Quintet, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Max Roach - Jazz at Massey Hall

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 Amazon.com essential recording

Such Limitless Potential...

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. January 11, 2008

History in the making

This recording is an essential addition to any serious Jazz collection, capturing as it does five Jazz giants recorded together for the one and only time.

Charlie Parker is on Alto Sax, Dizzy Gillespie Trumpet, Bud Powell Piano, Charles Mingus bass and Max Roach on drums. From the first number "Perdido" you know this something special. A medium tempo version which never stops swinging. Gillespie in particular is in fiery form on this number. On "Salt Peanuts" Bud Powell plays a memorable solo, which precedes a thunderous drum solo from Max Roach.

The atmosphere is fantastic with the crowd applauding the musicians solos, and sometimes you can hear the musicians cajoaling each other to better performances. Considering the recordings are over fifty years old the sound is pretty good. The only reason this doesn't get five stars is because there is a newer 'complete' version of this recording.

Sadly Max Roach the last surviving member of the this quintet has just died.
August 27, 2007

four and 1/2 stars.

look at the line-up on this live recording from toronto, canada, circa the year 1953 AD. it's enough to make a jazz fans eyes bug out. charlie parker on sax, dizzy gillespie on trumpet, bud powell on piano, charles mingus on bass, and max roach on drums. holy cow! how could this not be the greatest jazz album of all-time? but amazingly, it manages not to be. go figure. anyway, if it's not the greatest jazz album of all-time, it's still fantastic; and it should be mandatory for any jazz lover to keep a copy laying around whatever one calls home. one further thing, then i'll let you get on with your life: most people seem to prefer the newer release of this concert, where the charles mingus bass work is not overdubbed, like it is on the original release. well, call me knucklehead johnson, but i actually prefer the original overdubbed release. i know, i know, i know: i'm a fool. but that's my preference, and i think that i'm entitled to one (so please don't go flying off to the unhelpful button!). if you like the undubbed version better, then i say "God love you. Differences of opinion sure make life interesting, don't they? anyway, you can't go wrong in purchasing this recording (whatever version of it you may choose). August 18, 2007

My favorite 'live' recording of all-time

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! April 8, 2007

Greatest Jazz Concert of All Time. No, Really. I Mean It.

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. March 7, 2007

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