After a trilogy of BBC Jazz Club volumes featuring Chris Barber's Jazz Band, this CD was compiled as an extension of the series. Archive material from 1961 was gathered together from Barber's radio shows to form the disc, effectively volume four of Chris Barber's Jazz Band.

Barber's weekly wireless show was agreed to by the BBC, a whole two and a half hours of British trad jazz, featuring guests like Kenny Ball, Tony Coe, John Pickard, Ken Coyler, Archie Semple and Joe Harriot.

This disc is certainly not lacking in quality, despite including tracks not selected for the first three volumes. Energy levels remain high throughout the seventeen tracks, all of which were recorded in front of a studio audience. What is lacking though is an intimate contact with the listener. I found it all too easy to switch off completely, never really being overly impressed by any one soloist (in typical trad-style eight bar chunks). The listener is bombarded with intense energy, volume and lack of subtlety for almost a whole hour, the result being a constant sound that allows you to drift into a short solo when the mood takes you, but keeps your foot tapping if you manage to listen to the whole disc in one session.

Not being a huge trad fan puts me at a slight disadvantage when commenting on highlights or lowlights of this recording. To be fair, many of the tunes follow a standard formula, although style occasionally veers away from the standard two feel. When forcing myself to listen intensely to individual musicians, it was Graham Burbidge on drums who I found myself focussing on most. He has a natural ability to maintain energy without becoming monotonous, but adds extra levels of excitement, noticeably raising the level of the whole band at key moments. All players provide technically flawless soloing, but there is still nothing new or outstanding to report.

To me, the highlight of the disc is the continuity of the ensemble sound maintained through a variety of styles, including the four-in-a-bar swing of Georgia Swing, the boogie-woogie of I can't afford to do it (featuring Ottilie Patterson on vocals), and my favourite, a ballad version of I can't give you anything but love with Pat Halcox, sounding remarkably like Kenny Baker, on trumpet.

If you're a trad fan, buy this disc even if you have different versions of the same tunes - the live element makes it exciting to any jazz lover. For me, the style is at its best live. This is a disc of very fine players in a live situation and is a must for the discerning fan of the wireless days.

Carl Raven