Cool Jazz Music

Chet Baker Sings It Could Happen To You features the fine vocal talent of the immortal Chet Baker. He also plays the trumpet along with the other musicians on this album. I love to hear Chet Baker sing. Period. He could take any ballad or tune and infuse it with so much passion that it invariably sounded new, fresh and genuinely emotional in all the right ways. Chet's talent was very rare; and this CD shows just that. Kenny Drew's piano playing on these tracks is also absolutely flawless. The quality of the sound is excellent and I really like that artwork very much.

"Do It The Hard Way" has a fine jazz arrangement; Chet handles the tempo and key changes like the pro he always was and still remains! Chet's voice has that trademark touch of vulnerability that made him so popular with his adoring audiences; Chet's singing shows this quality very clearly all throughout the album. "I'm Old Fashioned" is a classic pop vocal that has a wonderful piano arrangement. "I'm Old Fashioned" may have the best piano arrangement I've heard for this number; but make no mistake about it: Chet Baker is squarely front and center and that's more than quite all right by me! "I'm Old Fashioned" is a major highlight of this CD. "You're Driving Me Crazy" has an upbeat arrangement that moves along at a slightly faster speed than I'm used to hearing but it all holds its own very well.

"It Could Happen To You" is a huge highlight of this album; Chet Baker sings this to perfection and beyond! I could never tire of hearing Chet sing this sublime rendition of this classic pop vocal tune; he delivers this with very elegantly. "It Could Happen To You" sounds heavenly in Chet's capable hands; and that's grand. "My Heart Stood Still" shines bright when Chet and the others perform this; and I am especially fond of their version of "The More I See You." "The More I See You" has a fine arrangement that plays with the tempo a bit but again Chet's version works well. "The More I See You" really lacks nothing.

"Everything Happens To Me" is a charmer that Chet and the others ace as effortlessly as if it were just breathing; and "How Long Has This Been Going On?" glitters like silver and gold combined when Chet and his buddies do this one up right! "How Long Has This Been Going On?" is bound to impress you every bit as much as it impresses me; it's all THAT good. "Old Devil Moon" sports a fine arrangement and Chet never lets go of a superfluous note; and the CD ends very strong with Chet Baker and the others performing "You Make Me Feel So Young." "You Make Me Feel So Young" gets an upbeat yet rather sensitive treatment from these fine artists; and it left me wanting so much more! "You Make Me Feel So Young" provides a stunning end for this album.

Chet Baker could sing and play the trumpet alongside the best of them; and albums like this one showcase his exceptional talents. I highly recommend this for Chet Baker fans; and people who enjoy classic pop vocals with jazzy arrangements will cherish this CD for many years to come.

Thank you, Chet! We miss you!

This album is amazing. Chet Baker is equally good as a singer as he is trumpet player. The highlights for me are How Long Has This Been Going On? I'm Old Fashioned (what a beautiful song) It could Happen to You. Highly Recommended!

or Best Of or something like that! This album is the result of Baker's first sessions for the independent Riverside label and it's just fabulous. The Chet Baker Quartet is featured includes Kenny Drew (piano), Sam Jones (bass), and Philly Joe Jones (drums)- ex. Miles Davis. Song selection is great and Chet's singing and playing is gorgeous! My favourite Chet album.

if you're having doubts about this album, just buy it. Get a bottle of smooth scotch or wine. Wait until the sun goes down on a spring or summer night. Open your windows to let the breeze through. Turn the lights off, light a few candles. Put this cd on and drink your drink slowly. It will all open up for you.

This CD showcases Chet Baker's vocal abilities at their peak. His trumpet solos are also exquisite. Kenny Drew's piano work is a textbook example of how to support a vocalist, adding instrumental spice without obstructing the singer, on par with Teddy Wilson's work with Billie Holiday. Sam Jones and Philly Joe Jones function similarly, swinging solidly in support without disturbing the mood of each tune. They are replaced by George Morrow and Dannie Richmond on a few tracks without incident. The marriage of great performance with a selection of great jazz standards guarantees a tasty listening experience, seasoned with a touch of Chet's bittersweet wistfulness.

