''The Great Blue Star Sessions 1952–1953'' is a compilation album by trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie featuring performances recorded in 1952 and 1953 and originally released on the French Blue Star label.Dizzy Gillespie discography
accessed March 28, 2012 Many of the tracks were first released as

78 rpm records A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts near ...

and re-released in the US as albums on the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

and Fontana labels such as ''Dizzy at Home and Abroad'' and ''Dizzy Gillespie and His Operatic Strings Orchestra''.

Reception

The

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

review stated "it's not for the casual fan, but anyone who knows of these recordings on any level understands what a key place they hold on Dizzy's shelf as he transitioned from the bebop of the 1940s into the hard bopping, big-group wailing of the 1950s. Highly recommended".Jurek, T
Allmusic Review
accessed March 28, 2012

Track listing

''All compositions by Dizzy Gillespie except as indicated'' ''Disc One:'' # "

Cocktails for Two "Cocktails for Two" is a song from the Big Band era, written by Arthur Johnston and Sam Coslow. The song debuted in the movie '' Murder at the Vanities'' (1934), where it was introduced by the Danish singer and actor Carl Brisson. Duke Ellingto ...

" (

Sam Coslow Sam Coslow (December 27, 1902 – April 2, 1982) was an American songwriter, singer, film producer, publisher and market analyst. Coslow was born in New York City. He began writing songs as a teenager. He contributed songs to Broadway revues, ...

, Arthur Johnston) – 2:44 # "Cognac Blues" – 2:42 # "Moon Nocturne" (

Nathaniel Shilkret Nathaniel Shilkret (December 25, 1889 – February 18, 1982) was an American musician, composer, conductor and musical director. Early career Shilkret (originally named Natan Schüldkraut) was born in New York City, United States, to parents ...

) – 3:05 # "Sabla y Blu" – 3:07 # "

Blue and Sentimental Blue and Sentimental is a song written by Count Basie, Jerry Livingston, and Mack David. It was written in 1938 and recorded by the Count Basie Orchestra on 6 June that year. Other recordings *1947 - Count Basie recorded the song again on October 1 ...

" (

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

Mack David Mack David (July 5, 1912 – December 30, 1993) was an American lyricist and songwriter, best known for his work in film and television, with a career spanning the period between the early 1940s and the early 1970s. David was credited with writing ...

Jerry Livingston Jerry Livingston (born Jerry Levinson; March 25, 1909 – July 1, 1987) was an American songwriter and dance orchestra pianist. Life and career Born in Denver, Colorado, Livingston studied music at the University of Arizona. While there he com ...

) – 2:44 # "Just One More Chance" (Coslow, Johnston) – 3:14 # " The Man I Love" (

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

, Ira Gershwin) – 3:14 # " Night and Day" ( Cole Porter) – 3:04 # "Night and Day"

alternate take A take is a single continuous recorded performance. The term is used in film and music to denote and track the stages of production. Film In cinematography, a take refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot or "setup". Takes of each s ...

(Porter) – 3:06 # " Sweet and Lovely" ( Gus Arnheim,

Harry Tobias Harry Tobias (September 11, 1895 – December 15, 1994) was an American lyricist. Like his younger brother Charles, he is an inductee of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Born in New York City, United States, but raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, ...

Jules LeMare Charles N. Daniels (April 12, 1878 – January 23, 1943), was a composer, occasional lyricist, and music publishing executive. He employed many pseudonyms, including Neil Moret, Jules Lemare, L'Albert, Paul Bertrand, Julian Strauss, and Si ...

) – 3:27 # "Sweet and Lovely" lternate take 1(Arnheim, Lemare, Tobias) – 3:51 # "Sweet and Lovely" lternate take 2(Arnheim, Lemare, Tobias) – 3:28 # "My Old Flame" (Coslow, Johnston) – 3:22 # "My Old Flame" lternate take(Coslow, Johnston) – 3:41 # "I Waited for You" (

Gil Fuller Walter Gilbert "Gil" Fuller (April 14, 1920, Los Angeles, California – May 26, 1994, San Diego, California) was an American jazz arranger. He is no relation to the jazz trumpeter and vocalist Walter "Rosetta" Fuller. In the 1930s and 1940s, Fu ...

, Gillespie) – 3:18 # " Ghost of a Chance" ( Bing Crosby,

Ned Washington Ned Washington (born Edward Michael Washington, August 15, 1901 – December 20, 1976) was an American lyricist born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Life and career Washington was nominated for eleven Academy Awards from 1940 to 1962. He won the Bes ...

Victor Young Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. Biography Young is commonly said to ...

