The harmonic sophistication of Charlie Parker and Bud Powell on this legendary concert rivals that which Miles Davis explored a decade later.
Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Charles Mingus, Max Roach – Hot House: The Complete Jazz at Massey Hall Recordings (Concord, 2023)
Listen to “All the Things You Are” on this live recording from Massey Hall in Toronto in May 1953. All of the soloists takes an incredible harmonic sophisticated approach to this standard song. Charlie Parker on his borrowed white plastic saxophone even sounds a bit outside the harmonics, as if he is a predecessor of the free jazz of Ornette Coleman, or the sophisticated harmonic language of Wayne Shorter.
Dizzy Gillespie who still played a straight trumpet, not the one with the upward bent bell, is more precise and distinct while still remaining the prismatic harmonic ambiguity. Bud Powell almost sounds jubilant as he plays his typically short bursts of phrases on the piano. Charles Mingus’ bass solo shows several of the ideas he would explore further with his various bands the following decade.
When you hear this music it is clear where the harmonic foundation for albums like Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue (1959) came from. Davis played with Parker for several years. He tried to get Bud Powell into the band as well, but Parker thought him to be too unreliable.
Powell in his glory
Other characteristics of the bebop music perhaps overshadowed the harmonic legacy it left for following generations to explore. The major one being the incredible virtuosity and speed the music was performed with. Listen for instance to this quintet’s version of Gillespie’s “Salt Peanuts” with its fanfare-like theme. Gillespie sings the title over and over and audibly urges on Parker during his solo in which he incorporates some of Gillespie’s cries.
Gillespie’s own solo is amazing, reaching high notes you seldom hear, at breakneck tempo. Powell’s fleet fingered solo almost sounds whimsical, as it is brimming with so many musical ideas. Max Roach is the musical engine of this performance with his fast-pulsating rhythms and his solo is a showstopper even in this company.
The trio recording of Powell, Mingus, and Roach from the same concert is equally great. They play standard songs by George Gershwin, George Shearing, and others. Powell had recorded them previously for Roost, Blue Note, and Verve, and he uses the same arrangements as on the studio versions. He makes Gershwin’s “Sure Thing” sound like a fugue by Bach through his stern arrangement. The applause from the audience is wild.
With and without overdubs
Powell has such a technical ability that he almost sounds nonchalant at the breathtaking speed on “Cherokee” where Roach plays another one of his amazing solos. The ornamentations Powell inherited from the virtuoso Art Tatum is displayed on ballads like “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” This is a great place to discover Bud Powell if you do not already have.
This music was originally released by Charles Mingus on his own label Debut. Mingus was unhappy with the audibility of his own playing on the quintet recording and overdubbed a new one which is very audible, maybe a bit too much. The Powell trio recording which was released separately was expanded with some takes from another concert. This release includes both the quintet recordings overdubbed by Mingus, and the original tapes, and it only features the Powell trio tracks actually recorded at Massey Hall.
It is great reissue which have me investigating and enjoying this music again. All five musicians are masters of their respective instruments and they show their musicality in how they collaborate together. If you are the least interested in modern jazz you should include this album among your prioritized listening.
Jazz Desk 