This second and final 78 from the Dizzy Gillespie and His Orchestra session of November 21, 1949, closed out the first day of Coltrane's professional recording debut. Although records of this era carried no formal A-and B-side, the Gillespie original instrumental “Tally-Ho” is a wonderful tune that is clearly the primary title, matching well with the spirit of “Say When” from the earlier release. “I Can't Remember” is a lovely, safe song written by Paul Reif and Harry Sims, vocals by Tiny Irvin. Gillespie had just moved from Victor to Capitol with reported designs to be more commercial even while switching to the more bop-oriented label. Dizzy Gillespie, one of a kind.
Coltrane had joined the orchestra – which had started in 1946 and lasted in this form just until 1950 – in September of 1949. This was just before the recording session, and they had been touring east and mid-west before (and after) landing in NYC to make the records. Although he was sharing alto duties with Jimmy Heath, in his spare time he was already spending long hours practicing tenor.
Complete Recordings With Dizzy Gillespie
