Bird at Birdland

The second disc is a particular delight, chiefly because Parker is joined by trumpeter Fats Navarro and pianist Bud Powell. Navarro, who died from tuberculosis at 27, shortly after these recordings, was one of the most enthralling of bebop trumpeters. If he didn't demonstrate the bravura technique of Dizzy Gillespie, he was a master of full, midrange tone and the extended, perfectly ordered musical idea, as evidenced in particular by "Cool Blues". But this is Parker's gig, and as well as featuring in bebop combos, he's heard with a Latin American band and with strings. The set comes in a long booklet format, with extensive bound-in notes and illustrations. It's hard to imagine a better manifestation of these core bebop dates. --Mark Gilbert