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97 of 100 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Get This CD Instead of the OJC or Debut (20-bit) Versions, June 30, 2004
Other than excerpts available here on Amazon, I haven't actually heard either the Original Jazz Classics CD of this concert or the Debut 20-bit remastered version of it. Based solely on the description, however, I instead ordered THIS CD, and I am very glad I did. Here's why:1. In addition to the 6 quintet tracks on the other CD's, THIS CD includes 8 additional 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 THIS CD. You can still hear him, though, but much more naturally than he sounds on the overdubbed Original Jazz Classics excerpts I've heard here on Amazon. 3. According to the notes on this CD's 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. This CD 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. I would highly recommend it, instead of or in addition to the other available CD's, for anyone who wants a more complete and accurate recording of the Massey Hall concert.
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33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Best musicians of an era... performing together!, December 23, 2005
Everybody should thanks Mingus for taping this concert. It was an unique reunion of the greatest musicians of an era: Charlie "Bird" Parker, Dizzy Gillepsie, Bud Powell, Max Roach and Mingus himself. A memorable night in which they show the public(about 700 persons acording to the booklet) the magic of their music and their amazing musicianship.
Ironically, the problems started when Mingus decided to record the live session. He did a terrible job and the resulting mix almost eliminited the sound of his bass. So he dubbed it later, affecting the entire sound and pitch of the music. That's what you got when you purchase "Live at Massey Hall" A live performance must be a live performance. Overdubbing is not an option to me, it's like cheating. "Complete live at Massey Hall" is a gret product because it presents the concert as it was: The tracks appear in the order they were performed with a more natural sound. Beware, the sound quality of the CD is not not the best, but it's enough to identify the instruments and enjoy the wonderful performance of these great musicians.
What I can say about the concert? The tracks appear in the right order. If you listen the concert from the beginning to the end you can feel that the band is increasing their level, reaching the musical climax in "A Night in Tunisia": Incredible Charlie Parker saxo chops, Gillespie groundbreaking trumpet solo, Powell rythm section hot as hell, Mingus bass lines sounding loud and clear and Max Roach's drums section in perfect sinchronicity with the band. It's true that some of the tracks reach that musical peak and that a few of them sound erratic and chaotic, but still it's a great concert. My favorite themes are: Salt peanuts, Wee and Hot House.
Packaging of this edition please me a lot. As a graphic designer I can tell you that I prefer it to the standard version (the B&W cover) The liner notes included in this edition give details about the concert itself, the problems between musicians, and the conditions in which the concert was realized.
"Complete Jazz at Massey Hall" is a pefect oportunity to hear the best musicians of the bebop era performing together in an unforgetable, magic night.
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The only hall you'll need, November 16, 2005
The recent hype about the discovery of the Diz-Bird concert at Town Hall in 1945 led me to compare it with their other two "live" recordings: the Carnegie Hall concert of 1947 and the Massey Hall concert of 1953. Give the nod to the Massey Hall date. The audio, though admittedly problematic, still has more "presence" than the other two dates; the solos are both more extended and more inspired; the overall level of musicianship is inarguably of a higher order (Bud Powell clearly blows away both Al Haig and John Lewis, the pianists on the other two recordings).
This edition is the closest you'll get to the original event--in terms of the programming as well as the original audio recording made by Mingus. Unlike the better-known Debut/OJC edition, this Spanish import dispenses with Mingus' later overdubbing of his bass part, has more "presence" in the treble frequencies (Roach's drum kit and the crowd ambiance are more noticeable along with slightly brighter horns), and contains 24 additional minutes of music. Any listener who first discovered Diz in the '60's (my situation) is likely to experience some eye-opening moments at hearing him on all three concert recordings with Bird. In his prime he clearly was at least the equal of Charlie Parker and very likely the greatest jazz trumpet player of all time.
Footnote: It's of particular interest to listen carefully to Bird's 4-bar break on "Night in Tunisia" on all three recordings. The 1947 Carnegie Hall date is simply unreal--a microcosmic moment of pure genius. On the Town Hall date he's fast and flashy but not as linguistically rich and complex; on the Massey Hall date he eschews pyrotechnics in favor of majestic statement.
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