On May 15, 1953, five of jazz’s most influential musicians – Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, Max Roach, and Bud Powell – gathered at Toronto’s Massey Hall for what would result in their first and only known recording as a quintet. While only a small audience was able to experience it in person, this historic evening was captured on tape. The resulting album, The Quintet: Jazz at Massey Hall, would become one of the genre’s most essential and celebrated releases.

The 100th birthday celebration for Max Roach for central Brooklyn begins on January 10, 2023, his 99th birthday. A press and community conference are planned for 11:00 am, at Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation’s Skylight Gallery, located at 1368 Fulton Street, phone 718.636.6900. This event is free of charge and accessible to all.