Ray’s Idea – 1968

In 1968, Dizzy Gillespie led an all-star big band on a tour of Europe.

At a concert in Copenhagen, he revived an arrangement from his 1946-49 big band (“Ray’s Idea”) and utilized it as a feature for baritonists Cecil Payne and Sahib Shihab.

Cecil Payne (1922-2007) was a member of the earlier Gillespie orchestra and also worked with Tadd Dameron, Illinois Jacquet and Randy Weston while Sahib Shihab (1925-1989) is best remembered for his associations with Thelonious Monk (on alto), the Quincy Jones Orchestra, and the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band.

-Scott Yanow