The Very Best of Artie Shaw has two unbeatable advantages. Firstly, RCA own the original metal masters and so, in theory, they can get the cleanest transfers possible. Secondly, Artie Shaw himself made the selections. Who is going to gainsay the man himself when it comes to choosing his very best? As one might expect of such a maverick, there is solid good taste here (he's included the one commercial side Billie Holiday made with him during her brief stay in the band) along with the odd raised eyebrow (no "Frenesi", no "Blues in the Night", no "Traffic Jam", no "Serenade to a Savage"). RCA US have broken the habit of a lifetime and made good, sharp and clean transfers from their originals, making this perhaps the best-sounding reissue of this material. It's also a credit that "Star Dust", "Begin the Beguine", "Nightmare", "Concerto for Clarinet" (both parts) and "Chantez-les-bas" are included in the disc's 68 minutes. It's a cliché, but if you're only ever going to buy one Artie Shaw CD (and that'd be a pity), this should be it. --Keith Shadwick