Dizzy Gillespie

Emanon

Pianist John Lewis wrote this arrangement of the Dizzy Gillespie/Milton Shaw tune for a 1946 recording session. The Gillespie band played this chart live during the 1940s and into the early 1960s. Featuring an angular, bebop-type melody, this chart helped usher in a new sound in big band writing. Leaving behind the dance music associated with big bands, the Gillespie band sought to bring virtuosity, showmanship, and 'modern' sounding big band arrangements to the concert hall. This Lewis arrangement makes a strong modernist statement. The arrangement features a trumpet soloist (written for Dizzy) with a standard big band (the trombone 4 part was added for Gillespie's 1961 Carnegie Hall appearance). There is a brief trombone solo as well. The most challenging - and rewarding - part of the chart is the four bar unison trumpet soli. While the soli is written for all five trumpets to play, it may be scaled back and played by only two or three trumpets.