Complete Masters 1941-54

Before I bought this collection, I was looking for something that would have all of Charlie Parker's recordings as per his Omnibook in as few records as possible, and without having to spend too much on buying many different records. I can only tell you that there are many many many different collections, complete recordings, and what have you of Mr. Parker out there. And if I had ended up buying those in order to complete the list of songs on the Omnibook, it would have costed me much much more. Anyhow, not only this collection satisfies my purpose, I find that it gives a very complete picture of his career compared to many others out there and with a very acceptable sound quality considering when these were originally recorded. Very happy with the purchase and would recommend anyone looking to get into Bird and his genius skills.

Beautiful box set. Great sound quality even if it is in Mono. Every Bird lover should have these records.I love it.

This is a fantastic product for an incredible price which I recomend for anyone enthusiast for jazz who would like to appraise a complete work of a Master.

Die Zusammenstellung ist sehr ausführlich; allerdings wird ein Maßstab kaum genannt, woran sich die Auswahl orientiert.Die Angaben zu den einzelnen Titeln sind ausreichend, nicht üppig. Um Feinheiten zu verstehen, wäre mir eine Übersetzung der Texte ins Deutsche hilfreich.Die Tonqualität der Aufnahmen ist überwiegend gut; es macht Freude, zuzuhörenDie beigefügten Plakate oder Cover von Platten vermitteln eine Stimmung, ein Lebensgefühl der jeweiligen Zeit, dies scheint mir sehr gelungen. Und bei dem "überschaubaren" Preis von knapp 35 € darf man nicht meckern: da wird viel Qualität fürs Geld geboten. Also: für Parker-Interessierte empfehlenswert.

Ce coffret est complet; c'est un accomplissement. La musique de Charlie Parker est là, entière, développée, sublime. Je ne veux pas faire le professeur, mais cet alto est le meilleur du monde, de tous les temps, avec celui de Julian Adderley. En plus, le prix a vachement baissé. Ce que j'ai payé plus de 50 euros vaut à l'heure de nos écoutes 40 euros, alors profitez-en parce que ces bonheurs sont de courte durée. A acheter les yeux fermés et les oreilles bien ouvertes. Amour total pour ce jazz éternel...

Haven't listened to all the discs yet but so far the mastering sounds sterling, Charlie very clear in the mix. Sounds just as good to my ears as the JSP Studio Chronicle box-set mastered by JRT Davies. It comes with a very nice 68 page booklet (full session details) in French and English with a number of great photos, some of which I've never seen before - a real beauty of Bird and Monk from 1953 (but where's the hat?). All in all, a lovely package. Whether or not it is indeed "complete" I'll have to leave to greater, more erudite minds than mine but at 13 discs (two containing broadcasts, concerts and private recordings)it should satisfy most Bird enthusiasts. Limited edition it says so ...

In 11 Cd ci sono raccolti tutti i master che ha registrato in tutti i suoi anni della sua carriera, dai primi passi con l'orchestra di Jay McShann fino agli ultimi quintetti e quartetti del '53-'54. Poi in coda alla raccolta, due cd (in tutto sono 13 CD) con registrazioni private, live e apparizioni alla radio. Io l'ho preso un po' a scatola chiusa perchè non c'erano recensioni, però voi potete andare sul sito jazzmasters.fr e vedere come è costruito fisicamente il cofanetto e cosa contiene (sul sito c'è anche la track list per ogni cd). La raccolta è in ordine cronologico ed è veramente curata bene. Oltre ad i Cd vi è un libretto (in inglese purtroppo) dove racconta un po' la vita e la storia di Parker e dove vi è la track list di ogni cd, dettagliata anche per quanto riguarda i musicisti che hanno preso parte ad ogni registrazione. Il prezzo è scandalosamente basso (su Amazon france lo vendono a 40 euro questo cofanetto, fate voi) e il cofanetto è rigido e resistente, anche i singoli Cd non sono inseriti in una bustina di plastica o carta ma in un busta di cartone spesso.

I bought a much cheaper Charlie Parker collection recently ("Documents"), and even though it was fairly comprehensive, there was no information. Such indifference infuriates me. So, I was delighted to come across "The Complete Masters." It includes a useful booklet with annotation that enhances one's appreciation for this classic music.