QUINTET Vinyl Records and CDs

If any group can legitimately call themselves simply "the Quintet," it's this one. With Charlie Parker on alto saxophone, Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, Bud Powell on piano, Charles Mingus on bass and Max Roach on drums, the Quintet were a summit of jazz's best who recorded a 1953 concert at Massey Hall. Powell, Parker and Gillespie were among the primary forces behind the inception of Bebop -- and no one does it better. Dizzy provides his trademark humor, which is matched by Parker and Powell's blistering Bebop licks on tunes including "Salt Peanuts," "Perdido" and "Night in Tunisia." Roach and Mingus lay down steady, unwavering swing in support. The audience seemed to realize that they were witnessing a monumental historic event -- re-releases of that concert have been titled The Greatest Jazz Concert of All Time.