Dear Diz (Every Day I Think of You) (Concord Jazz)
Arturo Sandoval
Released May 8, 2012
Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album 2013
Jazzweek No1 Year End Jazz Chart 2012
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=An9—NiKVs&list=OLAK5uy_kgjJdMo4VmPYSwPFcBubYWaif64pBgQTE
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/4rnii3Pe8XYtr1uLu2bfv3?si=DLs6-1auR86E_tyQHGdjhw
About:
Arturo Sandoval will release his second album on Concord Jazz, Dear Diz (Every Day I Think of You). Dear Diz (Every Day I Think of You) is Sandoval’s tribute to Dizzy Gillespie, the mentor and friend who literally rescued him and his family from an oppressive existence and gave them a chance at an entirely new and better life. The album is a collection of classics from Gillespie’s massive body of work, each framed in big-band arrangements that throw the spotlight squarely on the elements of bebop that underscore so much of the iconic trumpeter’s work and set the tone for the music of his era.
Backing Sandoval on the project is a crew of top-shelf jazz artists: vibraphonist Gary Burton, Yellowjacket’s leader saxophonist Bob Mintzer, organist Joey DeFrancesco, clarinetist Eddie Daniels, saxophonist Ed Calle, drummer/co-producer Gregg Field and several others. Also along for the ride are a couple of unlikely but well-placed surprises – actors Andy Garcia on percussion and vocalist Manolo Gimenez. The resulting set is, as Field puts it, is Sandoval’s “love letter to an old friend.”
The set opens with Gillespie’s voice, introducing a young Arturo Sandoval as “one of the young grand masters of the trumpet” during a live performance in the late ‘80s. What follows is a contemporary re-construction of Gillespie’s signature “Bebop,” arranged by 2012 Grammy-winner Gordon Goodwin. Goodwin, whom Field calls “The most interesting voice in contemporary big band writing,” is also responsible for the fiery arrangement of “Salt Peanuts!,” which features Bob Mintzer on tenor sax, Gary Burton on vibes and if you listen closely you’ll hear Sandoval friend Joe Pesci joining in the band vocal. “This is such a perfect example of Gordon’s genius,” says Field, “of his ability to take something that is so familiar to jazz musicians and fans and completely rework it.”
Dizzy’s “Birks Works” is rechristened here with the tag “a la Mancini,” thanks to the contributions of saxophonist Plas Johnson, who famously recorded Henry Mancini’s iconic Pink Panther theme nearly 50 years ago. Album pianist Shelly Berg’s arrangement utilizes alto flute, trumpet, tenor sax and strings – all of which further evoke the Mancini sensibility.
“Con Alma,” arranged by Grammy-winner Nan Schwartz, includes a classical-string quartet arrangement that’s a very beautiful thing,” says Sandoval. “This tune has been recorded many times, but I don’t think it’s been recorded quite this way before. The string quartet gives the song such a fine, elegant sound.”
The exotic and impassioned “Tin Tin Deo” features vocalist Manolo Gimenez , supported by Mintzer on tenor sax, by actor Andy Garcia on percussion, Wally Minko on piano and Joey DeFrancesco on organ – all carefully balanced in an arrangement by Dan Higgins. The album closes with an eleventh track, “Every Day I Think of You” a poignant, string-infused ballad by Sandoval that serves as the coda to this heartfelt tribute recording. Propelled by Sandoval’s stirring vocals, the track veers completely away from the big band vibe that precedes it, opting instead for something much more intimate, understated and personal. “I really mean every word of that song,” says Sandoval. “Dizzy encouraged me so much. He opened so many doors for me and showed me so many opportunities that I would not have had otherwise.” At the heart of Dear Diz (Every Day I Think of You) is the bebop groove that Gillespie spent a lifetime exploring and refining, says Sandoval. “When it comes to bebop, you either know it or you don’t,” he says. “There’s no halfway. If you’re going to be a good bebop player, you really need to be a hell of a musician with a lot of skill and a great education and a great command of your instrument. This is what Dizzy was all about. He wasn’t just a trumpet player. He was an innovator and a creator. That sense of innovation and creativity that he brought to every note he played is what inspires this recording and everyone who plays on it. In that sense, he’s still very much with all of us. I do think of Dizzy every day.”
