Complete Jazz at Massey Hall [Import]

Product Description
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.

Complete Jazz at Massey Hall,Charlie Parker,Jazz Factory,Jazz

Average customer rating: I don't quite get the reputation of this concert Best musicians of an era... performing together! The only hall you'll need What was Mingus on? Get This CD Instead of the OJC or Debut (20-bit) Versions

Complete Jazz at Massey Hall Charlie Parker Manufacturer: Jazz Factory ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Jazz | Styles | Music Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Contemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Jazz | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Town Hall, New York City, June 22, 1945 Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band The Hot Fives & Sevens The Complete Birth of the Cool A Love Supreme ASIN: B0000A0DS4 Release Date: 2004-04-05

Tracks:

1. Perdido
2. Salt Peanuts
3. All the Things You Are
4. 52nd Street Theme
5. Drum Conversation - Max Roach
6. Cherokee
7. Enbraceable You
8. Hallelujah (Jubilee)
9. Sure Thing
10. Lullaby of Birdland
11. I've Got You Under My Skin
12. Wee (Allen's Alley)
13. Hot House
14. Night in Tunisia

Album Description

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 Details

Digitally Remastered Edition of Parker's Landmark Performance at Toronto's Massey Hall. Includes Amazing Performances of "Salt Peanuts", "Embraceable You", "Lullabye of Birdland", "Perdido" and Many More.

Customer Reviews:

I don't quite get the reputation of this concert.......2006-12-28

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.

Best musicians of an era... performing together!.......2005-12-23

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.

The only hall you'll need.......2005-11-17

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.

What was Mingus on?.......2005-10-26

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.

Get This CD Instead of the OJC or Debut (20-bit) Versions.......2004-07-01

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.

Average customer rating:

Complete Jazz at Massey Hall Charlie Parker Manufacturer: Jazz Factory Spain ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Bebop | Live Albums | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Live Albums | Jazz | Styles | Music Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Contemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Jazz | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B00020VZGG Release Date: 2004-04-27

Tracks:

1. Perdido
2. Salt Peanuts
3. All the Things You Are
4. 52nd Street Theme
5. Drum Conversation - Max Roach
6. Cherokee
7. Enbraceable You
8. Hallelujah (Jubilee)
9. Sure Thing
10. Lullaby of Birdland
11. I've Got You Under My Skin
12. Wee (Allen's Alley)
13. Hot House
14. Night in Tunisia

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