Billy Eckstein Sings, Dizzy Gillespie Swings

 

Picture: C     Sound: C     Extras: D     Songs: B-

 

 

In another one of Passport Video’s welcome if flawed music sets, pulling from old archival materials that should be out on DVD in some way, a collection of music performances by Billy Eckstein and Dizzy Gillespie have been pulled together for Billy Eckstein Sings, Dizzy Gillespie Swings.  This set offers old filmed materials from the early days of their careers.  The performances are as follows, beginning with the Eckstein tracks, then at track #8 picks up with Dizzy:

 

1)     Rhythm In A Riff

2)     You Call It Madness

3)     2^nd Balcony Jump

4)     Lonesome Lover Blues

5)     Taps Miller

6)     I Want To Talk About

7)     Our Delight

8)     Salt Peanuts

9)     Ooh Bobba Liba

10)  Oop Bop Shibam

11)  One Bass Hit

12)  Things To Come

13)  He Beeped When He Should Have Bopped

14)  Be-Bop

 

 

This only lasts about 50 minutes, as those are short songs, even though Jazz did not always have songs as short as Pop tunes.  Nevertheless, this is some great Jazz from the era and of two great names that deserve as much revere as possible.  The full frame monochrome image and Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono sound may be average and the source materials flawed.  There may be no extras either, but it is a set that is nice to have and all Jazz fans will want to have it for archival reasons.  Too bad it was not longer.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo