Venerable building blocks for an impressive library

It’s been a year to remember for fans of classic jazz. And the wonderful thing about the dozens of fine boxed sets released in 2004 is the fact that each one is both a collector’s item and the source of hours of musical enjoyment. Here are my choices, along with list prices, of some essential albums for collectors and anyone in search of the pleasures of jazz.

Chet Baker

“The Prince of Cool: The Pacific Jazz Years 1952-1957”

(Blue Note, three CDs, $38.98)

The inimitable voice of Baker can be heard in all its sweet-toned glory on “Chet Sings,” the first of the three CDs here. The second, “Chet Plays,” showcases his equally poignant trumpet, and on the third, “Chet & Friends,” he is joined by Art Pepper, Stan Getz and Gerry Mulligan.

Dave Brubeck

“For All Time”

(Columbia Legacy, five CDs, $44.98)

This budget-priced collection of material recorded between 1959 and 1965 leads off with Brubeck’s “Time Out” album and its classic tunes “Take Five” and “Blue Rondo a la Turk.” Each disc offers a definitive display of the musically symbiotic relationship between Brubeck and alto saxophonist Paul Desmond at the height of their popularity. Three of the CDs -- “Countdown: Time in Outer Space,” “Time Changes” and “Time In” -- have not been previously available on CD in the U.S.

Miles Davis

“Seven Steps: The Complete Columbia Recordings of Miles Davis 1963-1964”

(Columbia Legacy, seven CDs, $129)

The transitional years between the breakup of Davis’ first great band (with John Coltrane, et al) and the assembling of the superb Shorter/Hancock/Carter/Williams quintet of the mid-’60s come fully alive in this illuminating collection. Once past the band that featured the underrated tenor saxophonist George Coleman, the most fascinating aspect of the successive CDs -- most of them recorded live -- is the gradual creative cross-fertilization taking place between Davis and his ambitious young cohorts.

Dexter Gordon

“Dexter Gordon: The Complete Prestige Recordings”

(Prestige, 11 CDs, $140)

Seventeen previously unissued tracks are among this overview of the great tenor saxophonist including his musically productive years with Prestige (and Riverside and Jazzland) between 1965 and 1973, as well as a few dates reaching back to a 1950 jam session with Wardell Gray. This is hard-swinging, hard-edged, jam-oriented bebop at its most primal levels.

The Art Farmer/

Benny Golson Jazztet

“The Complete Argo/Mercury Art Farmer Benny Golson Jazztet Sessions”

(Mosaic, seven CDs, $119)

The partnership of Farmer’s lyrical trumpet and Golson’s captivating compositions (and first-rate tenor saxophone) was made in jazz heaven. This expansive collection encompasses not only all the Jazztet sessions from the fertile 1960-62 period, but also concurrent individual sessions by Farmer and Golson, including a Golson tentet session and a Farmer date with an orchestra.

Norman Granz

“The Complete Jam Sessions

Box Set”

(Verve, five CDs, $59.98)

Recorded in the early to middle ‘50s, the selections here were produced in the studio -- differing thereby from the producer’s Jazz at the Philharmonic dates. The great joy of the compilation is the opportunity to hear marvelous encounters between, among others, Dizzy Gillespie and Roy Eldridge, as well as an extraordinary musical meeting of Charlie Parker, Johnny Hodges and Ben Webster.

Woody Herman

“The Complete Columbia Recordings of Woody Herman and His Orchestra & Woodchoppers (1945-1947)”

(Mosaic, seven CDs, $119)

Herman’s mid-’40s band was one of the sterling combinations of big-band jazz. Its musical hits -- “Apple Honey,” “The Good Earth,” “Caldonia,” “Igor” (dedicated to Igor Stravinsky) and the fiery “Keen and Peachy” -- are all here, as well as now-historic selections from the Second Herd, featuring the breakthrough tenor saxophone sound of “Four Brothers” and Stan Getz’s career-breakthrough solo on “Early Autumn.”

Oscar Peterson

“The Legendary Oscar Peterson Trio: Live at the Blue Note” (Telarc, four CDs, $35.98)

The reunion of Peterson, guitarist Herb Ellis and bassist Ray Brown for this 1990 date found each player at the peak of his musical maturity. Recorded before Peterson’s stroke, the program, rich with blues and standards, is a brilliant display of his amazing combination of fiery virtuosity and tender musicality.