Customer Reviews

Jazz at Massey Hall (20 Bit Mastering)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This really is one of those essential recordings, but the previous release of it on cd was unbearable at times in terms of sound quality. It was easy to know that great music was being made, but you couldn't always hear it so clearly. Well, now you can. This remaster is yet another in the line of superb Fantasy remasters (the best out there in my opinion). Thanks to Fantasy's efforts, you can now hear every note blown by Dizzy and Bird, every bass hit from Mingus, every delicate note of Bud Powell and every drum beat of the wonderful Max Roach. Buy this immediatly if you don't have it already...and if you do, then you already know how important it is for you to buy this again in this format.

At Massey Hall, on that night in 1953, five great masters of the idiom shared the stage. And despite the pitiful turnout (the Beboppers had the misfortune of having to play on the same night as a prize-fight), the music was great. Bird was in top form, playing as brightly as he had in years - and on a plastic sax, no less. Dizzy was blowing to the rafters. Then, beneath these two invincible melodies were Bud, Max, and Mingus, who were weaving a splendid mesh for the frontmen to stand on. I'd give an arm and an eye to sit in that hall on that night (hell, there were plenty of vacant seats in the house anyway.)

Unfortunately for me or anyone else who'd sacrifice body parts to hear that wonder of musical creation first hand, there is no known method by which to travel back in time. It is also unlikely that donating body parts would improve the chances of the discovery of such a method in the near future. So what do we do?

Well, at present, there is only one thing to do: listen to this CD. Though Charlie Mingus's bootleg tapes were pretty low on the quality scale from the outset, this remastered edition makes quite a few improvements on the last CD edition. One of the most infuriating things has been corrected; namely, the the piano solos - they are clear now!

Other than that, the sound is just better all-around. Brings us a bit closer to 1953 - while we get to keep all of our limbs and organs! Just pay the money and wallow in the preserved genius of those five on that night.

Bird Lives!

I was not sure if this was going to be that good really. It was not recorded professionally and how much can they remaster that old reel tape? Boy, am I glad I gave it a shot and upgrade to this! The sound has been improved 100% at least.. the upgrade is mandatory. Remember that this edition is limited to 10,000 copies.

Other than excerpts available here on Amazon, I haven't actually heard either this CD or the original 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, Dizz, Max, Bud and Mingus are simply the best in the business and this remastered version of the concert at Massey Hall is proof! Mingus rips it up on the bass while the other four play flawlessly. This is a must have for any jazz collector and the new version allows the listener to hear every note being played on this memorable evening.

I agree with the other reviewers here that the playing on this disc is exceptional and one of a kind. However, the Mingus overdubs which compensate for lackluster bass sound quality in the original are plodding, poorly equalized and seem disconnected entirely from the group. I would much rather have forgone the bass altogether for the "original" master tapes to keep the integrity of the group.

I guess I'm going to rain on this parade. I am a huge fan of Gillespie, and Parker given the right venue...but this is not it. Nobody is on the same page here, and the bass overdubs do not help. Bud Powell has moments but not enough to make up for the disarray. It sounds almost like Diz and Bird are mad at each other and it is carrying over into the music. I know, I know...this is supposed to be 'the bomb'. It is, unfortunately just A bomb.