Customer Reviews

Jazz at Massey Hall

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This concert was a reunion for Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. In spite of his name, Dizzy was actually a pretty stable guy, who was fed up with Bird's shennanigans. It was a shame, because they were two virtuosos, and Parker replaced Diz with a young Miles Davis, who was just not up to the task, not playing at a level to meet and challenge Bird.

To give you an idea of what Dizzy had been putting up with, Parker played the gig on a white plastic saxophone, because his horn was in the pawn shop. That was a common tactic of Charlie Parker, drug addict, pawning his horn before a gig, in order to get money for heroin. In spite of the plastic horn (that actually became kind of a collector's item because Bird had used the horn on this notorious recording) he played fantastic, and the alto break on Night in Tunisia, where the band stops just after playing the head, and then the alto carries it, and the band rejoins him for the first solo chorus, is classic, and is now referred to as THE "alto break." In addition to his pawn shop situation, Parker also had to record under the name of Charlie Chan, due to other contractual obligations. It is just amazing, that in spite of the situation, they had assembled the greatest band of all eternity, who were able to perform the Greatest Jazz Concert of All Time.

Charles Mingus was quite a bass player, but a volatile personality as well. One time when a trumpeter announced he was quitting, Mingus punched him in the mouth, breaking several teeth. This is even more serious for a musician, especially a trumpet man, than it is for the average citizen. What a prick. But what a bass player he was.

Bud Powell suffered from mental illness. I think there was an incident where he got beat up by bouncers at a club, much like the way Jaco Pastorius was killed. He was also a genius, and developed a stripped down left hand style, just suggesting the chords with 2 or 3 notes, while freeing up his right hand for furious bebop explosions. Titles of his original tunes, like Glass Enclosure, or Dance of the Infidels, gives you a glimpse into his mind set.

Max Roach was like the match to this molotov cocktail. What a perfect drummer for this ensemble. Roach, Mingus, Powell, Gillespie and Parker. Not even white plastic saxophones, mental illness, or chronic bad attitude could hold them back. Added bonus is Dizzy and/or Bird anouncing the tunes, sometimes even in French.

Check out their version of Hot House, a wonderiferous tune composed by Tadd Dameron. This tune has a lovely and beautimus head based on the changes to Cole Porter's What Is This Thing Called Love?

In spite of any qualms you might have about the sound quality (it was recorded by Mingus with a back stage recorder and never intended to be released or anything) it is a document of 5 virtuouso geniuses, brought together by fate for this single recording that is rightly referred to as the Greatest Jazz Concert of All Time.

I remember that I had the Double LP, and the second LP was Bud Powell playing in piano trio format. To include that would be the only possible improvement to this fantastic CD. 5 stars. 6 or 7 even if they would let me.

Five stars for the music (a no-brainer), but as someone who owns both this Debut/OJC edition and the Spanish import, "The Complete Jazz at Massey Hall," on the Jazz Factory label, I must echo the sentiments of "shurbuilders" (below). The European edition is from the same company--Disconforme--that did such an excellent job of mastering the "Complete Duke Ellington at Fargo Concert," and at an affordable price. Score them another winner with their edition of the Massey Hall concert. Not only does the Jazz Factory version contain 24 additional minutes of music, but it has more "presence" in the treble frequencies (especially noticeable with Roach's drum kit) and features Mingus' original bass lines, which to my ears are sufficiently audible without Mingus meddling with them after the fact. Moreover, the tunes are complete (the OJC version begins "Perdido" after the bridge).

The strengths of the Spanish import may not be so apparent to listeners who prefer a tighter and shorter program and who have become accustomed to bottom-heavy modern recordings. Also, the reduced crowd noise on the OJC edition may permit more exclusive concentration on the soloists. But this was an historic musical event, and no doubt many listeners will wish to experience "up-close" and in full the magical moment that occurred in Canada on the night of May 15, 1953. If so, the Spanish import is definitely your best ticket to Toronto.

