DON BYAS The Best Of Byas 1938 - 49 (2008 UK 2-CD album set - This 39-track collection is a chronological presentation of some of his most highly-rated recordings between 1938 - 1949, dipping into a considerable number of the many musical relationships he formed over the years. The various group formats and stylistic approaches provide an admirable showcase for his talents, demonstrating his versatility but also underlining the consistency and distinctiveness of his technique and thesmoothness of his improvisations. The accompanying booklet gives full discographical details of the recordings, highlighting the huge number of celebrated musicians he worked with over the years – a factor which makes this set of special interest to Jazz collectors, offering the opportunity to hear a range of noted performers.)