This unannotated 21-track compilation selects recordings originally released on Brunswick, Bluebird, and Victor, from the start of
Artie Shaw's big band in 1936 to 1942, when he disbanded it to join the service. Anything but a hits collection, it contains only a few Top Ten tracks ("Traffic Jam," "Summit Ridge Drive," and the title tune) and has a heavy complement of recordings from
Shaw's unsuccessful first band. But despite the seeming randomness of the selection and sequencing, there are many outstanding performances, if only because
Shaw's bands, despite his tendency to break them up, maintained a high level of proficiency, and the leader was always technically brilliant.