As Young As You Feel (1951)

Universally hailed as the reigning king of the blues, the legendary B.B. King is without a doubt the single most important electric guitarist of the last half century…

Miles Davis featuring Sonny Rollins - Dig (1951) {OJC}
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© 1991 Fantasy / Prestige / OJC | 00025218110525
Jazz / Bop / Cool / Hard Bop

Miles Davis' third Prestige session of 1951 is notable for the presence of two youngsters who'd mature into identifiable voices on their instruments: 21-year-old tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins and 19-year-old alto saxophonist Jackie McLean. The spirit of their idol Charlie Parker seems to hover over the proceedings (in fact, Bird was a visitor at the date).

DIG opens with the shifting canvas of George Shearing's "Conception," which, as jazz historian Dan Morgenstern points out, bears the mark of Miles' group conception on BIRTH OF THE COOL. Davis sets the pace with vigorous, dancing lines–an imposing statement with which to inaugurate a session when you're just getting your chops together. Elsewhere, the contrasting medium tempos of "Out Of The Blue" and "It's Only A Paper Moon" inspire Miles' most direct melodic statements, full of expressive smears and rhythmic variations.

There are several reasons to own this Vox Box 2CD set. For the first, it includes five great violin concertos in some of the very best performances in their discography. For the second, Ivry Gitlis (born 1922) is a great living violinist and these recordings made in early 1950s show his art in the best way, when Ivry's violin sounded powerful and brilliant.

Charlie Parker - Bird: The Complete Charlie Parker On Verve (1946-1954) {2005 10CD Box Set Verve-Universal 983 3382}
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© 1949-54, 2005 Verve / Universal Music Italia Srl | 983 3382
Jazz / Bop / Small Group / Big Band / Saxophone

As a leader, Charlie Parker recorded for Savoy and Dial during 1945-1948 and then for Verve exclusively (at least in the studios) during 1949-1954. This remarkable ten-CD box set, which adds quite a bit of material to an earlier ten-LP set, contains all of these recordings plus Bird's earlier appearances with Jazz at the Philharmonic. The JATP jams are highlighted by Parker's perfect solo on "Oh Lady Be Good," a ferocious improvisation on "The Closer," and a solo on "Embraceable You" that tops his more famous studio recording. In addition, this box has all of the "Bird and Strings" sides, his meetings with Machito's Cuban orchestra, the 1950 session with Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk, small-group dates (including a 1951 meeting with Miles Davis), odd encounters with voices and studio bands, the famous "Jam Blues" with fellow altoists Johnny Hodges and Benny Carter, and his final recordings, a set of Cole Porter tunes. The fact-filled 34-page booklet is also indispensable. Highly recommended.