Gillespie popularised bebop with the classic Musicraft small group recordings of the mid-40s. Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, Milt Jackson and Sonny Stitt are just some of the big names joining Diz on these groundbreaking tracks. Try and stick to the small group stuff, with Indigo's Groovin' High set easily the pick of the collections available.
Buy Amazon
BO the Complete Savoy & Dial Studio Sessions Charlie Parker 1944-48 [Savoy/Dial]
Seminal bebop recordings from its greatest icon. Including some previously unissued material, these 20 tracks recorded for the Savoy & Dial labels represent some of the altoist's finest work made before heroin addiction finally caught up with him. Music Club's In a Soulful Mood is a well-annotated budget alternative containing the Dial stuff.
Buy Amazon
Gone With the Wind Fats Navarro (w/ Tadd Dameron) 1946-49 [Blue Note/Capitol]
More than a third of the great bop trumpeter's 2CD Complete Blue Note and Capitol Recordings is made up of poorly placed alternate takes. Like Charlie Parker, Navarro suffered from a fatal heroin addiction. This cheapie 18-track collection features the best of his playing with pianist Tadd Dameron, so let's hope it sticks around for a while.
CDs covering bop pianist Powell's classic Blue Note years are typically short on playing time and often long on excessive alternative takes. If you can find it, The Definitive Bud Powell contains the pianist's best for both the Blue Note and Verve labels. The support includes trumpeter Fats Navarro, drummer Max Roach and Sonny Rollins on tenor sax.
Buy Amazon
The Best of the Blue Note Years Thelonious Monk 1947-52 [Blue Note]
Blue Note treats their Monk catalogue with a little more respect than they give to their other great bop pianist, Bud Powell. The sixteen classics here are almost the perfect overview of Monk's best bebopping - with a respectable 48 minutes playing time. Other players include trumpeter Kenny Dorham and Milt Jackson on vibraphone.
Buy Amazon
Bird & Diz Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie 1950 [Clef/Verve]
Bird and Diz renew past acquaintances and pianist Thelonious Monk helps out on the only recordings he would ultimately make with Parker. The odd man out is swing drummer Buddy Rich, but the boppers battle through. The original 1950 release clocked in under a half hour, but the CD is supplemented with several alternate takes.
Buy Amazon
Jazz At Massey Hall The Quintet (featuring Charlie Parker) 1952 [OJC]
Live date featuring altoist Charlie Parker fronting an all-star bop line-up that included Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, drummer Max Roach, and Charles Mingus. Parker was Bop's greatest icon. Despite his battles with the heroin addiction that was to prove his undoing, this stands out as one of the most exciting live recordings in jazz history.
Buy Amazon
The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson (Volume 1) Jay Jay Johnson 1953 [Blue Note]
It was pretty tough for most trombonists to keep up with the sheer pace of bebop. Johnson was an exception, utilising every trick in the book to get the right sound - including softening his acoustics with an old beret. The addition of hotshot trumpeter Clifford Brown is a real bonus, although a typically short Blue Note playing time irks a bit.
