Swing giant Roy Eldridge was a key influence on a young Dizzy Gillespie. It's a testament to his boundary-pushing sensibility that you can often hear the players around him searching for new improvisational textures, as with Oscar Peterson's organ on the song “Little Jazz” (which was titled after Eldridge's nickname). The trumpeter's own theatrics figured prominently in ensembles led by Fletcher Henderson and Gene Krupa, as well. Our playlist collects Eldridge's finest moments from an array of classic lineups.