Years back I remember seeing the DRBB at Ronnie's, with Jim McNeely in charge. The playing was mightily impressive then as was the band's spirit, the focus on precision yet with ample room for the soloists to excel. Now comes this 6-CD box documenting the band's half-century of existence, taking in the presence of distinguished guests and spotlighting the response of the band to the differing intentions of successive musical directors. The story starts in 1964 and culminates as far as this compilation is concerned in a session from January 2014 teaming the band with Dominican pianist Michel Camilo. Sixty-six performances in all, lasting something like eight hours, so a formidable enterprise for both Storyville's compilers and the potential listener. CD1's tracks are shorter, the template being that of contemporary US orchestras, with arrangements by Bill Holman or Marty Paich, every soloist identified, among them the brilliant trombonist Vincent Nilsson, a standout from that Ronnie's visit so long ago. Stan Kenton was on hand in 1966 to conduct the classy Holman charts with NHØP on bass, altoist Rolf Billberg the star on ‘Stella by Starlight’ and tenorist Uffe Korskov superb on ‘Yesterdays’, before Copenhagen resident Ben Webster guests, memorably on a series of ballads and Ellington pieces. Time and space permit only the most cursory of consideration for the rest of this mammoth undertaking. Take it that the level of performance never dips, the soloists are invariably excellent and the band itself, as an entity, is truly outstanding. The Thad Jones era was altogether more contemporary, all electronic keyboards and soulful alto, live from the Montmartre club in Copenhagen. Fame is in his element (CD3) and Django's Jazzpar music was fashionably eclectic before Elias and the ripe-sounding Brookmeyer took their turn. This superb box is both a worthy tribute to a remarkable ensemble and an absorbing guide to the evolving role of one of Europe's finest jazz orchestras. Thoroughly recommended.