Charlie Parker: Confirmation: Best Of The Verve Years on 2 CDs

The Charlie Parker story on what became the Verve label is intimately bound with the impresario Norman Granz. From late 1948 until his death, Parker worked under an exclusive recording agreement with Granz, who encouraged the alto saxophonist to work in a kaleidoscope of fresh dimensions, including string ensembles, orchestras, and large Latin-jazz bands: "I insisted that Charlie play pretty tunes written by good songwriters instead of just the blues....[He] had done just about everything possible with the small combination that the 'boopers' used." Among the great Verve artists Granz teamed Parker with in units of all kinds were Benny Carter, Roy Eldridge, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, and Lester Young - all heard on this distinctive selection of the alto saxophonist's greatest performances for the label.