It’s kind of hard to appreciate it now, 70+ years later, but at one time the recordings on this single disc created a tectonic shift in modern music. Not only did the bebop of Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, ray Brown, Kenny Clarke and others change the direction of jazz with harmonic and rhythmic advances, but at the same time, rhythms, instruments and harmonies from Cuba converged with modern jazz to form Afro Cuban sounds that still resonate today.
This single disc, with recordings ranging from 1945-54, contains both small and big band versions of the music that still sounds fresh and exciting. The earliest, from December, 1945 has Charlie Parker/as, Dizzy Gillespie/tp, Al Haig/p, Milt Jackson/vib, Ray Brown/b and Stan Levey/dr searing through “Dizzy Atmosphere”, with a similar band with John Lewis/p is head spinning on “ A Night In Tunisia”, “Groovin’ High” and “Confirmation”.
There are some intriguing big band sessions as well, with a 1950 session with Parker, Howard McGhee/tp, sitting in on Frank Machito” Grillo’s band on “Mambo Fortunato”. “Cherokee”” and a rollicking “Manteca” while a session that includes Parker with Woody Herman/s band of Bill Perkins/ts and Dick Hafer/ts is a gas on “Lemon Drop” and “The Goof and I”. There’s even a 1954 outing with Parker and Gillespie sitting in with Stan Kenton’s big band with Charlie Mariano/as, Frank Rosolino/tb and conga man Candido” a searing “ Manteca” and “Cherokee”. The sound quality is better than you’d expect, and the music, WELL! Imagine having a record of Beethoveen playing on his own 5th Piano Concerto and you get the idea.