A classic Savoy side that brings together bop sessions recorded earlier in the label's life – done by different groupings that feature some of the best players of the early bebop years. Sonny Stitt, Kenny Dorham, and Bud Powell are part of a group that play "Ray's Idea", "Fool's Fancy", "Bebop In Pastel", and "Bombay". Fats Navarro, Leo Parker, Tadd Dameron, and others perform "Eb Pob", "Goin To Minton's", "Fat Girl", and "Ice Freezes Red". Stan Getz, Max Roach, and Hank Jones play "Opus De Bop", "Running Water", and 2 other tunes. All tracks are short and straight bop! CD

Trumpeter Fats Navarro was one of the true giants of the early bop years, but he passed away at a young age just as the music was taking off – leaving behind just a handful of killer recordings to document his legacy! This set was put together by Blue Note as a great reminder of his genius – a style on the trumpet that was different than that of Dizzy Gillespie or Miles Davis – and which really set the tone for some of the more expressive players who would follow him on the instrument. Navarro is incredibly deft, yet never in a way that calls attention to itself too much – truly organic, and set up here in groups led by pianists Tadd Dameron and Bud Powell, plus some recordings in a group he co-led with trumpeter Howard McGhee. Titles on this first volume include "Wail", "The Chase", "The Squirrel", "Our Delight", and "Dameronia". CD

One of the few full albums ever issued under the name of trumpeter Fats Navarro – and like most of them, a posthumous collection of material cut before his untimely early death! The set's a memorial of sorts, and it compiles some important sides from the mid 40s, recorded for Savoy – material that really helped set the stage for bop at the time, even though most folks were still just finding a name for the form. There's some really standout elements here – like a handful of tracks that feature sparkling arrangements from Gil Fuller, with Sonny Stitt on alto and Morris Lane on tenor – on titles that include "Boppin A Riff (parts 1 & 2)", "Fat Boy (parts 1 & 2)", and "Webb City (parts 1 & 2)". The moody singer Kay Penton makes an appearance on a few other great cuts – "Bebop Carroll", "Gone With The Wind", "The Tadd Walk", and "That Someone Must Be You". And other numbers feature Kenny Dorham on trumpet and Sonny Stitt on alto – on titles that include "Good Kick" and "Serenade To A Square". CD

Featuring Tadd Dameron, Billy Eckstine, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Illinois Jacquet, Coleman Hawkins, Howard McGhee, and more. CD

Early Savoy sides – other musicians include Eddie Lockjaw Davis on tenor, Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Sony Stitt on alto, Leo Parker on baritone sax, and Tadd Dameron on piano. 22 tracks in all. CD

Classic early bebop from trumpter Fats Navarro – a seminal album that brings together earlier famous 78s recorded for Savoy Records! The set features the late great trumpeter leading 3 different small groups – all top-shelf lineups, with players that include Charlie Rouse or Dexter Gordon on tenor, Tadd Dameron or Al Haig on piano, and Art Blakey on drums! The recordings have the raw bebop energy that characterized the best of these Savoy sessions, but Navarro's playing adds touches of lyricism not usually heard on recordings like these. Certainly one of the albums that will convince you why Fats was so great – with the tracks "Barry's Bop", "Dextrose", "Stealing Trash", and "Hollerin' & Screamin". CD

A great set of early modern bop material – 37 tracks that bring together the complete Blue Note recordings of Tadd Dameron and Fats Navarro – about half of them featuring Navarro in Dameron's group, the other half featuring Fats on his own, working with Bud Powell, Howard McGhee, and Benny Goodman. The set includes a few alternate takes, and titles include "Stealin Apples", "Focus", "John's Delight", "The Squirrel", "The Chase", "Our Delight", "The Skunk", "Double Talk", "Boperation", and "Wail". CD

Don't pass this one up! Although the record looks like a silly "tribute" album from the title – it's actually a brilliant live set that crackles with some intense energy and a soulful spirit that goes way beyond its simple intentions! The album features a sextet of trumpeters that include Woody Shaw, Blue Mitchell, Bill Hardman, Kenny Dorham, Richard Williams, and Walter Kelly – all coming together on a set of long, drawn out tracks that offer a great contrast to some of the studio playing that the artists were doing at the time. There's a feel here that's a bit like some of the Left Bank recordings of the late 60s – but often harder overall, and in a way that really shows the full talents expressed by the players in such an open-ended and inspirational setting. The rhythm section features Lonnie Smith on piano, Peck Morrison on bass, and Walter Perkins on drums – and the whole thing's got a wonderful sound throughout! There's few echoes of Booker Little, Clifford Brown, or Fats Navarro – but plenty of the underground east coast scene of the time – and titles include very long takes of "Bags Groove", "Confirmation", "What's New", "Blues" and "Sweet Clifford". CD

