The Quintet: Jazz At Massey Hall (Live) [1953]
This group could get away with simply calling itself The Quintet. Their live 1953 recording finds the bebop titans and their next-gen rhythm section tearing into two uptempo Dizzy Gillespie originals (“Salt Peanuts,” “A Night in Tunisia”). Charlie Parker’s playing on “All the Things You Are/52nd Street Theme” is balladry with bite. And it’s a thrill to hear the frontline players soloing at greater length than their ’40s recordings allowed. Yes, Charles Mingus overdubbed his playing later (his parts were under-recorded), but this is the version that entered jazz lore.