Given the album's timeline, it's no surprise that 45 out of these 49 tracks feature Charlie Parker (and to a greater extent than Davis), while the four with Bird on tenor are the only ones led by Miles himself. So, in other words, this is another selection of Savoy Master Takes and Dial Master Takes, widely available elsewhere. But, if we take the compilers' premise at face value, it's interesting to note the great strides taken by the trumpeter during this three-year period. On the opening ‘Now's The Time’ session (excluding ‘Ko Ko’ where he was replaced by Gillespie), Miles's melodic but stiff playing sets a pattern that only starts to ease after Parker returned from the West Coast and employed him regularly during 1947-48.

By the time of the single Royal Roost airshot, ‘Groovin’ High', he was clearly moving towards something more lyrical and less virtuosic than Bird. The four non-Parker-related tracks are from a worthwhile 1947 date led by Coleman Hawkins (with little space for Miles), while other less-than-all-star sessions he appeared on are thankfully omitted. What we have is the tried and true classics in which Davis played second fiddle to Bird.