Reviews for music released in 1949.
1. Dizzy Gillespie & His Orchestra: “Lover, Come Back to Me” (9/10)
A Latinized, almost cool version of this selection from a musical that goes in a completely different (and very hot) direction by the end.
2. Metronome All Stars: “Overtime” (9/10)
Excellent fusion of big band and bop.
3. Dizzy Gillespie & His Orchestra: “Swedish Suite” (9/10)
There is just an awful lot going on in this short track. Full of ideas.
4. Metronome All Stars: “Victory Ball” (8/10)
I’m not sure if this is up to the standard of its A-side but it still features great playing.
5. Dizzy Gillespie: “Jump Did-Le Ba” (8/10)
High-energy, knotty music with lots of vigorous scatting.
6. Dizzy Gillespie & His Orchestra: “Guarachi Guaro” (8/10)
Afro-Cuban big band with some inventive horn parts and the the call-and-response you expect.
7. Dizzy Gillespie: “Hey Pete! Let’s Eat More Meat” (8/10)
Lots of scatting but the solos are good in between.
8. Billie Holiday: “Them There Eyes” (8/10)
This is another bouncy big band track where the band sounds massive. There are solos in this one. A return to jazz. (There’s even a call and response section, albeit a brief one.)
9. Dizzy Gillespie: “St. Louis Blues” (8/10)
Inventive orchestration. I believe this is an old song, if I’m not mistaken.
10. Dizzy Gillespie: “Dizzier and Dizzier” (7/10)
So I guess this is early cool jazz. It’s certainly very sedate. I honestly don’t know how often sounds like this were common in big band. It’s perhaps a little too upbeat to really qualify as cool.
11. Billie Holiday: “‘Tain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do” (7/10)
Up-tempo big band. Stands out among these late ’40s track. Music doesn’t fit the lyrics, which is neat. (Though they defend abuse…)
12. Dizzy Gillespie & His Orchestra: “I Should Care” (7/10)
I think the orchestration is inventive but vocal jazz really doesn’t do much for me.
13. Dizzy Gillespie: “That Old Black Magic” (7/10)
Again, very interesting stuff going on in the background but vocal jazz just fails to move me like instrumental jazz.
13. Dizzy Gillespie: “Duff Capers” (6/10)
Credited to just Gillespie this time (I think), there is an orchestra here but maybe it wasn’t his. Anyway, the solos are decent but this feels rather conservative for him for 1949.
14. Dizzy Gillespie: “I’m Be Boppin Too” (6/10)
This is a bit of a goofy with scatted lyrics that really does feel like it’s from another time, despite the use of “Be bop” in the title.
15. Dizzy Gillespie: “In the Land of Oo-Bla-Dee” (6/10)
This is one of those songs with nonsense lyrics that are supposed to be funny. People didn’t have a lot do for entertainment back then.
16. Billie Holiday: “You’re My Thrill” (6/10)
Romantic orchestration this time. A little over the top. But Holiday still thinks she’s singing jazz, which makes it a lot easier to take.
17. Dizzy Gillespie: “You Go to My Head” (6/10)
I find the arrangements a little less inventive, though certainly very swoony. Not my thing.
18. Dizzy Gillespie: “If Love Is Trouble” (5/10)
I don’t really find much here to enjoy.