Dizzy Gillespie's 1958 Belgium concert and modern jazz evolution

Jazz

Gillespie Live in '58: Analyzing and Appreciating a Historic Jazz Concert

The live performance given in Belgium in 1958 by Dizzy Gillespie and some notable band mates is both historically important, helping to solidify the spread of modern jazz to Europe, and aesthetically pleasing today. Despite being a half-century old, the sounds that this group produces still sound fresh, causing almost any listener to start toe-tapping and finger-snapping. Joining Gillespie on his ubiquitous trumpet are Sonny Stitt on saxophones (tenor and alto), Lou Levy at the piano, Ray Brown on bass and Gus Johnson on the drums, and this quintet puts modern jazz through its paces with a variety of songs and sounds. The varying roles that each player and instrument has in each song demonstrates the level of mastery that each of these musicians brings to the group and the performance.

Blues After Dark

A mute solidly in his upward-slanting trumpet, Gillespie is joined by Stitt on the tenor sax as they begin "Blues After Dark" by playing the simple melody in unison, with Lou Levy's piano breaking in only to fill the spaces between the sparse melodic spurts provided by the fronting duo. The song gives way relatively quickly to a solo by Gillespie, during which Gus Johnson's drums become slightly more noticeable if only for their almost non-presence under the lightly brushed strokes of the restrained percussionist. Neither Johnson nor Brown ever move out of the basic rhythm section on this piece, and Levy's piano also remains primarily in the background though without the strong rhythm of a stride piano or of the bass and drums. After Gillespie's solo, throughout which Stitt stands silently to the side, the saxophonist steps to center stage for his own solo, which Gillespie punctuates with short blasts on occasion before standing aside and letting Stitt take over. Johnson has moved from brushes (or a brush) to sticks at some point, and the song picks up intensity ever so slightly under his insistence.

His solo completed, Stitt steps off to join Gillespie on the sidelines while Levy enjoys a brief yet relatively tame solo, interesting becoming more predictable in its rhythm -- a heavier left hand more reliably hitting every downbeat -- before the horn players come back to the melody. Levy again fills the silences, though with les improvisation and much greater simplicity. Throughout these final repetitions of the melody, the bass and rums have become all but invisible, with Johnson again relying on his brushes to provide just a whisper of sound and with Brown's bass contributing an undercurrent to the subdued chords of Levy's piano. Gillespie's solo is the clear standout here, beginning with an ornamented version of the melody before breaking into a counterpoint melody and then indulging in loud blasts and fast chromatic trills and including melodic nods to other songs. This highly successful solo is reminiscent of Armstrong and points of things to come from Miles Davis. By returning the listener to earth with an almost-unchanged repetition of the main melodic line, Gillespie satisfies emotionally by calling up a yearning that still seems to be controlled or perhaps even satiated.

Lover Man

Gillespie leaves the stage for "Lover Man," a ballad that Stitts wends his way through on a freely melodic saxophone while Johnson keeps a quiet yet solid rhythm with brushes on the drums. Levy carries the main melodic line on the piano, though it is simplistic and kept very much in the background of the piece, which is in no uncertain terms testament to Stitts often under-appreciated saxophone skill -- his trills, his inventive scale climbing and his ear for melody and harmony, and his sheer inventiveness as a player are all clearly featured in this brief piece, and the support he receives from the rhythm section is just strong enough to sustain him without ever threatening to overpower his musicianship.

The Blues Walk

The fast-paced be-bop jazz of the blues walk gives Johnson his chance to shine on the drums; not only does he lead into the song and truly direct the rhythm and feel of the song from the outset, but he gets a few brief solo fills when Gillespie and/or Stitt take a break from their virtuoso melodic duos and solos. Bass and piano under Brown and Levy also soar a little higher and a great deal faster than on other pieces, with both instruments providing strong melodic support as well as rhythmic support rather than simply keeping a harmonic beat for the lead instruments to follow. The horns are very much the centerpieces, however, and whether in unison, riffing off of each other, or taking a solo without the other, both Gillespie and Stitt make the sheer joy of their work come through clearly in every note.

Conclusion

Overall, the emotional impact of this concert is one of sheer joy. Whether it is a more mellow and satisfied happiness as in "Blues After Dark," the easy, bouncy joy of "Sunny Side of the Street," the brash yet plaintive anticipatory joy of "Lover Man," or the frenetic dance of "The Blues Walk," Gillespie and the others light a fire in their listeners that doesn't dim throughout their entire set. There is something purely happy and free about the manner in which the instruments and notes come together for a common purpose in each of these songs that makes the happiness the musicians take in playing come through palpably to their audience.