Jazz at Massey Hall

Occupation

Jazz at Massey Hall is a jazz album. It contains the live performance an all-star lineup ("The Quintet" ) on May 15, 1953 in Massey Hall in Toronto.

The concert

Beginning of the year 1953 intended the members of the " New Jazz Society " from Toronto to determine the ideal bebop lineup. The selected the appropriate musicians and asked whether they would come to a concert in the city's concert hall. The musicians were eventually five of the biggest names in the then modern jazz scene: Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Charles Mingus and Max Roach, although originally Oscar Pettiford was planned as a bassist, but for which Mingus stepped in, after Pettiford before the had broken arm. The occupation with Pettiford was also the dream cast Gillespie, he - without success - a decade earlier had wanted to bring together. It was the only time that the five shots together, and it was also the last meeting for a recording of Parker and Gillespie. Parker played in this appearance on a plastic alto saxophone, which he had to borrow at a local music store.

The concert went down in the annals of jazz history as The Greatest Jazz Concert Ever. It first played the Bud Powell Trio, then the " Quintet of the Year" with Parker and Gillespie, later a big band of local musicians. The conditions for the concert were not favorable: pianist Bud Powell was only recently been released after a long electroshock treatment in a sanatorium and drunk before the concert. Simultaneously with the concert ran the boxing world championship fight between Rocky Marciano and Jersey Joe Walcott; and ticket sales had gone according sluggish. Charles Mingus had ensured that the concert was recorded (from the " New Jazz Society "); But there were hardly hear the bass lines of the original live recording, Mingus has taken it later in the overdub process again. The original plan was that the " New Jazz Society " and the musicians would share the profits from the concert. However, the audience was so small that the Society was unable to pay salaries. The result was that only Mingus and Max Roach some gains could beat (from the record sales ). Bud Powell, Bird and Dizzy Gillespie were possibly empty-handed.

The Music

Despite his shattered health Parker was at this show in good shape. In the first piece, Perdido, Parker plays by the method discussed in Latin rhythms topic completely dissolved a solo, the one despite the borrowed instrument no intonation difficulties notes; it came - especially in All the Things You Are to a wonderful exchange of ideas between Parker and Bud Powell, follows the alto saxophonist with small finger-pointing, tracks and paths wide on his Mäanderwegen. In the subsequent trumpet solo Gillespie responds ironically with quotes from Ferde Grofé Grand Canyon Suite. The highlight of the concert is " Wee ", a true bebop explosion. The contrasts in the play could not be greater; Parker wild, seemingly uncontrolled, unfathomable. Gillespie, however accurate, unassailable, very accurately.

Despite the unfavorable initial conditions, the musicians involved played in such a ride that you got during the second half of the concert, the feeling of experiencing a concentrate of the bebop era.

Edition history

Because of the exceptional quality of the music recorded through it first wanted to publish Norman Granz; However, the business failed because of the utopian salary demands Parkers. The recordings were released in 1955 then two 10 -inch plates of the short-lived jazz label debut, the Mingus and Roach belonged ( 2 DLP and DLP 4, 1956 then as Deb -124 in 12- inch format ). After the end of the debut label the recordings of Fantasy Records in 1963 were as LP issued ( Fantasy 0,902,083 ( 6003 ), in Europe they were Musidisc / America available (AM 6053 ) In 1973, she also appeared as a double album, coupled with the recordings of. Bud Powell trio as The Greatest Jazz Concert Ever ( Prestige 24024 or 81103-2 ). appeared in 1983 " Jazz at Massey Hall " again as a fantasy LP.

Meanwhile, Jazz at Massey Hall is available as a single CD ( OJC 044), as well as the recordings of Bud Powell Trio ( OJC -111 ( Debut DLP 9) ) as Jazz at Massey Hall, Vol 2 The complete works of Mingus years on debut, the Complete debut Recordings 1951-58, contains both the recording of the concert ( Bud Powell Trio / The Quintet ) in the original recorded state and with the post-processed bass lines by Mingus. There is also included the 52nd Street Theme, with the group finished the first part of the concert.

Those who then acquired the original debut record, will have wondered who was the pudgy man on the cover holding a white alto saxophone in his hands, as if it were a toy. On the cover and in the liner notes former Charlie Parker was listed as " Charlie Chan " to avoid with the ulterior motive of legal entanglements with the Mercury label, in which Parker was under contract at the time of recording.

Honors

The title

Is not included on all items expenditure.

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