Jazz At Massey Hall

[patricia]

May 15 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the legendary performance of "The Quintet", consisting of Charlie Parker, Max Roach, Bud Powell, Charles Mingus and Dizzy Gillespie. This is a marvelous record. Just a couple of years later, Parker was dead and the others, except for Max Roach have gone, one by one, in the intervening years. The performance, which was recorded through the hall's PA system [!] is also available, although not easily, as "Jazz At Massey Hall" on vinyl, now a collector's item.

The track list is:

Perdido

Salt Peanuts

All The Thngs You Are

Wee

Hot House

A Night In Tunisia

The crowd was SO with the band. Marvelous!

The entire CD is less than fifty minutes long and each track is a gem with the energy of the crowd [which was sadly small, about 500, due to the championship fight, the same night, between Rocky Marciano and Jersey Joe Walcott, which lasted one round.]

Roach was at the fiftieth anniversary tribute, led by Herbie Hancock and was called upon to perform, which should not have happened, given his failing health. Apparantly it took him fifteen minutes [!] to navigate the fifty feet to the drum set. A miscalculation by the show's organizers. I would have thought just him being there should have been enough.

[Sergio Zamora]

Originally posted by patricia
...each track is a gem with the energy of the crowd [which was sadly small, about 500, due to the championship fight, the same night, between Rocky Marciano and Jersey Joe Walcott, which lasted one round.]

I blame Canada.

So, does this new reissue contain the Mingus overdub? I suppose it must, since that's the way he released it originally.

[patricia]

Originally posted by Sergio Zamora
I blame Canada.

So, does this new reissue contain the Mingus overdub? I suppose it must, since that's the way he released it originally.

Sergio,
The version that I have does contain the overdub and I have a line on a copy of the original vinyl, which, released as "Jazz At Massey Hall", with a beautiful red sleeve with fine cover art which apparantly doesn't.
On the copy I have, Mingus' bass is clear as anything, but the rest of the performers' instruments are, apparantly, as they were in the un-tampered-with original. I'll do a comparison, when I snap up the vinyl, assuming it's still there.

Please, don't blame Canada. We're cool, and appreciative of fine music.

[bluenoter]

Jazz at Massey Hall and the available recordings of the material have also been discussed on a thread at another jazz board.

[Pete C]

I have the version without overdubs on one disc of a 5-disc live Bird box on Saga.

[patricia]

Originally posted by Pete C
I have the version without overdubs on one disc of a 5-disc live Bird box on Saga.

What's the title of the Saga box set, Pete?

[Pete C]

Originally posted by patricia
What's the title of the Saga box set, Pete?

Immortal Sessions

[patricia]

Pete,
Thank you for the graphic as well as the title.

[Enforcer]

I wasn't thinking about the anniversary of the recording when I played this in my car this morning. Just another incredible coincidence.

My favorite "imaginary" vision of this concert involves Salt Peanuts. The part when Dizzy sings a few phrases of the lyric, "Salt Peanuts", and eventually he fades off mic but is still yelling it. He gets pretty wild there with the "Salt PEANUTS!!" and then there's a pause. Finally, he resolves the whole thing with a "YEEEEEAAH!" and Bird goes on to blow.

So what's funny about this is I can picture in my mind's eye Max Roach running around with his ride cymbal, pleading with someone to "get him some salt peanuts already!". When Max finally hands him some salt peanuts, that's when Dizzy says, "YEEEEEAH!".

Let me tell you, it's a lot funnier in my head.

Revealing things he should keep to himself,
Larry

[patricia]

I smiled, listening to that too. Who knows what was really going on, but. as is the case with live recordings, I wish I had been there. They all sounded like they were having a blast!!
Usually any activity, on studio sessions, beyond the music, is not on a recording, on purpose. The only exception I can think of, is a great session, by Max Kiminsky's band, called "Dixeyland, Chicago Style". Toward the end, there are mumblings from the band, not shouts, but conversation. It is quite unusual, when compared to the utter silence, usually the norm on studio recordings. The music starts off quite straight-ahead and decends into near-chaos. Fun.