More important, the viewer cannot necessarily place the performance in the scheme of the artist's career or the development of the sound. Given the fact the sole Chet Baker clip is in color and his somewhat aged appearance, it may be safe to conclude this was a performance later in his career, perhaps during the time he was living and performing almost exclusively in Europe. There is, however, no way to know. Likewise, because valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer appears with the Gerry Mulligan Quartet, we can speculate that the performance was recorded sometime from 1954 to 1957, the only time when Brookmeyer was part of the Mulligan Quartet. Yet the viewer shouldn't be forced to research or speculate about such things.
Further compounding this flaw is that with few exceptions the DVDs and their boxes do not identify the performers other than the leader. When the occasional changes in the makeup of jazz groups is combined with the lack of information about when the performance was recorded, the average viewer cannot determine who is performing with Young, Brubeck, or Montgomery. One exception is the occasional clip where the ensemble is billed as featuring a particular artist, such as Brookmeyer with the Mulligan Quartet. The other is the broadcast of three pieces by Teddy Edwards on Disc 2 put the names of soloists on the screen as they played.
As a result, the series serves as little more than a brief introduction to or overview of the West Coast sound. While both fans and newcomers will find some excellent music, their understanding and full appreciation of it is marred by the lack of information surrounding the performances.
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