Dizzy's Dream Band

Rating:
Summary: Diz...
Review: Dizzy's dream band boasted some of the most prolific musicians in the industry at that time. Milt Jackson, John Faddis and Max Roach are smoking... The sound quality and image are fair compared to some of the newer DVD jazz releases, however not bad at all for the era it was originally recorded. Dizzy's vibe shines through with unique interviews and mini-jam sessions offering insight to the rhythm behind jazz and his Afro-Caribbean feel.
The next best thing to this album is his soon to be released "United Nations Orchestra" which hosts such Latin/Brazilian musicians as: Giovanni Hidalgo, Flora Purim, Airto, Paquito DiRiviera, and the incredible Arturo Sandoval.

Rating:
Summary: Diz the wiz
Review: I attended this concert in 1982 and it was both electrifying and memorable. No superlatives are really necessary when describing these masters and sadly most are now gone. My only problems with this DVD release are that all of the music performed on that great evening is not presented here and that the tape pitch wavers a great deal. Most noticeably on Bags feature of Lover Man. It also saps the power and impact of John Lewis beautiful touch on the piano. In addition the audio and video are out of sync in several spots. I very much recommend this DVD due to the fact that you have Diz, Max, Bags and John Lewis on the same stage. Hopefully some day soon this will re-released with the care and content which it deserves. All in all there is much great music and humor here which simply exuded from the great John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie.

Rating:
Summary: Masters in action
Review: i just finished watching this for the first time. It is outstanding. I am 29 and this is the first time i have ever seen some of these cats play. I agree with some of the other reviews, it is not flawless. But these guys are all animals in great form. Great tunes!! Great shots!!

Rating:
Summary: Terrific Performance from a Great Man and Performer
Review: I never had the pleasure to personally meet pioneer trumpeter, writer, arranger John Birch "Dizzy" Gillespie but I did see him perform in a small group setting on three occasions in the mid 1980s. I saw him perform twice at Eastfield Community College (Garland, Texas) and once at Caravan of Dreams in Ft. Worth Texas. Not only was he was a master and architect of Be-Bop, he was a man of great warmth, humor, honor, respect and dignity.

Dizzy states in an interview regarding his playing on this DVD: "If I play something and make people want to dance, that's an emotion, you're reachin' way inside of them, (laughter) your not up here in the front you know like the intellect, you're reaching inside... When you hear somebody say Yeah! When somebody say that to you on the stage, it's a compliment. Yeah."

Dizzy played music that way it was meant to be heard, by dancing or tapping your toes to it. He infuses the soul with the best humanity has to offer and kind of makes you feel good to be alive. I can't say enough about this DVD, good performance, all-star cast. If you love Jazz as I do, you'll love this DVD.

If there is one thing missing on this DVD, it would have been nice to hear some interviews with audience members, some of whom probably had some good anecdotes and observations about this cultural hero.

Rating:
Summary: Can't beat it.
Review: I'll make this short and sweet...it's the best of Dizzy Gillespie's concerts on video and at this price you can't beat it.

Rating:
Summary: More more more
Review: The DVD is way too short. I could have listened to the band for hours. They play real be-bop and have a lineup of the masters. Dizzy is in fine form, singing and playing (and the opening number is a hoot!). The band are clearly having a great time there.