Fabulous vintage signature collection of ‘The Giants of Jazz,’ an all-star group of the 1970s that featured Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie, Al McKibbon, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Stitt, and Kai Winding, with each musician signing in ballpoint or felt tip on one of four off-white 5.75 x 6.5 album pages. Includes five color glossy 5 x 3.5 candid photos of the musicians when they were greeted at a London airport. In fine condition, with slightly irregular light toning to Monk. These signatures were obtained when the group traveled to England to perform at the Victoria Theatre in London on November 14, 1971. This legendary live performance was later released by Atlantic as The Giants of Jazz, an album that has since become a definitive must-have recording.
The supergroup was conceived by George Wein, the Newport Jazz Festival's founder. As George wrote in his memoir: ‘From the start I had envisioned a band featuring Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk. I had also hoped to include Sonny Rollins, J.J. Johnson, Ray Brown and Max Roach. But for various reasons, some financial, these artists were unavailable. So I approached Sonny Stitt, Kai Winding, Al McKibbon and Art Blakey—and a band was born.’
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