Track Listing:
1. Be Bop (Dizzy Gillespie) Featuring: Shelly Berg & Zane Musa 8:18
2. Salt Peanuts! [Mani Salado] (Kenneth Clarke / Dizzy Gillespie) Featuring: Bob Mintzer & Gary Burton 6:48
3. And Then She Stopped (Dizzy Gillespie) Featuring: Joey DeFrancesco 5:18
4. Birks Works [Ala Mancini] (Dizzy Gillespie) Featuring: Plas Johnson & Joey DeFrancesco 6:04
5. Things to Come (Walter Gilbert Fuller / Dizzy Gillespie) Featuring: Bob Mintzer, Bob Sheppard & Joey DeFrancesco 7:11
6. Fiesta Mojo (Dizzy Gillespie) Featuring: Eddie Daniels 5:09
7. Con Alma [With Soul] (Dizzy Gillespie) Featuring: The Ralph Morrison String Quartet 6:00
8. Tin Tin Deo (Walter Fuller / Chano Pozo) Featuring: Manolo Gimenez & Wally Minko 6:52
9. Algo Bueno [Woody and Me] (Dizzy Gillespie) Featuring: Dan Higgins & Andy Martin 6:15
10. A Night in Tunisia [Actually an Entire Weekend!] (Dizzy Gillespie / Frank Paparelli) Featuring: Bob McChesney & Ed Calle 7:23
11. Every Day I Think of You (Arturo Sandoval) Featuring: Arturo Sandoval, vocal 4:27
Personnel:
Arturo Sandoval: trumpet, vocals
Rusty Higgins: alto saxophone, alto flute
Dan Higgins: alto saxophone, flute, piccolo flute, alto flute
Zane Musa: alto saxophone
Greg Huckins: baritone saxophone, bass clarinet
Bob Mintzer: tenor saxophone
Bob Sheppard: tenor saxophone, clarinet
Brian Scanlon: tenor saxophone, clarinet
Rob Lockart; tenor saxophone, clarinet
Ed Calle: tenor saxophone
Plas Johnson: tenor saxophone
Bruce Otto: trombone
Craig Gosnell: bass trombone
Steven Holtman: trombone
Andy Martin: trombone
Bob Mcchesney: trombone
Wayne Bergeron: flugelhorn, trumpet
Willie Murillo: flugelhorn, trumpet
Dan Fornero: flugelhorn, trumpet
Gary Grant: flugelhorn, trumpet
Eddie Daniels: clarinet
Shelly Berg: piano
Wally Minko: piano
Gregg Field: drums
Johnny Friday: drums
Carlitos Del Puerto: bass
Chuck Berghofer: bass
Andy Garcia: bongos
Joey De Leon: percussion
Munyungo Jackson: percussion
Brian Nova: guitar
Joey DeFrancesco: organ
Ralph Morrison III: Concert Master, violin
Sara Parkins: violin
Roland Kato: viola
Trevor Handy: cello
Gary Burton: vibraphone
Freddie Greene: shaker
Joe Pesci: vocals Manolo Gimenez: vocals
Recorded April – September, 2011, at Capitol Studios; G Studio Digital; Glenwood Place Studios; Markee Sound, Deerfield Beach, FL; Stepbridge Studios, Santa Fe, NM; Turi’s Music Recording Studios, Los Angeles, CA
Produced by Gregg Field and Arturo Sandoval
Executive-Producer: John Burk
Recorded and Mixed by Don Murray, Gregg Field
Engineers: Andrew Click, Bill Smith, Dustin Higgins, Eddie Perez, Gerrit Kinkel, Steve Genewick
Assistant Engineers: Chad Carlisle, Gerrit Kinkel
Mastered by Paul Blakemore
Photography by Manny Iriarte Design: Albert J. Roman
Review:
Arturo Sandoval has just released his second album on Concord Jazz, Dear Diz (Every Day I Think of You). Dear Diz (Every Day I Think of You) is Sandoval’s tribute to Dizzy Gillespie, the mentor and friend who literally rescued him and his family from an oppressive existence and gave them a chance at an entirely new and better life. The album is a collection of classics from Gillespie’s massive body of work, each framed in big-band arrangements that throw the spotlight squarely on the elements of bebop that underscore so much of the iconic trumpeter’s work and set the tone for the music of his era.