This concert has the makings of something quite magical. Five of the best bebop musicians ever taking to the same stage. Unfortunately, it doesn't live up to it's potential. Apparently Bird, Diz, and Powell were all drunk...with Bird being the worst offender. And Diz kept leaving the stage to go watch a big heavyweight boxing match that was being broadcast. Bird also forgot to bring his sax so he was playing a cheap alto borrowed from a local music store. Bud was on leave from a mental institution and required supervision, so he wasn't exactly at his best to start with. Moreover, Bird and Diz left the stage for more than half the concert leving just a trio performing. Max was impeccables that night, however, playing an amazing set with some powerful solos. Mingus was tight as well, at least as much as could be heard. The sound recording is ok on 3 or 4 tunes and dreadful on the rest.

This recording is sad because it had so much potential. If it was recorded properly and the musicians in shape and wanting to perform at their best this could have been one for the ages. As it is, you get some decent bebop from three drunk guys (one of them being a mental patient), and a fantastic rhythm section recorded by an amateur through a third rate PA system at Massey Hall. So this recording is nice but hardly magical.

There are some pretty excellent reviews already written about this amazing recording (C. Craddock's in particular). It is one of my top five favorite jazz CD's that I own and definitely my favorite 'live' recording. I love hearing the applause of the audience after each solo. These cats were simply the 'DREAM TEAM' of Jazz music - Dizzy, Bird, Bud Powell, Max Roach, and last but not least the incredible Charles Mingus on bass.

From the moment the first song "Perdido" begins your heart starts pounding quickly with excitement and glee cause you just know you are in for some kind of magical journey. I still can't believe the story about Bird and his borrowed horn (the infamous white, plastic alto). Talk about turning chicken sh.. into chicken salad! How in the hec does he play like that?!! Especially considering how much he was drinking and shooting up at the time. According to Miles, it never mattered how f...ed up Bird was on booze and heroin, it seemed the more trashed he was, the better he played. Go figure.

I don't think any fan of jazz will be disappointed if they make this purchase. It's difficult for me to comprehend how you could be a fan without this one in your collection. This one is a no-brainer!

For a concert recording, the technical aspects of the music are amazing for 1953, and the CD goes a long way at bridging the gap to digital. You'll want crank this one up, with plenty of bass, to appreciate the brights of Dizzy, Charlie, Max Roach and Bob Powell, and the incredible Mingus bottom end. The all-star ensemble in sync and in peak form is an experience, trust me. In my opinion, no one artist overpowers, just complements each other. Fabulous!!

No serious libary of jazz recordings could possibly do without this one, and if one had to buy, say, only ten records, it would be hard to give it a miss. To me, none of the five musicians ever played better and more excitingly than on this occasion, and the music is both stirring and profoundly moving. I remember that until I first heard this, many, many years ago, I had not actually been a Parker "fan". He had always struck me as brilliant, clever, inventive, etc. - but generally just too intense. Also, many of the early tracks are too short for my taste. But here you hear "Bird" truly on fire in a way which is still intense, but not as exhausting as sometimes, as he has more time to develop his stunning solos. I still think that there is no better way to hear Parker than on this record, and it would be worth buying just for him. But all the others are great too: Dizzy tearing away with tremendous wit, suppleness and intelligence; Bud Powell marvellously "jazzy" and profound; and the other two crackling along in a melting pot that is a perfect fusion (before "fusion" as a genre came to torment us). Highlights? Difficult to choose, but "A Night in Tunisia" never sounds better than here, great tune though it is anyway, and "Hothouse" is an immensely moving theme, conceived - and here executed - with great originality. There are some other records probably as good (e.g. "Kind of Blue") - but I doubt they come better than this, recorded on what turned out to be a very special musical occasion resulting in a real treat.

What a treat to hear this music again. I originally owned this album back in '59. Actually, some of the pieces seem different from the album I owned back then. Still, to hear Perdido through that oh so familiar echo of Massey Hall was wonderful. As a teenager I only enjoyed the music -- I had no idea I was listening to the giants of jazz in the '50's. This CD is a real treasure (and the sound quality is better than the original record -- as I remember). Enjoy!