On a snowy evening in Toronto, in 1953, five of the greatest jazz musicians of all time played together for the one and only time. Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Hal Roach, Charles Mingus, and Bud Powell, all at the creative acme of their careers. A raging blizzard and a crucial hockey game reduced the audience to a handful — a photo shows mostly empty seats. The checks to pay the performers bounced. But this is considered by many to be the greatest jazz concert of all time, and I’m in no mood to doubt that consensus. Gillespie’s trumpet blazes like the archangel Gabriel took possession of him. If you are going to own only one jazz album, this should be it.
Roach, Gillespie & Parker playing at Massey Hall, 1953
Massey hall was built in 1894. This was, fortunately, where I first heard formal concert music played. It’s ugly on the outside, but when I first set foot in it, the interior was still a late Victorian, pseudo-oriental fantasy of mellow woodwork. It’s acoustics ranked it among the best halls in the world. A later renovation, unfortunately, removed most of its charms. The Toronto Symphony long ago moved to modern quarters, but Massey still hosts important rock, folk and chamber concerts.
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