In this installment of essential jazz recordings, we again recommend CDs by five significant jazz artists who excelled on their instruments of choice. This time we explore their music as much for its groundbreaking originality as for the players’ technical mastery. By looking at two alto saxophonists, two pianists and a very influential guitarist, it will help us understand to what degree jazz is a musical form best defined by the individual.

No one has had a greater impact on the development of modern jazz than alto saxophonist Charles "Yardbird" Parker, who virtually invented the bebop style within the context of a small combo—usually a quintet also featuring trumpet, piano, bass and drums—in sharp contrast to the big band swing that preceded Parker’s emergence in the early 1940s. An undisputed virtuoso on his horn, he redirected the focus of jazz from simple melodic progressions to improvisations based on chords, essentially creating new song structures as a basis for endless exploration by the soloists. The concept was earth-shaking for its time, sparking a backlash that included Louis Armstrong’s characterization of bebop as "Chinese music."

Another controversial alto saxophonist who would turn the jazz world on its ear in the late 1950s was Ornette Coleman, whose "harmolodic" system abandoned bebop’s concentration on harmony in favor of free improvisation loosely based on melodic themes and moods. Coleman’s odd technique and shrill, wavering tone can be off-putting to a novice. Even more than Parker, Coleman upset the jazz establishment’s apple cart, drawing ire from Miles Davis, among others. Now 80, Coleman still eschews convention and still sounds fresh and uncompromising.

With his odd chord progressions, his quirky, crablike piano technique and his often unsettling personal demeanor, the ultimate jazz iconoclast may be Thelonious Sphere Monk. One of the architects of the bebop movement, Monk’s keyboard innovations and advanced concepts made him unique among his contemporaries. Dozens of his memorable compositions—including "Straight No Chaser," "Well You Needn’t" and the haunting ballad "’Round Midnight"—still intrigue young players and present unique challenges to interpretation.

On the other extreme of the spectrum is the piano style of Bill Evans, who opted for a more fluid approach reminiscent of chamber music. During his brief eight-month tenure with Miles Davis, Evans provided a perfect foil for the trumpeter’s modal excursions, especially on the landmark 1959 recording "Kind of Blue." Evans is heard to best effect on his numerous trio recordings, where he often transformed jazz standards with interpretations uniquely his own. He also wrote such memorable tunes as "Waltz for Debby," "Time Remembered," "Song for Helen" and "Peace Piece."

Perhaps no guitarist has been as influential among jazz players as Wes Montgomery. Self-taught using his thumb instead of a pick, he developed an individual technique by chording octaves instead of plucking single-note runs. Recording his first session as a leader in 1959, he established his formidable reputation and solidified his place in jazz history in less than a decade. His recording career ended with his death of a heart attack in 1968, at age 43.

There are many impressive anthologies of Parker’s ground-breaking early music, but this is probably the one to go with if you can find it. It compiles 125 re-mastered Dial and Savoy recordings from 1940 to 1948 on five discs and generally sells for about $30. It includes Jay McShann sides "Swingmatism" and "Hootie Blues," plus many of the tunes on which Parker established his credentials—"Tiny’s Tempo," "Red Cross," "Groovin’ High," "Hot House," "Billie’s Bounce," "Now’s the Time," "Yardbird Suite," "Ornithology," "Cool Blues," "Relaxin’ at Camarillo," "Donna Lee," "Scrapple from the Apple," "Parker’s Mood," and many more. It is hard to believe that Parker was just 19 or 20 years of age when these recordings began and not yet 30 when this very productive period ended. He would live just another seven years, dying at the age of 34. Another recommended boxed set documenting Parker’s early years is the three-disc "The Complete Savoy and Dial Masters" on Savoy Jazz. It’s easier to find but more expensive than the JSP collection. "The Complete Dial Sessions" is a four-disc set on Stash Records that includes some superfluous alternate takes.

The first half-dozen or so of Coleman’s break-through recordings (1958-1961) still dazzle with their originality. We will go with 1959’s "The Shape of Jazz to Come" for its major-label introduction of some very un-mainstream music. Among the best tracks are "Lonely Woman," "Congeniality" and "Peace." Of course, the sidemen in Coleman’s classic quartet are all in good form—trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Billy Higgins. This is considered by many to be the Holy Grail of avant-garde jazz, but other worthy Coleman classics include "Something Else!!!!: The Music of Ornette Coleman" (1958), "Tomorrow is the Question" (1959), "Change of the Century" (1960), and "The Art of the Improvisers" (1961).

Like Coleman, the music of Thelonious Monk stands outside the mainstream for its unconventional sound and audacity of style and technique. No one else could have written "’Round Midnight," "Well You Needn’t" or any of dozens of Monk compositions that bear his unmistakable stamp. The seminal 1957 release "Brilliant Corners" introduced "Bemsha Swing," "Pannonica," "Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are," and the title track. Among the outstanding sidemen are tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, drummer Max Roach, bassist Oscar Pettiford, and alto saxophonist Ernie Henry. "Bemsha Swing" features trumpeter Clark Terry and bassist Paul Chambers, and Monk’s performs a solo piano rendition of the standard "I Surrender, Dear."

Evans amassed an impressive catalog of recorded music before his death in 1980 at age 51. Some of his best work was documented live with a trio that also featured bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian. During five sets on June 25, 1961, they created this classic of modern jazz. Released in piecemeal fashion over the years, the entire three-disc package was finally re-mastered and reissued in 2005. It contains superb interpretations of Evans’ "Waltz for Debby" and LaFaro’s "Gloria’s Step" and "Jade Visions," but the real treasures are the trio’s inspired performances of standards such as "My Foolish Heart," "My Romance," "Some Other Time," "I Loves You Porgy," "Alice in Wonderland," "All of You" and Miles Davis’ "Solar." Evans demonstrates why his lyrical, intense romanticism has influenced several generations of modern jazz piano players, from Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock to Keith Jarrett, Fred Hersch and Brad Mehldau.

Like Evans, much of Montgomery’s finest recordings were captured in live performances, including 1962’s "Full House" and this one from 1965. "Smokin’" is especially noteworthy because it comes later in the guitarist’s career, when his studio recordings had taken on a well-polished and well-marketed commercial patina that often discouraged or obscured his dazzling fret board technique behind an orchestral pop luster. This set is a mid-‘60s exception to that rule, an example of Montgomery’s playing at its most inspired. This performance has been packaged in several versions, including the original five-track release—featuring blistering renditions of "Unit 7" and "Four on Six"—and this 2005 re-mastered version with six additional tracks. Among the most notable are "Willow Weep for Me," "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top," and "Impressions." Throughout, Montgomery is masterfully accompanied by the Wynton Kelly Trio—pianist Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb.