The star-rating is averaged between five (music) and one (presentation), and there's so much marvellous stuff here, from ‘Now's The Time’ to Sketches Of Spain, that the whole venture should be beyond criticism. There's always something new to be learned from listening to such masterworks. But even a public-domain release, even 34-CDs for around £34, could have sturdier packaging and perhaps a proper booklet, rather than a flawed personnel listing on CD-ROM. With that caveat, this is obviously some kind of godsend to relative newcomers when, for the price of a handful of current reissues on Blue Note, Prestige and Columbia, you can get them all (without their bonus tracks – mostly) alongside lots of excellent though less celebrated Miles, plus with people including Parker. The sound is serviceable if variable, and naturally improves from the mid-1950s on. Collectors need to know that this is hardly complete for the period, especially as to concert and airshot recordings. There are at least a dozen sources (both live and studio) that are missing, possibly because they weren't released till 30 or 40 years ago, rather than the 50 that puts them out of copyright – but, then, that's also true of most of the live stuff that is here, so go figure! Just to underline the lack of care in the compilation, the brilliant Porgy And Bess CD has been “extended” with two takes each of other Gershwin songs, namely ‘The Man I Love’ and ‘But For Me’ [sic], which are of course duplicated on other CDs. And, if they can include a bonus CD of the marvellous (Michel) Legrand Jazz, only a third of it with any Miles (and with all its tune-titles in the wrong order – very helpful to beginners!), what happened to the classic Somethin' Else under Adderley's name?