Smooth jazz began here, with producer Creed Taylor’s plan to make modern jazz “appeal a little more to the general public”. And he succeeded. His label, CTI, launched in 1970, boasted a cast of prestigious names – Freddie Hubbard, Milt Jackson, Hank Crawford, Chet Baker, Paul Desmond and many others. What’s more, their CTI records sold vastly better than their previous efforts. Everything about them was sumptuous, the rich studio sound matching the gloss of the gatefold album sleeves. The jazz press made disparaging noises, but the artists never complained. Some of them, notably George Benson, began whole new careers on the strength of CTI. Judge for yourself with this four-CD package.