A nice collection of relaxing ballads. More mellow and accessible than some of his other masterpieces. Great driving music.

I've only recently discovered this CD, and I love it. Especially track #3.Summer Night and I Loves You Porgy. Sometimes they both make me want to cry. I also enjoy Stella by Starlight, His interpretation of I Loves You Porgy is so haunting yet so good. Someday My Prince will come is more upbeat but you can enjoy it and swing to it. Simply good.

"Don't play what's there, play what's not there." ~ Miles Davis ~

Miles Davis was, no doubt, one of the top best trumpet players if not the best who ever graced the world of jazz. I love the way he artfully played his favorite instrument in all of his recordings, with no exception. He was a genius at that. But my only concern has something to do with the quote above... his repertoire. In my opinion, he had a very uniquely, individualistic choice of the tunes that are not on the mainstream - those that are rarely recorded. He wanted to be different from the rest when it comes to selecting the material for his body of work. I'm a huge fan of standards from the Great American Songbook so naturally this is my most cherished Miles Davis CD, "Love Songs." The repertoire is a tasteful collection of some of the best tunes that he ever recorded between 1957 and 1965. The interpretations are flawlessly sublime. Kudos to Gil Evans for the beautiful and enchanting chart arrangements.

There is an element of graceful elegance in the consistent execution of all the tracks especially my top choices "My Funny Valentine," "I Thought About You," "Someday My Prince Will Come," "I Loves You Porgy" and "Stella By Starlight" where he is backed by Bill Evans on piano, Cannonball Adderley on alto sax and John Coltrane on tenor sax. Listen closely to his tear-inducing, sweeping and wailing trumpet ... just about the sweetest sounds I've ever heard.

The presence of a team of talented jazz instrumentalists also adds glow to all the tunes - the likes of Grammy Awardee Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, Frank Butler on drums, among many others.

There are two bonus tracks that are perfect representations of his contemporaneous approach to non-standards, "Time After Time" and "Human Nature." You can hear an upbeat Miles Davis on these delightful bonus tunes.

Listening to this CD is such a sweet musical adventure. It always takes my breath away each time I listen. With my heartfelt recommendation, you'll love it as much as I do.

* * * * * TEN STARS * * * * *

I can see hardcore fans of Davis (I am becoming one, if you ask) revolting at the idea of a compilation of romantic works by what most people consider to be one the world's greatest trumpet players ever. But consider it for a second: this was actually Davis' work (and some incredible pieces, all of them, for that matter), and some albums of his (think 'Someday My Prince Will Come' and 'Seven Steps To Heaven') actually have a a 'softer' style to them (if there's anything soft about Davis' trumpet, even in ballads), in spite of his perennial "tough" attitude (I'd call it more a facade or a shield, now having read more about him in his autobiography, and heard some of his 'stronger' music alongside the types of songs contained in this compilation).

Between this album and 'Love Songs 2' (issued earlier in 2003) you actually also take a good enough peak into an otherwise infamous album ("Quiet Nights") that most people consider as a flawed release driven by greed in a label, rather than to do justice to the artist's work. So, all in all, 'Love Songs' has a place and a very deserved one: it has allowed, along with his classic 'Kind of Blue' to introduce new listeners into jazz, and into the extensive catalog of works of Davis. The way I see it, this album taps into the iceberg, giving you a bit of the chills, so that you come back and take a deep plunge into the heart of his music, beyond the easy listening stuff.

