JAZZBO NOTES ESSENTIAL RECORDING
Rating: 
Most of the time, I don’t much like compilations. Usually, if a performer is worth plunking down money to listen to, it’s more enlightening and entertaining to listen to key recordings rather than rely on someone else’s judgement of what is essential and what isn’t.
But occasionally, there are performers I like, but have a limited interest in. One of those is Dizzy Gillespie, a key figure in bebop, and one of the acknowledged giants of jazz.
I like Dizzy. When I listen to the sides on Best of Odyssey, it’s clear that you’re listening to one of the original architects of bebop. Charlie Mingus often said that Charlie Parker played bebop and that many who followed were mere imitators. I know what he means. Much of the bebop of the time has a second hand feel to it. When Dizzy plays and writes charts, they have a specificity, vision, and force of personality that make them very listenable even today.
There’s a great deal of variety on Best Of Odyssey. There’s barnburners, blues, vocal tunes, novelty records, Afro-Cuban, and so on. I don’t really know if these sides are representative of Dizzy’s work, mostly because I’m not all that familiar with Dizzy’s career. Mind you, like most people, I’ve heard the early sides with Charlie Parker, but that’s only scratching the surface.
All I can tell you is that the charts on this collection are tasty, the playing is uniformly good, it’s well-recorded by the standards of the period so you can hear the instruments well, and Dizzy’s playing is terrific.
If you don’t know that much about Dizzy or have a limited interest in him, Best of Odyssey is a fantastic way to get a good sampling or just dip your toes in the water. The reason I’ve given this collection a five star rating is because, for what it is, it really couldn’t be improved on, and let’s face it — the music is terrific.