ROMANTIC JAZZ

Jazz can be incredibly elemental and rooted in the physical, or it can be very intellectual and abstract. It can be beautiful in the way that a sunrise is beautiful, or the sound of waves hitting the breakshore and the bracing feel of autum air on your face. And, of course, jazz can be incredibly romantic music. If you haven't tried jazz during a romantic candlelight dinner, or for after dinner dancing, or for makin' whoopee, well, then you haven't lived. But maybe you're not a full-time jazz afficianado and you aren't quite sure what you should be loading up the CD changer with. Don't panic, because I am going to hip you to some very romantic grooves right now. You will have the music covered after you read this. The rest is up to you.

Traditional Favorites

The choice of Getz/Gilberto featuring tenor saxophonist Stan Getz, and Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto is ideal for those seeking accopaniment to an urbane, cosmopolitan evening. This is intimate, late-evening music for chilling out with a martini and admiring the skyline from a hi-rise, or better yet from the roof or observation deck of a hi-rise. Recorded in 1964, it is a wonderful balance of jazz and soft latin rhythms that whisper like a light breeze through the palm trees. The live album pairing these two and also featuring Gary Burton, Getz Au Go Go, is also a good choice.

Dinah Washington is a singer I'm very familiar with, having grown up in a household where her music was on heavy rotation. Washington enjoyed one career as a jazz singer, another as an R&B singer, and still another as an interpreter of ballads. The reason I suggest Dinah Washington's Finest Hour is twofold: first, you get songs from each segment of Dinah's career, so you get a very real sense of what a great singer she was. Second, this disc contains Washington's version of "I Could Write A Book", which is my favorite romantic song and which I think is essential to any discussion of romantic jazz.

Chet Baker is well known for his trumpet playing, particularly his work with the original Gerry Mulligan Quartet. But he later became known for his sweet, fragile tenor and gentle way with a love ballad. Chet Baker:Songs For Lovers was compiled and released by Pacific Jazz in 1997, and it is a welcome addition to anyone's CD collection. It combines beautiful vocal numbers like "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "Embraceable You" with deep, rich instrumental versions of "My Old Flame" and "Moonlight in Vermont". Another Baker classic is My Funny Valentine.

Frank Sinatra could sing a love song like few singers, jazz or otherwise, before or since. Sometimes he sang with the enthusiasm of a youthful lover in the midst of his first affair, at other times he was the grizzled veteran offering advice over a glass of scotch at the local bar. Songs for Swingin' Lovers! is great Sinatra at the peak of his prowess. It features sparkling Nelson Riddle arrangements and great interpretations of a variety of material: "You Make Me Feel So Young", "I've Got You Under My Skin", "Makin' Whoopee", and "Old Devil Moon." More Sinatra? Try In the Wee Small Hours or Greatest Love Songs

Ben Webster's tenor sound is inherently romantic--full, breathy, like a soft whisper or a warm exhalation of back of your neck. So Webster seems like a natural for lush string arrangements, and he is, as the 2-disc set Music For Loving: Ben Webster with Strings makes clear. The song selection is magnificent: "Willow Weep For Me", "Chelsea Bridge", "Prelude to a Kiss" and many others are the perfect accompaniment to romance. Norman Granz brought in the best arrangers he could get here--Billy Strayhorn, Ralph Burns, Gerald Wilson, so there's no schmaltz here, just great music all around. As a bonus, you also get material originally released under the leadership of baritone saxophonist Harry Carney (with strings as well) that is simply magnificent. The performances of "It Had to Be You" and "I Got It Bad" by Carney are particularly lovely.

While we are speaking of romantic tenor sax, let's not forget Coleman Hawkins' Body and Soul, nicely remastered as part of the Victor Jazz series. The album compiles tracks recorded between 1939 and 1956, so they include performances from the height of the swing era as well as bop-oriented material. The centerpiece, of course, is Hawkins' groundbreaking performance of "Body and Soul", a recording I often think of as the first really 'modern' jazz recording, because Hawkins worked through the chord changes rather than around the melody, as soloists had traditionally done up to that time. Hawkins shines on every single track here, even though not all of the arrangements are worthy of his skill.

The sound of Miles Davis in a pensive mood is just the thing for those quiet, mellow nights at home or after the date, when you're snuggling up for a nitecap. Kind of Blue is the quintessential romantic jazz album, with pieces that flow easily into each other and nothing to jar you out of your romantic reverie. It's also a great and impressive gift for just about anyone, because there's no better mood music. Often referred to as "the jazz album for people who hate jazz", it truly can't be beat. Another great Davis album to put on when you dim the lights is the Gil Evans-arranged Sketches of Spain

Nat "King" Cole has long suffered among jazz enthusiasts as a performer who was not "jazzy" enough, mostly beacause of his popular vocal recordings (can anyone say Harry Connick, Jr.?). After Midnight, recorded in 1956 was Cole's response to such criticisms, and it certainly should have laid them to rest permanently. Along with backing musicians Stuff Smith and Harry "Sweets" Edison, Cole swings out seriously, demonstrating why he's an important jazz pianist and a serious influence on many musicians who came afterward. In addition, it's also a great album for a romantic evening or pretty much any get together where a swinging soundtrack is required. Best of all, the recording has been digitally remastered and several additional tracks have been added, making this even more of a must-have recording.

No recommendation of romantic jazz could possibly be complete without something from Ella Fitzgerald. Ella earned a reputation as the foremost jazz interpreter of songs by American songwriters like Gershwin, Jerome Kern, and Rodgers & Hart, and it's easy to see why on The Best of the Songbooks: Lovesongs. Most of the arrangements are by Billy May and Nelson Riddle, who so clearly understand the music as well as Fitzgerald's readings of the songs--every arrangement is a fantastic setting for her voice and interpretation. And with songs like "Laura", "Easy To Love", and "Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me", how could this collection not melt the heart of any listener?

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