A host of rare late 40s material recorded for the Swing label in Paris – with work from Fats Navarro, Kenny Dorham, and Benny Bailey on trumpets – plus Bud Powell on piano, and Sonny Stitt on alto! CD

Early Dex, accompanied by Fats Navarro, Bud Powell, Tadd Dameron, Art Blakey, and Max Roach. Tracks include "Dexter Rides Again", "Long Tall Dexter", "So Easy", "Dexter's Deck", and "Index". CD

A great assortment of material from Coleman Hawkins – sides that nicely span the mid 40s and late 50s, showing some great growth in his technique! The first four tracks are from a record by the Walter Foots All Stars – a group led by Foots on tenor, but also featuring Hawk – also with Hilton Jefferson on alto and Jonah Jones on trumpet – on tracks that include "Out To Lunch", "Every Man For Himself", and "Look Out Jack". Next are four more tracks recorded in 1944 with backing by a quartet that includes Thelonious Monk – on titles that include "On The Bean", "Recollections", and "Flyin Hawk". A set with a more boppish lineup follows – with JJ Johnson on trombone and Fats Navarro on trumpet – on titles that include "Bean & The Boys", "Cocktails For Two", and "You Go To My Head". Last are some later sides from 1959 – the great album Stasch, played by a very hip group – with Jerome Richardson on flute and tenor, Pepper Adams on baritone, Idrees Sulieman on trumpet, Roy Gaines on guitar, and Ray Bryant on piano. Jerry Valentine did the arrangements – and cuts include "Stasch", "Trust In me", "Roll Em", "Skyrouk", and "My Babe". CD

Recorded in the 40s, and issued only much later by Pablo Records – but a set that's very much in the best spirit of the classic Jazz At The Philharmonic performances that were issued famously by Verve! The set features two key groups – one with Charlie Parker and Sonny Criss on alto sax, Flip Phillips on tenor, Fats Navarro on trumpet, Tommy Turk on trombone, and Hank Jones on piano – playing long jam session takes of "Leap Here", "Indiana", and "Lover Come Back To Me". Then, things move to a smaller group mode on some shorter tracks – with Coleman Hawkins on tenor, Navarro on trumpet, and Jones on piano – on titles that include "Rifftide", "Stuffy", and "The Things We Did Last Summer". CD

Wonderful work from one of the most important early bop trumpeters – the mighty Howard McGhee, heard here in a set of rare material that includes obscure studio sessions and some surprisingly great live performances too! McGhee was one of the first and the best to turn the trumpet towards bop – a player at a level that matched the young Clifford Brown or Fats Navarro at their best – especially in these formative early years, when Howard had a sense of tone and timing that was completely sublime! Most tracks are short and very tight – and even the ballads have this crispness that really illustrates the fresh contributions that McGhee was making to music at the time. The set features four tracks from a 1945 Philo Records session, four more from a 1946 Melodisc session, and eleven more tracks from radio broadcasts – all surprisingly well recorded. Players include Teddy Edwards on tenor (on most of the tracks here), Sonny Criss on alto, George Crawford or Vernon Biddle on piano, Bob Kesterson on bass, and the great Roy Porter on drums. Titles include "Night In Tunisia", "Howard's Blues", "Killin Jive", "The Man I Love", "Dark Eyes", "Mop Mop", "Lifestream", "Night Mist", "Blues A La King", "Ornithology", and "Intersection". CD

Charlie Parker on alto saxophone, Fats Navarro on trumpet, Curley Russell and Tommy Potter on bass, Bud Powell and Walter Bishop on piano, and Art Blakey and Roy Haynes on drums. CD

Well-done reissue of Bud's first LP for Blue Note – featuring smoking sides that were some of his best work of the 50s! Powell plays on 9 tracks with a trio that includes Max Roach and Curley Russell – but there's also 11 more tracks with a larger group that features Roy Haynes and Tommy Potter on rhythm, plus Fats Navarro and Sonny Rollins on trumpet and tenor. It's rare to hear Powell in a horn-driven group like this, as the bulk of his work during the time was trio sessions – and that added touch makes the recordings here sparkle even more! Titles include "Dance of The Infidels", "Wail", "Bouncing With Bud", "Un Poco Loco", "Night In Tunisia", and "52nd St. Theme". CD features 20 tracks, including a number of alternate takes. CD

