The Smithsonian's four-disc tribute to the swing/big band era, compiled by the late, great Martin Williams, offers as comprehensive a look at the genre as possible from a general perspective. Williams featured great and lightweight bands, highly popular vocalists like Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, dubious ones with large followings like Bob Eberly and Doris Day and underrated ones such as Al Hibbler and Helen Humes. Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Woody Herman and Benny Goodman are well-represented, but so are Harry James, Glenn Miller and Bob Crosby. The sound quality is first-rate and the liner notes are informative, and the material is nicely divided between familiar cuts and obscure tracks. The Smithsonian's sets are sometimes attacked for emphasizing one style over another or not representing each era of a genre; that cannot be leveled at this anthology.