In 2002, Fantasy reached again into its vast jazz archives -- the biggest in the world at the time -- and pulled out six samplers from the labels which it has purchased over the years. Riverside, of course, had already been thoroughly mined in the four-disc Riverside Records Story box set, but this single CD duplicates only four tracks (out of 17) from the box. As a result, this sampler could serve as an interesting, inexpensive supplement for those who have the box, as well as an entryway into the Riverside catalog for those who can't or won't spring for the bigger package. Three big names whose reputations were essentially established on Riverside -- Thelonious Monk, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans -- get one track apiece, while a fourth, Wes Montgomery, gets two: "Airegin" on his own and "Stairway to the Stars" with Milt Jackson. A few of the label's hits or touchstones -- like Evans' most famous tune, "Waltz for Debby," or Charlie Byrd's near-definitive take on Jobim's "Meditação" -- are here, but not as many as one would guess, and in one case, Fantasy opts away from Cannonball's hit recording of "This Here" towards composer Bobby Timmons' version. Indeed, a solid plurality of the tracks here come from artists not as indelibly identified with the label as the above, with several vocalists (Abbey Lincoln, Mark Murphy, Eddie Jefferson) turning up, and one ringer -- a rare Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn duet date (an almost Monk-like treatment of "Cottontail") that was originally issued on the Mercer label in 1950. Indeed, from the admittedly limited evidence presented here, it's hard to put your finger on a Riverside sonic personality; the box manages that a bit better by concentrating more upon the artists who recorded a lot for the label. Peter Keepnews' notes are mainly a reminiscence of growing up with the label -- which is understandable since his father, Orrin, was the label's co-founder and producer of these sessions. ~ Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide