JAZZ REVIEW : All-Stars Pay Tribute to Dizzy Gillespie at Bowl

Has any living jazzman won more honors or engendered more good will than John Birks (Dizzy) Gillespie? Judging by the warm spirits in the great music that dominated Wednesday’s tribute to him at the Hollywood Bowl, he is now more admired and more influential than ever.

Having him there in person, to make his first public appearance since undergoing major surgery March 12, was icing on the cake. Looking considerably slimmer, he made a brief, humble speech, spoke about his upcoming 75th birthday (Oct. 21), and hoped the doctor will soon permit him to play in public.

The Gillespie essence pervaded the show. Directly or indirectly, every one of the 30 artists reflected the impact of his innovations, which turned the jazz world around almost half a century ago.

Essentially this was an extension of Gillespie’s United Nation orchestra. With a brilliant arranger and trombonist Slide Hampton conducting, soloists from Cuba, Panama, Brazil, Puerto Rico and the U.S. interacted in tribute to their idol, playing his early tunes (“Dizzy Atmosphere,” “Ow!” “Night in Tunisia,” “Beebop”) and a few more recent works.

James Moody sang his hilarious vocalese version of “Moody’s Mood for Love.” Joe Williams scatted an early Gillespie chestnut, “Groovin’ High,” and for a finale Moody, Williams, Clark Terry, Dianne Reeves and Dee Dee Bridgewater traded riffs on the by-now prehistoric “Oo Pa-Pa-Da.”

At one point Hampton corralled six hornmen to match wits on “Tour de Force.” They ranged from the promising young Roy Hargrove to Harry (Sweets) Edison, more than 50 years Hargrove’s senior. In between were Clark Terry, Freddie Hubbard, the Brazilian Claudio Roditi, and the impassioned, high-powered Byron Stripling.

Reeves, in commanding form, sang Gillespie’s seldom-heard love song “I Waited for You.” Pianist Hank Jones, bassist George Mraz and drummer Lewis Nash were a propulsive rhythm team.

The show’s only weak spot was the opening group, a quintet called Beebop and Beyond. Any hope of excusing their ragged sound was negated by the total cohesion of the United Nation ensemble.