Since this album is an excellent compilation of several previous albums, from the first bars of every track you feel automatically the flight to another musical sphere .
Davis was a poet with intense sense of the rapture and Bacchic expression all the way .
I fall in love too easily is a love statement.
I thought about you is simply a landmark in the jazz . The smooth warmth and the sliding sound trumpet of Davis prepares to a encounter with Venus . You feel the one million per cent commitment of M.D. playing this milestone piece.
My ship is an amazing piece .It was composed by Ira Gershwin and Davis is simply floating in this aural atmosphere.
Someday my prince will come is a theme with variations . Dynamic flows and wonderful mood.
And we come to one of the highest peaks of the CD: Stella by starlight does not need presentation. Any medium melomaniac will enjoy with sublime joy this golden version .
But the jewel of the crown is definitively My funny Valentine one of the three best themes in jazz any age .Recorded live in Lincoln Center New York on January 12 , 1964 this version simply has no equal in its style . Davis in the peak of his musical powers . But the rest of the team is : Ron Carter in the bass , Herbie Hancock in the piano and Tony Williams in the drums . Expression and ravishing inspiration make of this theme by itself more than deserved the buying of this album.
A must for any lover jazz music .

Se você está interessado em conhecer o bebop, esta é uma boa oportunidade. A coleção traz um apanhado geral do estilo e no mínimo vale como curiosidade para quem quer se iniciar no tema.

The reviews above just about sum it up: great collection, nice selection of songs, and I hear the booklet is great. I bought my box set from another seller and it came without the book. Anyone wishing to sell one or know of a place to get it, please contact me!

As a long time jazz fan, you'd expect that I would have most of the material on a box like this. And I do. But there are quite a few gems I've found nowhere else and, in any case, it's wonderful having all of this amazing music in one place. "Bebop Spoken Here" is indeed a perfect introduction to this challenging subgenre of jazz, but it is also a wonderful set for the connoisseur of jazz. All the greats are here, both the famous and the obscure. If you haven't picked this up yet, do so!

This huge compilation casts a wide net, capturing the classic recordings of the giants of bebop: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Bud Powell, the early recordings of future stars like Dexter Gordon and Stan Getz, the popularizers who made it accessible to a larger audience: Woody Herman, Benny Goodman, Charlie Barnet and Charlie Ventura and the rarities by now-obscure musicians: Freddie Webster, Sonny Berman, Tom Archia, Tony Fruscella and many others.

Why buy this set? You won't hear this music anywhere else as radio these days won't play anything made before the LP era.
You will discover that although this music was far-out, Dizzy Gillespie was popular enough to have his own big band and a
major-label record contract. Charlie Parker could play any style,
his first record with Tiny Grimes is pure swing and Parker plays superbly. You'll hear Trummy Young, Louis Armstrong's trombone player, play superbly on "Good Bait" with Dizzy Gillespie and Dexter Gordon. You will hear so much rare and excellent music, otherwise completely unobtainable, by musicians, like Tadd Dameron, so influential and yet now forgotten. You will hear the
greatness of those who died far too soon like Wardell Gray and Fats Navarro.

If you want to experience and understand this music, this is essential listening. Reasonably priced, excellently documented too!

Like eating really good filet mignon for the first time, and feeling slightly sorry that you deprived yourself up that point. But otherwise, just smiling, swaying to the beat and scatting along.

A good friend of mine who is a semi-professional musician attempted to teach me about modes, how jazz is often constructed. I'm just an appreciative music fan, but clearly the artists on this collection were high adepts, skillful in weaving together some of the most complex yet unpretentious music ever heard. Too many fabulous artists to single out; they're all good. I hope jazz fans back in the day enjoyed this music as much as I do.

BUY THIS COLLECTION AT ONCE!!!

More music from Mother's, Peter Gunn's favorite watering hole. Manne's second LP of Mancini's TV show music has weaker material & a different front line (trumpeter Conte Candoli & alto saxophonist Herb Geller replaced by trumpeter Joe Gordon & Richie Kamuca on tenor.). Mancini collectors will enjoy it. Too cool, if that be possible. Not bad, but inessential Shelly Manne.

This is the second Manne CD I've bought. I see why my best friend went to see/hear Shelly Manne and his Men at the Manne Hole in L.A. back in the day. Good classic jazz.

I currently have the first three albums in the series. Of those three, this album will get the least-frequent play in my iPod. While there are recognized classics like 'Giant Steps' and 'Green Dolphin Street', there are also less-than-classics like '500 Miles High' and some pure dreck like 'Feelings'.