) – 3:05 # "

They Can't Take That Away from Me "They Can't Take That Away from Me" is a 1937 popular song with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was introduced by Fred Astaire in the 1937 film ''Shall We Dance'' and gained huge success. Overview The song is performed b ...

" (Gershwin, Gershwin) – 3:16 # ""They Can't Take That Away from Me" lternate take(Gershwin, Gershwin) – 4:01 # "

Taking a Chance on Love "Taking a Chance on Love" is a popular song from the 1940 Broadway musical '' Cabin in the Sky''. It was introduced by Ethel Waters playing the role of Petunia Jackson both on Broadway and later in the 1943 MGM musical Cabin in the Sky (film). ...

" (

Vernon Duke Vernon Duke ( 16 January 1969) was a Russian-born American composer/songwriter who also wrote under his birth name, Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for " Taking a Chance on Love," with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche (1940), "I Can' ...

Ted Fetter Theodore Fetter (June 10, 1906 – March 13, 1996) was a Broadway lyricist who contributed material to such revues as ''The Show Is On'' (1936) and ''Billy Rose's Aquacade'' (1939), but is best remembered for co-writing the song "Taking a Cha ...

, John Latouche) – 2:44 # "Taking a Chance on Love" lternate take 1(Duke, Fetter, Latouche) – 3:29 # "Taking a Chance on Love" lternate take 2(Duke, Fetter, Latouche) – 3:36 ''Disc Two:'' # "

When It's Sleepy Time Down South "When It's Sleepy Time Down South", also known as "Sleepy Time Down South", is a 1931 jazz song written by Clarence Muse, Leon René and Otis René. It was sung in the 1931 movie ''Safe in Hell'' by Nina Mae McKinney, and became the signature song o ...

" (

Clarence Muse Clarence Muse (October 14, 1889 – October 13, 1979) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, singer, and composer. He was the first African American to appear in a starring role in a film, 1929's ''Hearts in Dixie''. He acted for ...

Leon René Leon René (February 6, 1902 – May 30, 1982) was an American music composer of pop, R&B and rock and roll songs and a record producer in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. He sometimes used the songwriting pseudonym Jimmy Thomas or Jimmie Thom ...

Otis René Otis Joseph René Jr. was an American songwriter and record label owner. As a songwriter, he is notable as the co-author of " When It's Sleepy Time Down South", which became a signature song for Louis Armstrong. Biography Otis René was born in ...

) – 2:57 # "Lullaby in Rhythm" ( Benny Goodman,

Clarence Profit Clarence Profit (June 26, 1912 – October 22, 1944) was a jazz pianist and composer associated with swing. Profit was born in New York, United States. He came from a musical family and began studying piano at the age of three, and he led a te ...

Edgar Sampson Edgar is a commonly used English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Eadgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and '' gar'' "spear"). Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the later medieval period; it was, however, r ...

) – 4:24 # "Lullaby in Rhythm" lternate take(Goodman, Profit, Sampson) – 4:07 # "Just Blues (One More Blues)" – 3:01 # " Ain't Misbehavin'" ( Harry Brooks, Andy Razaf, Fats Waller) – 2:58 # " Summertime" (George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward) – 4:18 # " Blue Moon" ( Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) – 4:27 # "Mama's Blues (Mrs. Dizzy's Blues)" – 4:04 # "

Undecided "Undecided" is a popular song written by Sid Robin and Charlie Shavers and published in 1938. Recordings *The first recording was made by John Kirby and The Onyx Club Boys on October 28, 1938, and released by Decca Records as catalog number 22 ...

" (Sid Robin,

Charlie Shavers Charles James Shavers (August 3, 1920 – July 8, 1971) was an American jazz trumpeter who played with Dizzy Gillespie, Nat King Cole, Roy Eldridge, Johnny Dodds, Jimmie Noone, Sidney Bechet, Midge Williams, Tommy Dorsey, and Billie Holiday ...

) – 2:34 # "

The Way You Look Tonight "The Way You Look To-night" is a song from the film ''Swing Time'' that was performed by Fred Astaire and composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics written by Dorothy Fields. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1936. Fields remarked, ...

" (

Dorothy Fields Dorothy Fields (July 15, 1904 – March 28, 1974) was an American librettist and lyricist. She wrote over 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films. Her best-known pieces include "The Way You Look Tonight" (1936), "A Fine Romance" (1936), " On t ...

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in ove ...

) – 4:16 # " Stormy Weather" ( Harold Arlen,

Ted Koehler Ted L. Koehler (July 14, 1894 – January 17, 1973) was an American lyricist. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972. Life and career Koehler was born in 1894 in Washington, D.C. He started out as a photo-engraver, but w ...

