Various Artists – The Complete Dial Modern Jazz Sessions (Mosaic) – This is an exhaustive 9-CD boxed set of the complete recordings from the Dial label. This was where Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon and many others minted modern jazz. West Coast record store owner Ross Russell recorded cutting-edge musicians when the major labels balked at paying composer royalties and found themselves cut off from new sounds due in part to a recording ban. Dial had a short but prolific run of exciting showcases for bebop, with its bristling breakneck tempos and burnished ballads, daring fusions of jazz and Afro-Cuban music stunning showcases for improvisation. Parker is in full flight on tracks like “Relaxin’ At Camarillo,” “Bird of Paradise” and “Embraceable You.” A young Miles Davis is featured on the Parker tracks. Dexter Gordon and Wardell Gray circle each other on “The Chase.” Excellent remastering makes for a maximum listening experience.
