Dizzy Gillespie, photo by Herb Snitzer
In 1978 Dizzy Gillespie stole the show at a White House affair honoring jazz musicians by convincing Jimmy Carter to come on stage to provide the vocal to Salt Peanuts. And who better than Carter, a peanut farmer before running for public office, to sing the praises of the humble legume? But in 1945, bebop was still a radical new music with no public honors indeed little public recognition of any sort. And instead of a President by his side, Gillespie relied on altoist Charlie Parker, who takes a blistering solo out of the starting gate. But Gillespie still steals the show, with his (in my opinion) finest recorded solo a tour de force of bop trumpet heroics. Anyone looking to hear how Dizzy set the tone for a generation of jazz brass players should start by listening to this classic performance.