards); Eric Gale, George Davis (guitar); George Duvivier, Andrew Gonzalez, Phil Upchurch (bass); Bernard Purdie, Grady Tate (drums); Carlos Valdes, Andrew Gonzalez (congas); Nicholas Marrero (timbales).
Includes liner notes by Alain Beard.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
This is a DVD-Audio disc. The DVD-Audio content can only be read by a DVD-Audio player. The Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS audio tracks provided on this disc will play on a standard DVD player.
The three albums on this double-disc collection actually document Dizzy Gillespie's relatively short stay on the Perception label between 1970-1971. For jazz purists, the latter two, Portrait of Jenny and the live Giants (with a band co-led by Diz and Bobby Hackett) will be of most interest. The first of these -- making up the latter four titles on disc one -- consists of four long tracks showcasing the more balladic style of the Gillespie band along with some subtle funk elements (courtesy of guitarist George Davis), and the latter is a burning live date with Hackett and Gillespie crashing through standards from bop's yesteryear (with a few surprises). The anomaly here is The Real Thing, which is a soul-jazz date that incorporates very successfully the grittier funk sounds coming out of the jazz world since Miles Davis threw down the gauntlet with Bitches Brew. This is hardly a fusion date, though. It's Diz with guitarist Eric Gale, Phil Upchurch and Chuck Rainey on bass, pianist Mike Longo (who wrote a slew of cuts here), and drummer Bernard Purdie. "Soul Kiss" might have been a Sly Stone instrumental, and just smokes. "Closer" has Diz trying to sing soul with a backing female chorus (yes, it does work), and the deep soul read of Gershwin's "Summertime" simply has to be heard to be believed -- it and Gillespie's "N'Bani" (which nods to Santana's "Soul Sacrifice") are the standouts on the set. This is an essential purchase for fans of Gillespie in that it shows just how deep his creative spirit ran as he was always looking for new modes of expression. ~ Thom Jurek
After Louis Armstrong (and before Miles Davis), the most important jazz trumpeter is John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie, one of the pioneers of bebop and one of the musicians responsible for the introduction of Latin elements to jazz. MATRIX: THE PERCEPTION SESSIONS gathers together three Dizzy albums ("THE REAL THING, PORTRAIT OF JENNY, and the live GIANTS) on two discs. Gillespie's accompanists include a fair amount of jazz royalty--trumpeter Bobby Hackett (who was an influence on Miles), sax legend James Moody, master funk drummer Bernard Purdie, and legendary pianist/composer Mary Lou Williams.
DVD Features:
Region 0
Audio:
24 Bit/96 Khz PCM Stereo - English
24 Bit/48 Khz Dolby Digital 5.1 - English