For those who haven't yet invested in Definitive's excellent four-CD set
Charlie Parker: The Complete Norman Granz Master Takes,
Verve Jazz Masters 15 may serve as a useful sampler containing some of this master improviser's best performances recorded between January 1946 and July 1953. In addition to Jazz at the Philharmonic jams ("I Can't Get Started" clocks in at over nine minutes), collaborations with orchestras led by
Machito, Joe Lippman,
Jimmy Carroll, and
Neal Hefti,
Bird is heard in the company of the best modern jazzmen of the day. By virtue of the excellent material compiled herein, this potent package rates as one of the best entries in Verve's Jazz Masters series. ~ arwulf arwulf