The relationship between Dizzy Gillespie and Ray Brown goes back to the mid-1940s when Brown was the bassist in Gillespie’s magnificent big band. Joe Pass and Mickey Roker came along somewhat later. When he heard them, Dizzy understood immediately that they were worthy of admission into the inner circle of musicians whose artistic life was centered in the bebop tradition that he and Charlie Parker had established.

The core of that tradition is perfectly expressed in this blistering version of “Be Bop,” a piece Dizzy wrote in 1942 that still tests musicians’ ability to express themselves at high velocity. Gillespie’s tender side and harmonic wisdom are disclosed in “Hurry Home” and “September Song,” his blues expressiveness in his classic “Birks’ Works.” Pass solos beautifully and rounds out a stunning rhythm section.

Mastered by Doug Sax at The Mastering Lab from the original analog master tape. Pressed at Quality Record Pressings for superior sound quality, and housed in a Stoughton Printing tip-on single pocket jacket.