The first 12" LP to compile Bud Powell sides for Blue Note – nearly all of which were some of his best work of the 50s! The incredible pianist is caught here in the company of a few different trios – with drummers like Roy Haynes or Max Roach – and there's also a few nice large group tracks, with Fats Navarro and Sonny Rollins joining in. It's rare to hear Powell in such a setting, as the bulk of his work during the time was trio sessions – and the recordings here – "Dance of The Infidels", "Wail", "Bouncing With Bud", and "52nd St. Theme" – are some of his best. CD features a few bonus alternates too. CD

Features Sonny Rollins, Fats Navarro, Curly Russell, Paul Chambers, Sam Jones, Roy Haynes, Max Roach, and Art Taylor. Tracks include "Bouncing With Bud", "Un Poco Loco", "52nd Street Theme", "John's Abbey", "Buster Rides Again", and "Like Someone In Love". CD

A wealth of classic work from Bud Powell – his complete recordings for both the Blue Note and Roost label – served up in a mighty 4CD set! The package begins with early 78rpm sides from the late 40s, then moves into material from full albums in the 50s – and ends with one track from 1963. As with most Powell recordings from the time, much of the material is recorded with a trio – players like Paul Chambers, Sam Jones, or Curley Russell on bass – and drummers who include Art Taylor, Max Roach, and Roy Haynes. A few sides feature added horns from Fats Navarro on trumpet and Sonny Rollins on tenor – and the set features a total of 75 tracks in all, plus a 40 page booklet of notes. CD

A nice selection of late 40s work by a few groups, collected by Savoy as a kind of introduction to the bebop movement, a look back at the early days of bop. Kai Winding and his quintet, featuring Allen Eager on tenor and Shelley Manne on drums, lead off the set with four tracks including "Mr. Dues" and "O-Go-Mo". From there tenor sax man Brew Moore's quartet, featuring Jimmy Johnson on bass and Stan Levey on drums, contribute four tracks including "Blew Brew" and "More Brew". Eddie Lockjaw Davis rounds out the set, with a group that features Fats Navarro on trumpet and Al Haig on piano. His four tracks include "Spinal" and "Red Pepper". CD

A well-done package that celebrates the key contributions that Savoy Records made to the field of jazz on record – as the New Jersey company was one of the first to record the new wave of bebop in the late 40s, and quickly unleashed the music of Charlie Parker and his contemporaries on a host of famous 78rpm singles at the time! This set features many of those key 78 recordings, but focuses on their presentation in a series of 10" LP releases that Savoy did in the early 50s – vinyl packages that compiled the earlier shellac sides into a more durable format – and presented the key efforts that the label made in helping bebop get out of the clubs and onto the turntable! As with other Craft Records packages, the presentation is great – and really upgrades other reissues of the material with great sound, notes, and artwork that really live up to the contents within. 2CD set features new mastering of the material, alongside notes and photos – with classic material recorded under the leadership of Milt Jackson, Leo Parker, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon, JJ Johnson, Charlie Parker, Kai Winding, Allen Eager, Budd Johnson, Fats Navarro, Eddie Lockjaw Davis, Roy Porter, and Serge Chaloff! CD

Music from Gil Evans, Babs Gonzales, Kenny Clarke, Gerry Mulligan, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk & Milt Jackson, Bud Powell, Fats Navarro & Tadd Dameron, Clifford Brown Sextet, James Moody & His Bop Men, and more. CD

Seminal sounds from one of the most important labels of the early bebop years – a tiny imprint based in LA, but one that played a big role on the New York scene as well! Dial Records is often best-remembered for documenting some key early material by Charlie Parker – but as you'll see in this set, the company had a wonderful ear for other artists too – and managed to record some incredible work during a relatively short span of time! The tracks here were all done in a span of less than four years – from mid 1945 through late 1948 – yet together, they represent a blueprint of bop that would last for years to come – material that has often come out in varied formats over the years, and finally gets its full, proper presentation here – in an overstuffed box that's in the best Mosaic Records tradition! The collection features individual sessions, laid out in chronological order – with full notes on each, and a presentation that tracks down obscure tracks from varied releases, then brings them together to represent the full creative output at each moment. The 9CD package features 185 tracks in all – on sessions led by Red Norvo, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Howard McGhee, Sonny Berman & Bill Harris, Dexter Gordon, Erroll Garner, Earl Coleman and Fats Navarro, Dodo Marmarosa, and the team of Wardell Grey and Dexter Gordon. CD