Dizzy Gillespie, Gerry Mulligan – I Giganti Del Jazz Vol. 42

Dizzy Gillespie / Gerry Mulligan – I Giganti Del Jazz Vol. 42

I Giganti Del Jazz Vol. 42 is a superb 1981 Italian jazz compilation bringing together two giants of modern jazz, Dizzy Gillespie and Gerry Mulligan, alongside the Hubert Fol Quartet. Issued by Armando Curcio Editore as GJ-42, the LP forms part of the extensive I Giganti Del Jazz series, a major Italian jazz collection that ran to dozens of volumes covering bebop, swing, cool jazz, hard bop and the developing sounds of modern jazz.

The first side is dominated by Dizzy Gillespie And His Sextet, opening with the classic bebop composition “Groovin' High.” Gillespie's revolutionary trumpet playing and fast, rhythmically sophisticated approach helped define bebop during the 1940s, and “Birks Works” provides another excellent example of his distinctive writing and improvisational style. The sextet continues with “This Is Happiness,” while the Hubert Fol Quartet contributes a more intimate reading of “Everything Happens To Me.”

Side Two returns to Gillespie with “Lady Be Good” and the exuberant “Oop-Pop-A-Dah,” before closing with Gerry Mulligan's Jam Session and the extended “Rose Room.” Mulligan's cool, economical baritone-saxophone style provides an interesting contrast to Gillespie's more explosive bebop trumpet, making the compilation particularly effective as a meeting point between different strands of post-war modern jazz.

The original recordings represented here come from the formative decades of modern jazz rather than the 1981 compilation itself. The result is a concise historical snapshot of bebop, cool jazz and small-group jazz, with Gillespie's pioneering work at the centre and Mulligan bringing his own West Coast/cool-jazz sensibility to the programme.

For collectors, I Giganti Del Jazz Vol. 42 is an appealing Italian jazz-series pressing as well as a strong introduction to two hugely influential musicians. With Dizzy Gillespie, Gerry Mulligan and Hubert Fol represented across just seven tracks, it offers plenty of room for extended improvisation while retaining the accessible standards and compositions that make this period of jazz so enduring.

Side A

1. Dizzy Gillespie And His Sextet – Groovin' High – 4:49
2. Dizzy Gillespie And His Sextet – Birks Works – 5:15
3. Dizzy Gillespie And His Sextet – This Is Happiness – 2:51
4. Hubert Fol Quartet – Everything Happens To Me – 5:00

Side B

1. Dizzy Gillespie And His Sextet – Lady Be Good – 3:31
2. Dizzy Gillespie And His Sextet – Oop-Pop-A-Dah – 6:32
3. Gerry Mulligan's Jam Session – Rose Room – 8:00