Backing Sandoval on the project is a crew of top-shelf jazz artists: vibraphonist Gary Burton, Yellowjacket’s leader saxophonist Bob Mintzer, organist Joey DeFrancesco, clarinetist Eddie Daniels, saxophonist Ed Calle, drummer/co-producer Gregg Field and several others. Also along for the ride are a couple of unlikely but well-placed surprises – actors Andy Garcia on percussion and vocalist Manolo Gimenez. The resulting set is, as Field puts it, is Sandoval’s “love letter to an old friend.”
The set opens with Gillespie’s voice, introducing a young Arturo Sandoval as “one of the young grand masters of the trumpet” during a live performance in the late ‘80s. What follows is a contemporary re-construction of Gillespie’s signature “Bebop,” arranged by 2012 Grammy-winner Gordon Goodwin. Goodwin, whom Field calls “The most interesting voice in contemporary big band writing,” is also responsible for the fiery arrangement of “Salt Peanuts!,” which features Bob Mintzer on tenor sax, Gary Burton on vibes and if you listen closely you’ll hear Sandoval friend Joe Pesci joining in the band vocal. “This is such a perfect example of Gordon’s genius,” says Field, “of his ability to take something that is so familiar to jazz musicians and fans and completely rework it.”
Dizzy’s “Birks Works” is rechristened here with the tag “a la Mancini,” thanks to the contributions of saxophonist Plas Johnson, who famously recorded Henry Mancini’s iconic Pink Panther theme nearly 50 years ago. Album pianist Shelly Berg’s arrangement utilizes alto flute, trumpet, tenor sax and strings – all of which further evoke the Mancini sensibility.
“Con Alma,” arranged by Grammy-winner Nan Schwartz, includes a classical-string quartet arrangement that’s a very beautiful thing,” says Sandoval. “This tune has been recorded many times, but I don’t think it’s been recorded quite this way before. The string quartet gives the song such a fine, elegant sound.”
The exotic and impassioned “Tin Tin Deo” features vocalist Manolo Gimenez , supported by Mintzer on tenor sax, by actor Andy Garcia on percussion, Wally Minko on piano and Joey DeFrancesco on organ – all carefully balanced in an arrangement by Dan Higgins. The album closes with an eleventh track, “Every Day I Think of You” a poignant, string-infused ballad by Sandoval that serves as the coda to this heartfelt tribute recording. Propelled by Sandoval’s stirring vocals, the track veers completely away from the big band vibe that precedes it, opting instead for something much more intimate, understated and personal. “I really mean every word of that song,” says Sandoval. “Dizzy encouraged me so much. He opened so many doors for me and showed me so many opportunities that I would not have had otherwise.”
At the heart of Dear Diz (Every Day I Think of You) is the bebop groove that Gillespie spent a lifetime exploring and refining, says Sandoval. “When it comes to bebop, you either know it or you don’t,” he says. “There’s no halfway. If you’re going to be a good bebop player, you really need to be a hell of a musician with a lot of skill and a great education and a great command of your instrument. This is what Dizzy was all about. He wasn’t just a trumpet player. He was an innovator and a creator. That sense of innovation and creativity that he brought to every note he played is what inspires this recording and everyone who plays on it. In that sense, he’s still very much with all of us. I do think of Dizzy every day.”
Danilo Navas (Latin Jazz Network)