Although Joe does as well as any guitarist might, one feels a bit of pressure to be 'current' with tunes like 'If'. Perhaps my own hearing is tainted by familiarity with the originals, but I can't help but feel Joe was polishing a you-know-what. These performances show too much effort in redeeming tunes that just aren't worth it.

As far as the real jazz on this CD goes, it's great. Perhaps the solution is to uncheck the pieces I've complained about and just to play the good stuff. Works for me.

i really appreciate this album. joe pass grooves, and i have probably listened to this version of giant steps half a million times. very much recomended for guitarists: not sure if you'd enjoy this if you don't play guitar, but hey, give it a shot: they're great arrangements of great tunes.

This has to be one the most incredible CDs that I've heard irrespective of genre! Joe, I believe, will be remembered as the best all around jazz guitarist to the extent he was able to play his guitar much like one plays a piano.

On this totally JOE CD, he starts the show with John C's tune, "Giant Steps." These are some odd chordal changes, but Pass played them with ease and much fluidity. He incorporated popular tunes like, "Feelings" which is typically a lounge lizard tune, but Joe turned it into a masterpiece!

Another tune that showcases his posthumously surreal skills and aptitudes on this CD is "On Green Dolphin Street." He must have been in some type of transient state when he blew out this track as the solo(s)--cleverly broken up--were (are) remarkably fast and NOT circuitous in nature. Each run is fresh and this is old news to anyone who has listened to Pass' music for any period of time!

If you are a jazz guitarist and you do not have this CD, this is a MUST GET CD for your collection. If you are a jazz fan and passive listener, this CD will absolutely amaze you. Any jazz musician can listen and learn from this particular solo CD which I feel is the best of all of his "Virtuoso" releases!

This is a collector's item so add it to your collection! You will not be disappointed! We miss ya Joe! Respectfully, Brian G. Jett

"Virtuoso #2" is much mellower than "Virtuoso #1." This is the classic Pass style which combines chord/melody arrangements with single note passages. The momentum is occasionally broken with rubato single note cadenzas, but this occurs less frequently than in "Virtuoso #1." If you want to hear pure chord/melody jazz guitar pick up, "Soliloquy" by George Van Eps.

Ultra-Lounge has a very nice selection of music and it's great background music for get-togethers. Makes you crave a Martini, even if you're listening to it in the car!

Very enjoyable jazz style christmas songs. Perefect for your next Christmas cocktail party. Sets the mood and lifts your spirits as well.

very nice change from the overplayed radio stations. Love to listen to this to get in a Christmas mood. This is a CD that is classic and fun to listen to over and over.

Nothing can be finer that Ultra Lounge - never a bad thing to say.

Ultra-Lounge Christmas Cocktails, Pt. 2 is a grand CD that gives us quite a few wonderful holiday time numbers from greats including Lena Horne, Dean Martin, Julie London, Peggy Lee and more! This is one Christmastime CD you're going to love! Christmastime music has always been some of my very favorite music; and the tracks on CD will tell you why.

Listen for Lena Horne's "Jingle All The Way;" her jazzy interpretation of this classic number rocks as Lena swings brightly. Great percussion, too! Julie London croons her lovely "Warm December;" and Julie never sounded better. The brass on "Warm December" helps to bolster the natural beauty of this song. In addition, I especially liked The Nat King Cole Trio singing and swinging their version of "All I Want For Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)." The trio does a splendid job on this Christmas novelty song.

Nancy Wilson sings "The Christmas Waltz" to perfection with a lush musical arrangement; and Dean Martin takes "Baby, It's Cold Outside" and makes it a tour de force all on his own! I love that female backup for Dean's vocals on "Baby, It's Cold Outside;" and the flutes sound great. Wayne Newton belts out a very special "Jingle Bell Rock" with some mighty fine percussion and The Ventures do "Frosty The Snowman" up right with an arrangement that smacks of early rock and roll.

We also get Guy Lombardo's "Auld Lang Syne" as one of the bonus tracks. Great!

The liner notes have a fine essay by R. J. Smith; and the artwork impresses me greatly.

