From ‘Trane to Adair, a guide to jazz tracks

In jazz, recordings from the past never really disappear. The music of Charlie Parker is as alive today as it was on the day it was created. And the gift-giving season inevitably spurs interest in the latest packages of great performances. This year some particularly attractive choices are available, with many of the art’s key figures represented in boxed sets:

Essential

Charlie Christian’s “The Genius of the Electric Guitar” (Columbia Legacy), four CDs. Electric guitar -- for jazz, pop and beyond -- begins with Christian. His brief life (he died in 1942 at the age of 25) produced a brilliant collection of recordings, most of them included here.

John Coltrane’s “Legacy” (Impulse!), four CDs. Anything by Coltrane is worth having, but this set is particularly valuable. His son Ravi Coltrane has gathered recordings from various companies into a comprehensive overview of the great saxophonist’s extraordinary body of work.

Bill Evans Trio’s “Consecration: The Final Recordings, Part 2. Live at Keystone Korner, Sept. 1980” (Milestone), eight CDs. Few of Evans’ efforts are more touching than these performances, produced within days of his death in September 1980, and a remarkable expression of a musical mind in its final, fullest blossoming.

Charlie Parker’s “The Complete Savoy and Dial Master Takes” (Savoy Jazz), three CDs. A more manageable version of an earlier eight-CD set that included extensive alternate takes. Vital to any jazz collection, it displays Parker at his seminal best, defining bebop on the spot in virtually every classic number.

For collectors

Miles Davis’ “The Complete Miles Davis at Montreux 1973-1991” (Columbia Legacy), 20 CDs. Here’s an opportunity for dedicated Davis-ites to explore the evolution of his music over two eventful decades -- the ‘70s and ‘80s. Since many of the programs employed the same tunes, there is also the opportunity to hear the changes in his musical thinking.

Johnny Smith’s “The Complete Roost Johnny Smith Small Group Sessions” (Mosaic), eight CDs. Guitarist Smith’s brief arc of jazz popularity centered on the 1952 session with Stan Getz that produced “Moonlight in Vermont.” But his richly harmonic style was present in numerous other settings, almost all little-known. Guitarists in particular will find much of value in Smith’s highly personal style.

Sarah Vaughan’s “The Complete Roulette Sarah Vaughan Studio Sessions” (Mosaic), eight CDs. Vaughan at the peak of her vocal powers when she made a series of recordings for Roulette ranging from pop-oriented outings to sets with the Count Basie Band. Recommended for Vaughan fans willing to sift through the chaff to find the occasional glorious moments. (Mosaic albums are available solely through Mosaic Records, 35 Melrose Place, Stamford, CT 06902; [203] 327-7111).

Also available

Beegie Adair’s “Centennial Composers Collection” (Green Hill), six CDs. The pianist would be far better known if she worked in a jazz town. In this intriguing set, she applies her elegant, lightly swinging readings to the music of George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers, Duke Ellington and Hoagy Carmichael.

Herbie Hancock’s “The Herbie Hancock Box” (Columbia Legacy), four CDs. The Lucite box surrounding this collection of Hancock recordings dating from the mid-’70s to the early ‘90s is the most user-unfriendly packaging in recent memory. The always fascinating music, from the acoustic VSOP tracks to electric efforts from albums such as “Headhunters” and “Future Shock,” deserves more suitable presentation.