Charlie Parker - Complete Jazz at Massey Hall

One of the most memorable live recordings in jazz history, featuring Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Charles Mingus and Max Roach. This phenomenal edition includes all of the original tracks recorded by The Quintet at Toronto's Massey Hall, without the Mingus, overdubbed bass added later. 24-bit remastered. The Jazz Factory. 2003. Album Description

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 leaving 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.

I don't know why there are so many 5 star reviews as the music is just average, and the sound well below average for the time. I suspect that they're based on what the concert should have been based on the players, not what it is. January 11, 2008

I don't quite get the reputation of this concert

Once again, disappointment strikes with "event" concerts, no matter what genre of music they're in. Previously I had the vinyl version with the overdubbing, and never thought maybe I didn't dig it because of the bass, which always did sound like it was in another room to me. Admittedly this way of hearing it *is* better, but this is still not a "recording to end all recordings" or anything close. I've heard that Bird and Diz, long having gone their separate ways, were barely speaking to each other on this night. It shows. There's little interplay, little of the joy of spontaneous creation so vital to jazz. Instead I hear a group of men who were paid to play this gig and are fulfilling a contract. Also Roach sounds stiff--unusual for him--and bangy in the quintet numbers. The Powell trio pieces fare better, and they are the highlight of the album, but for Parker and Dizzy there are far better recordings out there than this outing, with its long patches where they just quote to fill time or repeat simple phrases over and over. After listening to the recently unearthed Bird and Dizzy material from Town Hall in June of 1945, with a Salt Peanuts that simply has to be heard to be believed, the tiredness of this night becomes all the more apparent. This is one of those albums whose legend, I think, has superceded its musical content, and must be listened to again with cold, objective ears. I'm sure I'll get a lot of dissenting votes from the cultists, but so be it. December 28, 2006

Best musicians of an era... performing together!

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. December 23, 2005

The only hall you'll need

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. November 17, 2005

What was Mingus on?

I can hear his bass perfectly well! This is possibly the most famous jazz concert EVER recorded - the Massey Hall concert has over the years gained an almost beatific reputation which sort of spoils you for the real thing.

The performance took place under a cloud, with Bird and Diz still refusing to speak to each other, and various members of the band skipping backstage every now and again to check out a big boxing match on TV!

Nevertheless the concert is a thing of beauty. I love especially Salt Peanuts and All the Things, as well as Dizzy's trumpet soloing on Night in Tunisia.

The old problem with this disc is that of sound. Charlie Mingus put the microphone under the stage, and was typically angry when he listened to the recording and thought his own bass was inaudible. He then ovrdubbed his bass on the released record.

Whatever the truth of that, this CD rereleases the entire concert (minus two permanently lost tracks) in a 24 bit remastered edition without Mingus' overdub. Hearing it, I wonder what Mingus was complaining about. True, the piano tracks are a little muffled, but the horn tracks (seven tracks) are loud and sharp, with tape hiss being perhaps the biggest problem. And yes, I can clearly hear the bass!

Full marks for this historical artefact. October 26, 2005

More reviews at Amazon.com ...