Ted O'Reilly Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 Organissimo member Don Brown is the authority referenced in today's Toronto Star entertainment story about "The Greatest Jazz Concert Ever"... http://www.toronto.com/article/691867--toronto-pop-chronicles-the-greatest-jazz-concert-ever Good one, Don! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted O'Reilly Posted July 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 A perusal of Mark Miller's deeply-reseached book "Cool Blues: Charlie Parker in Canada 1953" (Nightwood Press), covering the MH event, shows Don Brown has misremembered a couple of fine points (and that's a surprise to me: Don has prodigious recall). For the sake of complete accuracy, the suggestion that Dick Wattam didn't buy any ads for the concert is wrong — Miller even used a few in the book — and the author of the contentious review in The Globe and Mail was Alex Barris, not Robert Fulford. Still a good article, and considering the press' disinterest in jazz in jazz these days, that it's on the front page of The Star's entertainment page is good... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Brown Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 One of the fine points I "misremembered" was which Toronto newspaper it was that printed Alex Barris' negative review of the 1953 Massey Hall concert. I'd remembered the Barris review appearing in the Toronto Evening Telegram but obviously I got that wrong. On the 30th anniversary of the concert, Barris and I were asked to appear on CBC Toronto's afternoon drive home program where we were asked to share our memories of the now historic concert. I took Alex to task over his bad 1953 review which I was still recalling as having appeared in the Telegram. But by this time he'd had a complete change of heart and tried to justify his 1953 opinion. The question now is which paper was it that printed Bob Fulford's negative review? As for the ads that Dick Wattam bought, sure there were a couple of insignificant spot ads (which I saw for the first time in Mark Miller's Cool Blues) but without any professional advice they proved to be totally ineffective. In later years whenever I talked to Wattam about the concert he claimed to have bought no ads. Even in 1993 on the 40th anniversary of the concert, when I interviewed Wattam on CJRT's The Jazz Scene - I was filling in for the vacationing Ted O'Reilly - he said he'd bought no ads. He firmly believed that word of mouth would be sufficient to fill Massey Hall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 Great article This keeps jazz history in perspective! Many thanks for linking it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bichos Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 nobody noticed that the photo in the article is a fake? it is composed from two different photos by alan scharf. in the original are seen musicaians from the cbc all-stars left behind dizzy and bird is standing in the back but with front to the photographer. here the room left behind dizzy is black and bird is insert from another alan scharf picture but -- mirror inverted!! why?? keep boppin´ marcel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted O'Reilly Posted July 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 nobody noticed that the photo in the article is a fake? it is composed from two different photos by alan scharf. in the original are seen musicaians from the cbc all-stars left behind dizzy and bird is standing in the back but with front to the photographer. here the room left behind dizzy is black and bird is insert from another alan scharf picture but -- mirror inverted!! why?? keep boppin´ marcel Good catch Marcel! I must admit I just glanced at it... The credit on the page says "CP file photo" (that's Canadian Press), so the Star would disclaim it. I'd guess they're trying to get the artists together in a single shot, but ethically they should call it 'Photo Illustration' or some such. It's not quite the Newsweek cover of OJ's mug shot, but... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 So that is how history is created. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 I should say I bought a Danish lp of this concert around 1961 and still wonder what all the fuss was about. Decent concert, north of the border. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Brown Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 (edited) Speaking as a person who was there that evening I have to agree with you Chuck. The music was enjoyable - perhaps even a little more than enjoyable because of all the chaos and confusion surrounding the proceedings - but musically, as good as it was, it certainly was in no way "the greatest jazz concert ever". Edited July 11, 2011 by Don Brown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 Perhaps not the greatest but still damn fine music, at least to my ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 Yeah, all "Greatest, Etc." nonsense out of the way, this is some of Bird's, Diz's, and Bud's finest, most "unfiltered" playing of the time., Bud's in particular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 nobody noticed that the photo in the article is a fake? it is composed from two different photos by alan scharf. in the original are seen musicaians from the cbc all-stars left behind dizzy and bird is standing in the back but with front to the photographer. here the room left behind dizzy is black and bird is insert from another alan scharf picture but -- mirror inverted!! why?? keep boppin´ marcel Good catch Marcel! I must admit I just glanced at it... The credit on the page says "CP file photo" (that's Canadian Press), so the Star would disclaim it. I'd guess they're trying to get the artists together in a single shot, but ethically they should call it 'Photo Illustration' or some such. It's not quite the Newsweek cover of OJ's mug shot, but... Rather unusual for Canadian Press to run doctored images. They should have used this one instead: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted O'Reilly Posted July 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 nobody noticed that the photo in the article is a fake? it is composed from two different photos by alan scharf. in the original are seen musicaians from the cbc all-stars left behind dizzy and bird is standing in the back but with front to the photographer. here the room left behind dizzy is black and bird is insert from another alan scharf picture but -- mirror inverted!! why?? keep boppin´ marcel Good catch Marcel! I must admit I just glanced at it... The credit on the page says "CP file photo" (that's Canadian Press), so the Star would disclaim it. I'd guess they're trying to get the artists together in a single shot, but ethically they should call it 'Photo Illustration' or some such. It's not quite the Newsweek cover of OJ's mug shot, but... Rather unusual for Canadian Press to run doctored images. They should have used this one instead: Brownie, that's the concert image that sticks in MY mind, and I think that's what I thought I was seeing when I looked at the paper and the posting... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fasstrack Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 (edited) Speaking as a person who was there that evening I have to agree with you Chuck. The music was enjoyable - perhaps even a little more than enjoyable because of all the chaos and confusion surrounding the proceedings - but musically, as good as it was, it certainly was in no way "the greatest jazz concert ever". Even if somewhat over-hyped, Jazz at Massey Hall has some great moments. I think Perdido was a highlight. Also, the overlooked companion recording of the trio of Bud, Mingus, Max has Bud sailing through everything with focus, confidence, and inspiration he didn't show at times during the 'main event' (Dizzy bailing him out by playing the melody of All the Things....when Bud seems to have gotten lost comping for him). But for a Parker/Gillespie memorable event I'd probably give my vote to Town Hall, New York City, June 22, 1945. Bird's many thrilling, building choruses on Bebop after showing up late and Don Byas covering for him (and playing his ass off)are as inspired as it gets. It's amazing to think this was a mere 4 years after the stuff with McShann. A phenomenal growth spurt....(edited for spelling and clarity). Then there's Summit Meeting at Birdland.....(who said it had to happen on a concert stage?) A perusal of Mark Miller's deeply-reseached book "Cool Blues: Charlie Parker in Canada 1953" (Nightwood Press.... Wow! Never even heard of this. Have to ferret it out. Thanks, Mr. O'Reilly, and 'good lookin' out' Edited July 17, 2011 by fasstrack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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