The Bob Crosby Orchestra was going through a personality crisis in the early '40s. Although the big band gained its fame a few years later as one of the top Dixieland bands, it was leaning toward more routine swing and commercialism by the early war years in an attempt to increase its audience; the move had the opposite effect. This CD contains radio transcriptions which are in general superior to Crosby's Decca recordings of the period. Some of the tunes hint a bit at Dixieland (particularly the ones featuring trumpet solos from Yank Lawson and spots for Eddie Miller's tenor)...This music is a bit erratic and overall not up to the level of Bob Crosby's more famous recordings, although there are some good moments. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
