Editorial Review:Amazon.com:Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker first became aware of each other in 1940 when the former was playing in Cab Calloway's band and the latter with Jay McShann. Two years later they were both living in New York City and a real friendship developed. By 1945 they were recording and gigging together, culminating in this Town Hall concert on June 22, 1945. These recordings languished for sixty years as acetates that weren't even known to exist in their entirety. That this set captures these two formidable players in their ascendancy and with such clarity is a staggering find. Here, with host Symphony Sid announcing the songs (this would have been for his radio show, but apparently never ended up in his possessions), an important chapter in American music is now restored. By the end of the summer of '45 Gillespie and Parker went their separate ways, both emerging with their own bands and reaching new heights of commercial success.
--David Greenberger
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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* Diz and Bird at Town Hall June 22, 1945; ...
I read a rave review of "this masterpiece" record in The New Yorker. I was underwhelmed compared to that review.
However, these are good early beebop performances and the accompanying notes and copies of contemporary reviews support a better understanding of what's going on. In particular, there are some very interesting comments re perceptions of what was going on that day at Town Hall in Leonard Feather's July 1945 Metronome review, which is reproduced.
There are three Gillespie classics: Beebop, A Night in Tunisia and Salt Peanuts running about seven minutes each. These are the longest early recordings of these numbers that I have heard.
Perhaps even more interesting would be the as yet unapproved release of the second half of the Concert with a program by a very young Errol Garner and Don Byas.
Rating: 
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* Genius Overcome Technical Short Comings ...
The only bad thing about this recording is that it was made with the Town Hall's standard audio system. Gillespie is way off mic. Too bad there was not a real audio engineer to mic the performance. If you are a stickler for hi fidelity this may disappoint you. However the sheer genius and energy of the performances overcome this technical shortfall. If you enjoy either Gillespie or Monk, this recording deserves a place in your collection.
Rating: -
* Genius Overcome Technical Short Comings ...
The only bad thing about this recording is that it was made with the Town Hall's standard audio system. Gillespie is way off mic. Too bad there was not a real audio engineer to mic the performance. If you are a stickler for hi fidelity this may disappoint you. However the sheer genius and energy of the performances overcome this technical shortfall. If you enjoy either Gillespie or Parker, this recording deserves a place in your collection.
Rating: -
* Good to hear them stretch out ...
When I began listening to Bebop (song 2), I was disappointed - it sounded like the mic's weren't in the same hall as the musicians. The sound quickly gets better, and is pretty good except the bass is hard to pick out. The songs are about as long as more "modern" albums from the 50's, so that's a revelation. The 4 Dizzy songs are among his best and most familiar.
I only give it 4 stars because Diz and Bird blitz through the solos. They aren't very memorable. Also, 'Hot House' doesn't do much for me. The Quintet At Massey Hall has better playing - you can hear the musical growth in the eight years between Town Hall & Massey Hall.
I recommend this because if you don't have a lot of Diz or Bird this is an interesting example of their playing. If you have a lot of Diz & Bird you'll want it to complete your collection.
Rating: -
* Bird and Diz in concert: Who knew? ...
This is definitely an amazing find, and much on the disc truly astounds:
1) The great sound. Yeah, there are a couple of spots where the mikes are off-center, but compared to the usual audio on Bird and Diz live recordings of this time period, it's an audio gem.
2) Max Roach. Max is phenomenal, and it's easy to add "as always," but remember there wasn't much of an "always" yet: both the music and Roach's career were just getting started. He not only has tremendous feel for the music (those bombs of beauty), but plays as if he's already got bebop engraved in his soul. Sid Catlett sits in on HOT HOUSE and takes a fairly long solo, and the difference between him and Max is profound: Sid is an excellent drummer, but Max is an excellent BEBOP drummer who brings a charge to the music Sid can't muster.
3) Diz and Bird and the anthems they play. Bird walks in after BEBOP has already begun, and you wonder when he had time to put his horn together, because he starts blowing as soon as he's in front of a mike. Tempos on all the tunes fly, and it's great to hear the guys take extended solos, especially if you have the 3-minute long recordings etched in your memory. Highlights abound, but the biggest highlight of all is the consistent excellence of the playing by all. Every tune is a gem.
Historically and musically, this CD is a major addition to the modern jazz library. Bird and Diz were inspired musicians at the height of their talents at this time, and it's great to have this recently discovered concert performance to check them out on one more occasion. Brilliant stuff, this.
