A 71-year-old jazz great phoning it in. Sad, but I can't say that I blame him. You'd think his agent would have insisted on better than these tepid synth and string arrangements that somehow manage to make material by Stevie Wonder, Kris Kristofferson, and Marvin Gaye sound mediocre. There's no denying that Gillespie made great contributions to jazz music over his long, storied career. This attempt at a pop/soul/jazz crossover isn't one of them. I will give Gillespie credit for playing trumpet better at 71 than I've ever sounded in my life. He had absolutely amazing technical sklls.
Tracks: The only halfway decent track is the final cut, There You Are, but even that is marred by the string arrangement. It would have worked with just a traditional combo, so there's really no need for the strings.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I've actually owned 2 copies of this CD. I received my first copy in a lot of 7 or 8 jazz CDs I purchased from eBay. I brought the CD to work one day just to let a co-worker (and fellow trumpet player) hear how disappointing it was. It turns out this co-worker had actually owned a copy of the LP when he was in high school and he not only knew all the tunes, he could sing along with the solos. I immediately gave him my CD, knowing that he'd enjoy it, if only for nostalgia's sake. A year or two later, I bought another jazz lot and this CD turned up again. I won't sell or give this CD away for fear that another copy will somehow appear in my collection.
Previously revisited for the blog:
Ken Burns JAZZ Collection (2000)
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