Dizzy Gillespie Quintet Live in Belgium 1958: A Jazz Analysis

Introduction to the Performance

The following analysis examines four performances by the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet recorded live in Belgium in 1958. The ensemble features Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, Sonny Stitt on tenor saxophone, Lou Levy on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Gus Johnson on drums. Each piece is considered in terms of style, the functional role of each instrument, and the character of individual solos.

Blues After Dark: Instrument Roles and Piano Solo

Starting with the dueling instruments, "Blues After Dark" almost sounds as though two muted trumpets are playing, because the harmonics are so intense. For a few notes it remains that way, until it becomes clear that it is not two trumpets but rather a trumpet and a saxophone playing together brilliantly.

A smooth stand-up bass kicks in alongside background elements that respond to the lead instruments. The bass is not playing a melody as the trumpet and saxophone are, nor is it playing in unison with either of them. Instead, the bass works exactly where it should — offering a continual walking bass line that keeps the structure of the song together throughout. Occasionally, the bass does play the same notes as the trumpet and saxophone.

The timing is brilliant. There are many moments of silence that say just as much as the notes do. Some riffs are repeated, but there are also improvised sections. A piano provides a counterpart melody to the lead instruments of trumpet and saxophone.

The saxophone provides a few notes that suddenly stand apart, signaling that something is about to take place — and that something is Dizzy Gillespie's famous trumpet solo from this piece. His cheeks are visibly alive with effort, and it is a long, extended solo. However, the solo examined most closely here is the piano.

There is a piano solo toward the end of the piece. Although by no means the central solo of the song, this piano solo is accomplished and worth examining. It is accompanied only by the bass. The piano solo follows the trumpet and saxophone solo and adheres to the general principle of an improvisational solo, with an absolute beginning and end so that the rest of the instruments can re-enter. Notes are played with a heavy, intense style, featuring both chords and single notes. As a percussive instrument, the piano is able to punctuate in the same places the bass and drums do, creating a solid, well-constructed, and highly successful solo. In addition to the other solos in this piece, the piano solo highlights the unique role each instrument plays within the ensemble.

The drummer uses brushes so softly that they seem barely there — something clearly visible in the video recording. The drumming brushes add more texture than they add rhythm or defined beats. The drummer also uses very soft cymbals in a riding pattern, though this is almost entirely obscured by the lead instruments.

Sunny Side of the Street: Solos and Vocal Surprise

Style: BeBop
Role of Piano: Stride and Comping
Role of the Bass: Walking
Role of the Drums: Brushing and Riding
Role of the Trumpet and Saxophone: Lead and Melody

"Sunny Side of the Street" features a saxophone solo that begins rather abruptly, though a short lead-in signals the change in the song. The saxophone is occasionally staccato but mainly smooth, dancing around the bass notes. Brushes can be heard in the background with the occasional cymbal. The solo is long and nuanced, moving through various registers. At times, Stitt packs several notes into a single bar; at others, he uses far fewer.

There is also a trumpet solo in "Sunny Side of the Street" that starts delicately with thin, high notes. The bass responds in kind with thin, high notes of its own. This solo does not carry a great deal of internal structure. It allows the basic structure of the song to remain intact while laying on top a curiously thin upper-register melody — before Gillespie adjusts the height of the microphone. Even then, the muted trumpet works effectively, until suddenly and unexpectedly the vocals kick in: "sunny side of the street," with both Gillespie and Stitt singing.

Style: Ballad BeBop
Role of Piano: Comping
Role of the Bass: Comping
Role of the Drums: Brushing
Role of the Saxophone: Lead and Melody

Conclusion: Reflections on Bebop

The drummer's use of mallets at the opening gives the piece an aggressive quality not present in the other performances. As the piece develops, this gives way to the brushing and riding patterns characteristic of the ensemble's broader bebop style. The interplay between the saxophone and the rhythm section — particularly the bass — is a defining feature of this performance and reflects the jazz ensemble dynamic at its most cohesive.

This performance was enlightening in the sense that it clearly shows the role of different instruments in a bebop jazz performance. Particularly striking was the way "Blues After Dark" begins and ends in much the same way. This alpha-and-omega effect leaves the listener with a sense of wholeness and completion. It is possible to listen to "Blues After Dark" repeatedly without tiring of it — it is a very well-composed song and an admirable model for anyone developing their own skills as a composer.

Listening to bebop, one can understand why people appreciate jazz so deeply. The arrangements in these performances are relatively simple. There is improvisation, but not so much that the song loses direction. Instead, each song has a clear beginning, middle, and end. This appeals to a classical sensibility, because structure and form are never entirely abandoned, even as individual expression is given generous room to breathe.