Performer Notes:

• Personnel includes: Dizzy Gillespie (vocals, trumpet); Ella Fitzgerald (vocals); Phil Woods, Johnny Hodges, Charlie Parker, Benny Carter (alto saxophone); Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt, Benny Golson, Paul Gonsalves, Stan Getz (tenor saxophone); Roy Eldridge, Lee Morgan, Quincy Jones (trumpet); Julius Watkins (French horn); J.J. Johnson (trombone); Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Wynton Kelly, Walter Davis Jr., Kenny Barron, Ray Bryant, Bud Powell (piano); Herb Ellis (guitar); Ray Brown, Pierre Michelot (bass); Mel Lewis, Louis Hayes, Louis Bellson, Buddy Rich (drums); Ray Barretto, Candido Camero, Carlos "Patato" Valdez, Emil Richards (percussion).
• Producer: Norman Granz.
• Compilation producer: Michael Lang.
• Recorded between 1950 and 1964. Includes liner notes by Phil Schaap and an interview with Jon Faddis by Kenny Washington.
• Digitally remastered by Gary Mayo.
• Many of trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie's recordings for the Verve label in the '50s and early '60s show him at the peak of his powers. This three-CD set is a sampler of his legacy, with the discs subtitled "Big Band," "Small Groups & Guests" and "In an Afro Cuban, Bossa Nova, Calypso Groove." The programming jumps all over the place and makes little sense but this set serves as a good excuse to acquire 40 performances by the great Gillespie and the many all-stars who recorded with him. Few but the most fanatical veteran Gillespie fans will have all of these selections. This collection filled a void until Verve got around to doing a much more comprehensive Dizzy Gillespie reissue program. ~ Scott Yanow

Professional Reviews: Down Beat (12/92, p.52) - 3 Stars - Good - "...Overall rating for the music: four stars, mostly due to the big band and all-star dates..."

Stereo Review (1/93, p.90) - "...when the music is good, reissues benefit us all, and this new Verve set is about as beneficial as they get...DIZZY'S DIAMONDS sparkles gloriously..."

Format: CD (1 Disc)

Studio/Live: Mixed

Guest Artist: Ella Fitzgerald; Phil Woods; Charlie Parker; Sonny Rollins; Lee Morgan; Thelonious Monk; Ray Brown; Buddy Rich

Release Date: 7 July, 2017

Label: Imports

Dimensions: 1 x 12.5 x 14.2 centimeters (0.06 kg)