One More Encore for Gillespie

Before completing one of the busiest years of his legendary career, 72-year-old trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie is taking up residence at Blues Alley through Sunday, where he's leading a vibrant quintet that features Washington-based tenor saxophonist Ron Holloway.

The late show Tuesday night found the trumpeter joyfully shouting out words of encouragement whenever Holloway launched one of his typically volatile, octave-leaping improvisations, or when guitarist Ed Cherry, who usually favors a cool, atmospheric tone, tore into "You Can't Lose With the Blues" with a vengeance.

Gillespie demonstrated his range too, producing both a soulful, glinting tone on muted trumpet and a fuller, more pungent sound when his familiar upswept trumpet was uncorked. On "A Night in Tunisia," he and Holloway took turns emerging from the brass-woven melody with feisty improvisations before the trumpeter returned to the blues with an intimate and unaccompanied coda. The crisp rhythms of bassist John Lee and drummer Ignacio Berroa stood out throughout the evening, and neither musician allowed the horns any slack on the feverishly paced "Bebop."

Copyright 1989 The Washington Post