Although those albums were rereleased several times, the complete sets were not commercially available until Sony Records released a digital mastering of this collection.

The original 1961 albums and the 2003 complete reissues (both the 4-disc and 2-disc) displayed a photograph by Leigh Wiener of Davis with his first wife, Frances Taylor, for whom the song "Fran-Dance" was composed.

The 2003 restoration of the original cover art came after a number of reissues that used a photo with an atmospheric representation of the exterior of the Black Hawk taken during Davis's performance.

In its review of the four-disc compilation, The New York Times indicated that the set was "the gold standard for straight-ahead, postwar jazz rhythm".

[11] AllMusic, praising the "pristine" sound and "lovely" packaging, suggested that "no Davis fan should be without these recordings purchased separately or as a set.