A Studio Chronicle 1940-1948
is a five-disc box set from the British label
JSP
detailing what producer
Ted Kendall
considers to be the essential studio recordings of saxophonist
Charlie Parker
. Included here are not only the innovative
bebop
sides that made
Parker
a living legend, but also the early Kansas City
swing
recordings he appeared on while playing with
the Jay McShann Orchestra
. The result is a studio history of
's development from a struggling farm kid turned musician to the most important figure in
jazz
history next to
Louis Armstrong
. Given that these recordings are widely available, the real attraction here is the faithful-to-the-original remastered sound, the historically enlightening liner notes, and the overarching critical aesthetic that these are the
Bird
cuts to check out. Also, given that the tracks are presented with few repeats on discs in chronological order makes this better listening than
Atlantic
's
Complete Savoy and Dial Studio Recordings 1944-1948
. Oddly though, the only place
Kendall
delineates what labels these tracks were originally released on -- mostly
Dial
and
Savoy
-- is in the track listing and there only by label numbers. Despite this confusing omission,
has produced a superb collection that illuminates more than it overlooks. ~ Matt Collar