Jazz Recital


Jazz Recital is an album by the trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, recorded in 1954 and 1955 and released on the Norgran label. It consists of quintet, sextet and jazz orchestra tracks.

Release and reception

Jazz Recital was released by Norgran Records in 1956 and by Verve Records the following year. Two of the tracks from the album were also released as singles.
Billboard wrote that: "Diz is the whole show instrumentally, and he's in great form, musically and commercially". In his DownBeat review, Ralph J. Gleason's summary was: "Despite the magnificence of Dizzy's trumpet on several of these tracks, notably the beautifully moody 'Blue Mood', this is an uneven album." He praised the playing of trombonist Jimmy Cleveland on 'Rails' and saxophonist Hank Mobley in the small-group recordings, but asserted that vocalist Toni Harper "simply does not make it in this league". In his 1950s review of Gillespie's recordings, John S. Wilson described two Verve releases – Jazz Recital and Birks' Works – as "leftover odds and ends which makes a spotty program".

Track listing

All compositions by Dizzy Gillespie and Buster Harding except as indicated
  1. "Sugar Hips" – 5:16
  2. "Hey Pete" – 5:07
  3. "Money Honey" – 2:30
  4. "Blue Mood" – 3:29
  5. "Rails" – 3:30
  6. "Devil and the Flesh" – 3:21
  7. "Rumbola" – 3:25
  8. "Taking a Chance on Love" – 3:26
  9. "Play Me The Blues" –
  10. " You Just Don't Care" –

Personnel