A Night at Birdland, Volume 1 (1954)

Recorded on 21 February 1954 at Birdland in New York City, this date represents the explosive public birth of hard bop. Pee Wee Marquette's iconic gravelly introduction sets the stage for Art Blakey's thunderous press rolls, verbal shouts and ferocious swing, driving young Clifford Brown and Horace Silver to deliver jubilant, crowd-igniting solos.