As well as the musicians performing here, the word ‘masters’ indicates deliberate omission of all those alternate takes that fill up the box sets. That apart, the majority of the contents correspond to the Parker half of the Dial box reviewed in Jazzwise 198, with the ‘bonus’ of three tracks each from other small labels led by Sarah Vaughan and pianist Thompson (a pity they couldn't have squeezed in ‘If I Had You’ from the latter). It's worth underlining that everything here belongs to the 78 era and – as with ground-breaking early Armstrongs – the improvising genius is on display in short dollops, often alongside inferior or less inspired musicians. The longest alto solos are those on the slow ballads that Dial (unlike Savoy) encouraged, such as ‘How Deep Is The Ocean’, ‘Embraceable You’ (this original release being less celebrated than the slower one not included here) and the notorious ‘Lover Man’. Of the faster items Parker is outstanding on the Red Norvo ‘Hallelujah’ and his own ‘The Hymn’, the latter thanks to Roach whose presence on 18 tracks is crucial, and there are early hints of Bird's interest in latin rhythms on ‘Bongo Beep’ and ‘Bongo Bop’. The only mystery for specialists is why we've waited till now to hear the clichéd head and out-chorus attached to the jam-session excerpt known as ‘Home Cookin III’.