' offers a version of 's initial involvement with bebop and its artists. These 30 tracks cover selections from 1944 to 1949 on five 10" LPs or a pair of CDs. It opens with "Romance Without Finance." Credited in the booklet to , who plays on it, the session was rightfully credited to guitarist/vocalist . The reason for excluding a proper side was to avoid redundancy. In 2020, assembled the alto saxophonist's leader sides. The trajectory of the music included here follows a large number of artists across their early releases for the label. They include , , and , who are all represented by multiple entries. Highlights include 's "Dexter's Minor Mad" from his first leader session in 1945 when he was just 22, 's read of 's "Hollerin' and Screamin" (1946) just smokes. 's "Church Mouse" (1947) offers a bluesy take on hard swing, while ' "Byas a Drink" (1945) reveals he'd made the transition and could balance both sides of the fence effortlessly. From December 1944, tenorist 's "Little Benny (King Kong)" was an early bop session by a veteran who'd worked with and ; his killer septet for this side includes bassist , drummer , trumpeter , and fellow saxophonist . 's "Mad Be Bop" from 1946 features pianist , and alto saxophonist . Legendary vibraphonist is represented beautifully by the inclusion of "Hearing Bells," "Junior," and "Bubu" from 1949. His band on these sides includes pianist 's "Don't Worry About Me" (1946) offers a soulful, swinging dimension amid the harmonic exploration. The set's final four tracks are welcome outliers. leads the same band did on "Stealin' Trash." Drummer delivers the classic obscurity "Pete's Beat," from Los Angeles' Central Avenue scene in 1948. Baritone saxophonist 's amazing "Pumpernickel" is delivered by a burning sextet including trumpeter , criminally underrated pianist , and bassist . Finally, tenor saxophonist delivers the scorcher "Blowin; For Kicks," an intense 12-bar workout from 1947 that features inventive guitarist , who almost steals the show. Packaged in a handsome slipcase, the -produced includes a fully illustrated 28-page booklet containing rare photos, a liner essay, and complete track annotation by Grammy-winning writer . Interestingly, as one reads through the track info, typos readily appear. This is not an oversight but a conscious decision by the compilers to leave label representations and info exactly as they found them. ~ Thom Jurek