Producer
Norman Granz was a near-genius at matching together jazz musicians in such a way that they would stimulate each other to play above their heads. He always loved jam sessions, but it did not take too much insight to realize that putting trumpeter
Dizzy Gillespie and altoist
Sonny Stitt together with a strong rhythm section would result in some explosive music. The fireworks really fly on this LP during versions of "Tour De Force," "Dizzy Meets Sonny," "Mean to Me" and "Blues for Bird," with time out taken for a ballad medley. Bebop at its best.