We've already outlined a general history of jazz by strolling down the many highways and byways of its different styles during the first fifty years of its life; now we're going to propose another approach to this music, the most popular and creative of the 20th century, and incidentally, one that's still continuing to develop, though in a different manner. We'll be offering a chronological approach to the life and music of some great jazzmen. There are already several anthologies and compilations in this world to do with jazz and those who are part of it, but we wanted to take a different approach and go one step further if possible. We'll be following our selected artists into every corner of their life, their critical and popular successes, anything unusual or innovatory they introduced, all in their order of composition; another "extra" with us will be the sound which will be cleaned and restored. So here goes. Jazz to listen to, accept, listen to again, appreciate, think about. For these are the high points of a musical story belonging to the 20th century that's still relevant fifty years later. Andre Francis (Jazz Characters creator)

Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Blowin' The Blues Away (Eckstine - G.Valentine) Billy Eckstine Orchestra 3'07
2. Nice Work If You Can Get It (Gershwin) Thelonious Monk Trio 3'00
3. The Thin Man (K. Dorham) Art Blakey 2'57
4. Cu-Ba (C. Payne) James Moody And His Orchestra 2'35
5. Four In One (T. Monk) Thelonious Monk Quintet 3'28
6. On A Slow Boat To China (F. Loesser) Sonny Rollins Quartet 2'38
7. Zoot Case (Z. Sims) Zoot Sims Sextet 5'36
8. Safari (H. Silver) Horace Silver Trio 2'48
9. Bye-Ya (T. Monk) Thelonious Monk Trio 2'44
10. C.T.A (J. Heath) Miles Davis All Star 3'22
11. Nothing But The Soul (A. Blakey) Art Blakey 4'08
12. Once In A While (Edwards - Green) Jazz Messengers 5'09
13. Quicksilver (H. Silver) Jazz Messengers 6'42
14. Salute To Birdland (G. Gryce) Art Blakey Quintet 2'58
15. Bean And The Boys (C. Hawkins) Bud Powell Trio 3'28
16. The Third World (H. Nichols) The Prophetic Herbie Nichols 4'09
17. The 52nd Street Theme (T. Monk) Jazz Messengers 6'10
18. Liza (Gershwin - Kahn) Thelonious Monk Trio 3'10
19. Nica's Tempo (G. Gryce) Jazz Messengers 8'22
20. Bill Hardman (tp); Jackie McLean (as); Sam Dockery (p); Spanky DeBrest (b); Art Blakey (dms); New York, 13 d cembre 1956

Disc 2:

1. Hank's Symphony (H. Mobley) Jazz Messengers 4'36
2. The Sacrifice (Blakey - Martinez) Art Blakey And His Rhythm 5'12
3. Cubano Chant (R. Bryant) Art Blakey And His Rhythm 3'56
4. Theory Of Art (B. Hardman) Jazz Messengers 9'43
5. Rhythm-A-Ning (T. Monk) Jazz Messengers And Thelonious Monk 7'16
6. Epistrophy (Monk - K.Clarke) Thelonious Monk Septet 10'43
7. I Remember Clifford (B. Golson) Jazz Messengers 5'33
8. Blues March For Europe N"1 (B. Golson) Jazz Messengers 5'42
9. Whisper Not (B. Golson) Jazz Messengers 7'13
10. Moanin' With Hazel (B. Timmons) Jazz Messengers 14'07
11. Lee Morgan (tp); Benny Golson (ts); Bobby Timmons (p); Jymie Merritt (b); Art Blakey (dms); "Club St. Germain", Paris, 21 d cembre 1958