) – 3:51 # "

Jalousie A jalousie window (, ) or louvered window (Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia, United Kingdom) is a window composed of parallel glass, acrylic, or wooden louvres set in a frame. The louvres are joined onto a track so that ...

" (Vera Bloom,

Jacob Gade Jacob Thune Hansen Gade (29 November 1879 – 20 February 1963) was a Danish violinist and composer, mostly of orchestral popular music. He is remembered today for a single tune, ''Jalousie'' (also known as ''Jalousie "Tango Tzigane" '' and ''T ...

) – 2:36 # "

The Very Thought of You "The Very Thought of You" is a pop standard that was recorded and published in 1934 with music and lyrics by Ray Noble. The song was first recorded by Ray Noble and His Orchestra with Al Bowlly on vocals for HMV in England in April 1934. This re ...

" (

Ray Noble Raymond Stanley Noble (17 December 1903 – 2 April 1978) was an English jazz and big band musician, who was a bandleader, composer and arranger, as well as a radio host, television and film comedian and actor; he also performed in the United ...

) – 2:37 # " Fine and Dandy" ( Paul James,

Kay Swift Katharine Faulkner "Kay" Swift (April 19, 1897 – January 28, 1993) was an American composer of popular and classical music, the first woman to score a hit musical completely. Written in 1930, the Broadway musical '' Fine and Dandy'' includes s ...

) – 3:44 # "

I've Got You Under My Skin "I've Got You Under My Skin" is a song written by American composer Cole Porter in 1936. It was introduced that year in the Eleanor Powell musical film ''Born to Dance'' in which it was performed by Virginia Bruce. It was nominated for the Aca ...

" (Porter) – 2:24 # " Pennies from Heaven" ( Johnny Burke, Arthur Johnston) – 2:25 Recorded on March 25 (Disc One, tracks 1–6), April 5 (Disc One, tracks 7–21) and April 6 (Disc Two, tracks 1–8), 1952 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and on February 22 (Disc Two, tracks 9–16), 1953 at the Studio Pathe Magellan in Paris, France

Personnel

* Dizzy Gillespie – trumpet, vocals *René Bigerille – flute (Disc One, tracks 7–16) *André Gosset, Guy Destanges, René Vasseur – trombone (Disc One, tracks 7–16) *Albert Gillot – clarinet (Disc One, tracks 7–16) *

Don Byas Carlos Wesley "Don" Byas (October 21, 1912 – August 24, 1972) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, associated with swing and bebop. He played with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Art Blakey, and Dizzy Gillespie, among others, and also led ...

–

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

(Disc One, tracks 1–6, Disc Two, tracks 19, 21, 22 & 25) *Jean-Jacques Tilché – guitar (Disc One, tracks: 7–21) *

Wade Legge Wade Legge (February 4, 1934, Huntington, West Virginia – August 29, 1963, Buffalo, New York) was an American jazz pianist and bassist. Wade Legge was born in Huntington, West Virginia, but soon thereafter moved to Buffalo, New York with ...

(Disc Two, tracks 9–16), Arnold Ross (Disc One, tracks 7–21, Disc Two, tracks 1–8),

Art Simmons Arthur Eugene Simmons (February 5, 1926 – April 23, 2018) was an American jazz pianist. Simmons was born in Glen White, West Virginia in February 1926. He played in a band while serving in the U.S. military in 1946, then remained in Germany af ...

(Disc One, tracks 1–6) – piano * Joe Benjamin (Disc One and Disc Two, tracks 1–8), Lou Hackney (Disc Two tracks 9–16) – bass *Bill Clark (Disc One and Disc Two, tracks 1–8), Al Jones (Disc Two tracks 9–16) – drums *Humberto Morales – congas (Disc One, tracks 1–6) *Robert Jeannoutot – oboe (Disc One, tracks 7–16) *Jean Louchez – bassoon (Disc One, tracks 7–16) *Yvan Allouche, Maurice Elhan, Lionel Gali, Leon Locatelli, Octave Marchesini, Georges Mignot, Albert Mousseux, Roger Sanard, Jean Sauvage – violin (Disc One, tracks 7–16) *Gabriel Beauvais, Andre Saulnier – viola (Disc One, tracks 7–16) *Pierre Coddee, Georges Schwartz – cello (Disc One, tracks 7–16) * Bernard Galais – harp (Disc One, tracks 7–16) *Jo Boyer, Daniel White – arranger (Disc One, tracks 7–16) *The Paris Operatic String Orchestra

arranged In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchest ...

Michel Legrand Michel Jean Legrand (; 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many son ...

(Disc Two, tracks 11–16)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greatest Blue Star Sessions 1952-1953 Dizzy Gillespie albums 2004 compilation albums EmArcy Records compilation albums