Track Listing

1. Perdido
2. Salt Peanuts
3. All the Things You Are/52nd Street Theme
4. Wee (Allen's Alley)
5. Hot House
6. Night in Tunisia

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18840 in Music
• Released on: 1991-07-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Live

Amazon.com essential recording
One of the most famous live recordings in jazz history, this May 1953 concert from Toronto brought together five of bebop's greatest figures in alto saxophonist Charlie Parker (credited here as "Charlie Chan" in a purposely transparent attempt to sidestep Parker's exclusive recording arrangement with another record company), trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, pianist Bud Powell, drummer Max Roach, and bassist Charles Mingus. Released following Parker's death two years after the date, the recording finds him in remarkable form, his playing robust, pointed, and witty. And although each participant is a band leader, composer, and groundbreaking stylist on his instrument, the performance demonstrates that Parker remained first among equals. Compositionally, Jazz at Massey Hall leans heavily on the bebop book developed by Gillespie, and includes "Salt Peanuts," "Wee," and "A Night in Tunisia." Also featured are Tadd Dameron's "Hot House," the Ellington standard "Perdido," and "All the Things You Are." Initially released on Debut Records, a label co-owned by Mingus and Roach, the sound quality is certainly of the time, but has benefited over the years from digital technology. --Fred Goodman

Customer Reviews

4 1/2* Summit's Great; Summit's Just Very Good
This is an excellent, but not "essential" recording of perhaps the five greatest jazz instrumentalists of the bop era. The legendary players include Charlie "Bird" Parker on sax, John B. "Dizzie" Gillespie on trumpet, Bud Powell on piano, Charles Mingus on bass, and Max Roach on drums. It would be difficult to ask for a better all-star lineup; it is, indeed, a historic meeting.

However, while the meeting is stratospheric, the results are mixed. Of course, each plays superbly, but the ensemble playing--the empathic groove between the musicians-- is sometimes uneven. This is not to take away any superlatives from individual performances or those cuts where the band is tight and simpatico, but, in reviewing the performance, one must (somehow) suspend knowledge of each performer's individual excellence.

The biggest culprit is the very uneven sound quality obtained from Mingus' backstage recorder (!). Mingus, in fact, had to dub in most of his performance later because he was recorded so poorly. Unfortunately, no one else redubbed their parts, and this, at times, dampens the performances of Powell, Parker, and Roach. The second overall problem is the apparent lack of direction in some of the music. Finally, the band's ensemble playing seldom wanders far from the familiar bebop grooves. (When it does extend itself, however, the band's creative impulse will jolt you.) Here, then, are the cuts:

"Perdido" (7:53): Dizzy Gillespie provides the only fireworks here. His dramatic dynamics (volume changes) are well-recorded, his rapport with Roach is unusually good, and he throws in a trademark whimsical musical "quotation." Powell has a long searching solo that features an excellent fluid-yet-choppy solo. Parker is somewhat less well recorded, and Mingus is limited to keeping the beat with a walking bass. Parker has some good riffs, but, overall, the song lacks direction.

The group hits its stride with "Salt Peanuts"(7:30), the best song on the album (along with track 4, "Wee"). Parker is really kicking here, with Diz yelling encouragement in the background, and the rhythm section has an electric, punching pulse. Dizzy's plays at a blistering pace: His bravado and virtuosity evident with every note. The great Bud Powell is not well recorded, but there's a prototypical powerhouse solo by Roach.

"All the Things You Are" (7:55): Perhaps the least appealing cut. Dizzy opens nicely, but the rhythm section doesn't mesh--there's almost a feeling that they're "reading" different arrangements, trying to find their way back to each other. The sound doesn't help either--Roach drops out about midway through the song, and Powell and Gillespie are either not miked well or are just strangely absent. Bird plays well, but without the necessary support it lacks emotional impact. Dizzy finally enters with a wonderful (if slightly over long) muted trumpet solo, simultaneous daring and melodic. Mingus, and then the rest of the band, deliver a solid conclusion, but it's too little, too late.

I think the other standout here is "Wee" (6:45), an up tempo blues with some of Parker's best work on the album, backed with flair and empathy by the rhythm section. Bird and Diz have ample room to paint expressively across the vast bebop canvas. Powell is better recorded here, and gives perhaps his best performance here. Roach is an acrobat, deftly tossing fireworks with controlled abandon.

