New York City, Day 3: Dizzy Gillespie Big Band @ the Blue Note

Tonight was definitely a contrast to the Fred Hersch show I went to yesterday night — I was at the Blue Note to hear the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band. I learned several things at the Village Vanguard show, one of which being the necessity of showing up early. I forgot to mention (embarrassingly enough) that I arrived at the venue less than ten minutes before the start of the show and wound up with a booth seat in the back of the room. It made for great acoustics, but not so much for actually seeing the performers.

This time I arrived with my father about forty-five minutes before the show and I scored a seat facing the bell of NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Heath’s tenor saxophone. This was the view from my seat:

And the view from my father’s seat:

Here’s their set list, accompanied by some notes I took during the show:

1. Hot House

2. I’m Beboppin’ Too

3. Emanon (which is “No Name” backwards. began with a killer piano solo by Monty Alexander, who was playing piano for the band that evening)

4. Without You, No Me (Jimmy Heath says that he was commissioned to write this piece by Dizzy Gillespie — “Do you know what a commission is?” he joked, “it was a commission impossible, because he didn’t pay me!”)

5. I Mean You

6. Una Mas (with a flute duet from the two altos)

7. Happy Birthday (where vocalist Roberta Gambarini was introduced)

8. ‘Round Midnight

9. Lover Come Back To Me (with a madly fantastic scat solo from Gambarini, especially when she began trading solos with the band members)

10. I Remember Clifford (with Hargrove on flugelhorn)

11. Things to Come (particularly featured the trumpet section

I’m now comparing my notes from the Hersch show and the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band show and it appears that the notes for the latter are much more sparse than the first. I’m thinking that it’s the case because this big band was generally more rambunctious and exciting, especially with such a responsive audience. Also, nothing beats the feeling of locking eyes with a band member in the agreement of something radical just played — and I had several of these instances tonight. Overall, this band was just so alive and wild compared to the sensitivity of the Hersch show. (The Hersch show, on the other hand, had me bent over and closing my eyes in thought the majority of the time — which is quite the meditating experience, a rewarding experience; but still, the complete opposite of the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band vibe.)

Though Roy Hargrove directed the band the majority of the time, there were several occasions where Heath did — like in the case of his piece Without You, No Me — and it gave me that same strangely nostalgic feeling that hit me when I saw Sonny Rollins at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. I’m more than likely going to be driven to exploring that feeling in a future post. I did get to chat with him a bit afterwards:

Tomorrow I’ll be attending the Vijay Iyer Trio show at the Birdland — I’ll keep you updated!

CURRENTLY LISTENING TO: Looking Back/Kneebody/Low Electrical Worker