The inevitable appearance of this deluxe, beautifully annotated five-record set doesn't make it any less welcome. For more than two decades after the alto saxophonist's death in 1955, five separate Savoy albums of Charlie Parker's various 1944 to 1948 quintet recordings, with alternate performances of the same tunes scattered from one disc to the next, served as cornerstones of modern jazz collections. These LPs were almost impossible to find. Then Bird: The Savoy Sessions (Master Takes) arrived in 1976, after Arista had purchased the independent jazz and gospel label, and that sampler of Parker's ocuvre remains the best-selling "twofer" jazz reissue of recent years. Now The Complete Savoy Studio Sessions presents, in chronological order, all of the takes from each of Bird's Savoy dates: five as leader (including the first session under his name), one in guitarist Tiny Grimes' quintet and one by Parker's band with Miles Davis leading and Bird playing tenor.

An obvious point of comparison is Charlie Parker, the six albums of 1946 to 1947 Dial material that Warner Bros. boxed last summer. With the exception of graphics (where Warners was lavish, Arista is modest), the Savoys win the production prize. The discography is laid out clearly and in one place. James Patrick's text comments intelligently and often in depth on the individual tunes, while Teddy Reig, who produced most of the original sessions, contributes an animated interview to Bob Porter, producer of the reissue. Best of all, we get several priceless illustrations, both musical and documentary. Included are note-for-note transcriptions of some of Parker's most abstract rhythmic and melodic thinking, the reproduction of a publishing contract (in which Savoy pays Bird $62.50 for the rights to "Ah-Leu-Cha") and a handwritten letter by Parker that purports to verify Savoy's right to record him (in violation of his Dial contract). These last two items put Bird's art into its economic context.

Comparing the music cut for Dial and Savoy is futile—why should anyone not confined to the familiar desert island disparage either? The Dials span a shorter time period, document the extremes of Parker's California sojourn and collect most of the material by the Charlie Parker quintet (with Miles Davis on trumpet, pianist Duke Jordan, bassist Tommy Potter and drummer Max Roach). The Savoys show Bird going from sideman to era-defining master and provide a bit more of Dizzy Gillespie (on piano as well as trumpet). There are also appearances by pianists Bud Powell and John Lewis, plus more of Roach's drumming and a fuller sense of Davis' artistic maturation. It'd be impossible to choose between the most acclaimed of the Savoy masterpieces ("KoKo," "Parker's Mood") and the equally imposing and complementary pair ("Night in Tunisia," "Embraceable You") on Dial.

Several other Savoy titles are justifiably famous, including "Now's the Time," "Billie's Bounce" and "Blue Bird" (Parker the blues deity); "Bird Gets the Worm" and "Steeple Chase" (Parker the virtuoso improviser); "Chasin' the Bird," "Cheryl" and "Marmaduke" (Parker the composer whose melodies had the immediacy and flawless logic of his best solos). The many alternate takes call attention to imperfections: ensembles are sloppy, reeds squeak and sidemen occasionally labor over fixed ideas. Bird, for the most part, is mercurial and looking for new ideas throughout. The only excuse for owning seven or eight takes of the same jazz riff is a soloist whose probing curiosity is capable of realizing jazz' ultimate promises. On those terms, no one has yet offered a better reason than Charlie Parker. (RS 290)

BOB BLUMENTHAL