This CD is a decent sampler of the ten-disc set, as far as it goes. Opening with the
Buck Clayton showcase "Philharmonic Blues," it moves around a bit from year to year, essentially presenting snapshots of certain performers and ensembles featured on the ten-CD complete set. The choices will always be open to debate, although the inclusion of several longer numbers does give the budget-conscious listener, who may be wary of laying down the 140-plus dollars for the full set, a chance to audition some of the best parts ahead of taking the plunge. The sound, as on the full set, is amazingly clean and vivid for the music's mid-'40s vintage origins, with unobtrusive surface noise occasionally turning up. ~ Bruce Eder