On "Hot House" (9:18) the bass recording overpowers Parker's nuanced, brilliantly colored performance. At one point, Powell seems to step closer to the mike, and the sound is that much more compelling. The drumming sounds muffled, and, overall there is a curious lack of energy (though Powell wraps up with an outstanding bop solo). Mingus' solo, though initially barely audible, picks up for some of his most creative work on the album.

The famous Gillespie/Paparelli tune "A Night in Tunisia" (7:33) opens with a beautiful muted trumpet against an insistent, economical bass line. Excellent balance among the players, whether playing together, or trading solo adventures. I'm a huge Mingus fan, but, for some reason, he adheres fairly closely to a walking bass (although the range of notes is awesome); a more angular approach might have lent more interest. The group brings the song to an exciting conclusion.

I recommend this in the same way I might recommend watching an NBA all-star game. The players have not had enough time to play as a team, although individual performances can be awesome. At times, though, there is inspiring, flowing team work. By the way, for such an auspicious occasion, it is surprising that there are no liner notes. Brian Priestley's "Mingus, A Critical Biography" (available at ...) devotes two pages to the concert. Obviously, there are some flaws here, but I still recommend it highly.

Get Jazz Factory's "Complete Jazz at Massey Hall" Instead
Other than excerpts available here on Amazon, I haven't actually heard either this CD or the 20-bit remastered version of it. Based solely on the description, however, I instead ordered The Jazz Factory's 2003 CD "Complete Jazz at Massey Hall" (JFCD 22856) (referred to hereafter in this review as "CJMH"), and I am very glad I did. Here's why:

1. In addition to the 6 quintet tracks on the present CD, CJMH includes 8 other tracks from the concert, including a 4-and-a-half-minute self-contained drum solo by Max Roach, and 6 great tracks by a trio of Powell, Mingus, and Roach (Cherokee, Embraceable You, Halleluja, Sure Thing, Lullaby of Birdland, and I've Got You Under My Skin). Also, according to the liner notes, all 14 tracks are in the order in which they were performed at the concert.

2. NONE OF MINGUS' OVERDUBBED BASS is included on CJMH. You can still hear him, though, but much more naturally than he sounds on the overdubbed excerpts I've heard here on Amazon.

3. According to the notes on the CJMH case, the "original analogue masters have been digitally transferred at 24 bit resolution, processed using Sonic Solutions NoNoise technology and mastered to 16 bit for CD using prism SNS Noise Shaping." Whatever that means, the sound for the most part is great. Some of the tracks start a bit abruptly, and the sound on the 6 trio tracks is variable, but the sound quality of the 6 quintet tracks is phenomenal. Again, there is no Mingus overdubbing present, and--especially when Bird and Diz are playing--the sound has great clarity and presence. There is no real audible tape hiss except when only the rhythm section is playing and the levels are raised a bit. In general, the sound is far from perfect, but is pretty amazing given the time and circumstances of the original recording.

4. CJMH is very nicely packaged and presented, including a 12-page pamphlet with extensive notes about and photos of the concert.

To sum up, not knowing what to expect from this import when I ordered it, I was very pleasantly surprised by the extremely high quality of both the sound and the packaging of CJMH. I would highly recommend it, instead of or in addition to the present CD, for anyone who wants a more complete and accurate recording of the Massey Hall concert.

Bird and Diz fly high on this set of sheer pure bebop beauty
There seems to be less bird and diz music sets than some fans and musicians might like to access. I am a Jazz Alto sax player who takes over from where Parker left off, but even with my extensive Parker LPs, tapes, and CDs, only three are specifically the two founders of Bebop playing together. Other old LPs have lots of takes but you have to guess, quite often, that it is dizzy on trumpet. No big problem for me, but new fans and music students might have some difficulty. If I had tons of money, I would buy "Jazz AT Massey Hall by The Quintet" in quantity and send it to every middle school music department. Charles Christopher Parker invented modern music, and as Charles Bukowski wrote, guys like Charlie Parker and J.S. Bach usually show up about once every century or two.