It is tempting to dismiss `Best Of' albums, especially when the musicians are well known and they have made many many recordings. However these 3 CDs really do stand out - starting Track 1 CD1 with `Stranger On The Shore' as the trad jazz number holding a record for the longest time in the charts - it's Acker's pension pot! This sets the scene for a further 60 tremendous tracks of good-time music from the `trad' boom in the late 1950s and 1960s. For fans of Chris Barber, Kenny Ball and Acker Bilk the listings confirm numerous favourites, and even newcomers are likely to recognise `trad' titles such as Barber's (Monty Sunshine really) `Petite Fleur', Ball's `Midnight In Moscow' and Bilk's `A Taste Of Honey'. There are blatantly commercial numbers as Barber's `The Entertainer', Ball's `I Wanna Be Like You' and Bilk's `Buona Sera', and also solid traditional jazz with Barber's `High Society', Ball's `Acapulco' and Bilk's `Burgundy Street Blues'. As extra treats there is the rich powerful voice of Ottilie Patterson as `Lonesome Road' and Lonnie Donegan with skiffle as `The Midnight Special'. Plus lots more making this album tremendous value for money and deserving 5-star rating - but those already owning Barber, Ball and Bilk CDs should check listings for duplication.