Champion of the 'be bop' style which was appreciated by the great soloists for its expression potential resulting from the freedom provided by smaller sized groups, Dizzy Gillespie was, paradoxically enough, at his happiest when heading his big band. As a composer himself, he enjoyed the infinite possibilities when it came to the color of sounds and shades. He was unequalled as a leader and entertainer, but unfortunately directed his own big band in the 1946 to 1949 period when most of the larger set-ups, including the most illustrious, were dissolved due to the harsh economic context. Therefore, Dizzy's failure in this domain was not for artistic reasons. Quite the opposite. Right from his first records, he gave renewed energy to a formula which was beginning to slump into a routine. During his 1948 tour, the extraordinary vitality and fantastic modernity of his explosive big band were lapped up like a new lease of life, loaded with hope for the times to come. Half a century later, the tornado has maintained its strength and the swirling still makes us giddy. In the tracks of the present seclection, some of which celebrate the union and perfectly successful mixing of jazz and Cuban rhythms, we can savour the exhilarating pleasures of a great art form which teasingly made out that it did not take itself seriously.