Overall, if you want some swingin' lounge music for your Christmas party--whether there be cocktails served or not--you truly can't afford to go without this fine CD. It's chock full of great performances and I predict you'll be listening to it over and over again.

Enjoy!

I have a wide selection of Jerry's art,
I love to put 5 CD's on so on my stereo and just relax, read and enjoy a really fine classy Jazz artist who are so impossible almost to find in our generation.
He makes my reading time, and quiet times so nice.
Mulligan reaches across many generations and every piece of his music is pure fine music for your body and mind.
Try all of his music, you just can't go wrong.
I found one oh his albums on vinyl in a older friends basement, I bought it on CD and now am hooked, I think soon I will have to add onto my CD storage cabinet.
Break my arm, I can hardly wait to fine more classics like him..

Gerry Mulligan's program notes say it all. He comments about "The Real Thing" which he wrote, by saying simply that it was the first time it was played as an instrumental. Well, the whole CD is the real thing.
Great selection, and Gerry is beautifully accompanied by the fine players in his quartet. My particular favorite was "I'll Be Around"
This is a beautiful CD and you can have your own dream as you listen.

Until recently, I shied away from buying the music of my jazz heroes recorded in their old age. Well, there was no reason to avoid Mulligan near the end. He was so much better here than on the 1949 "Birth Of The Cool" album, for instance. I guess an extra 45 years of practice were worth it!
I found his sidemen to be quite accomplished as well and the tunes to be better fleshed out melodically than many jazz recordings. This is actually a must-have for Mulligan fans - and not a bad sampling of what Gerry was like in a small group for casual fans.

An early photo of composer, band leader, and baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan shows, in profile, the almost impossibly thin and lanky artist holding his sax. Both player and instrument seem to melt into each other,the same eye-catching shape.

A perfect tribute to Mulligan because no one in jazz history is more closely linked to the bari than he. "Jeru," as Miles Davis nicknamed him, almost single handedly made the bari a jazz instrument, coaxing out of this unwieldy instrument a now-playful, now-elegant, always-recognizable signature sound. In addition he composed some of jazz's most popular melodies--Line for Lyons,Walking Shoes,Utter Chaos--, pretty much invented the piano-less quartet, and was a sideman and leader for almost five decades.

Recorded in 1994, Dream a Little Dream is one of his last efforts. And what this recording makes clear is that, even though Mulligan was probably seriously ill by this time, he was no lion in winter, already faded and past his prime.

Mulligan's quartet breathes new life into some of his compositions, including Walking Shoes. But this cd is really about Mulligan taking one final pass at some of American music's classics. Georgia on my Mind, My Funny Valentine (a tune oft-recorded by Mulligan groups of various sizes), and My Shining Hour are all here, in versions long enough for the players to stretch a little, in versions that remind us of what a wonderfully lyrical and introspective player Jeru could be. Even Mama Cass's Dream a Little Dream works splendidly, not coming off as filler, but, rather, as the perfect example of what a great jazz artist can do with what appears to be a mundane piece of music. The quartet swings lightly through the tune, giving it an easy grace that we never heard before.

But for my money, it is Mulligan's treatments of Here's That Rainy Day and his own Song for Strayhorn that make this cd invaluable. There is such a bittersweet melancholy to Mulligan's bari in "Rainy Day," nothing morose, but a sense of much painful wisdom gained the hard way. Mulligan lets us feel the rain, the grey, the regret.

Song for Strayhorn is, of course, Mulligan's hommage to the great Billy Strayhorn, Ellington's alter ego and composer of some of the classic tunes that most people associate with Ellington. Mulligan's composition is very much like Strayhorn-- witty, graceful, introspective. The quartet and Mulligan's sax work wonders here. You can almost see and here the elegance that was Billy Strayhorn.

On a recent tribute to Mulligan,saxophonist Bud Shanks plays a cd's worth of great Jeru compositions. To the play list, Shanks offers a new piece, After You, Jeru. The point, it seems to me,is that after Mulligan, the jazz world will be hard pressed to come up with a composer, a leader, a baritone player with so many gifts and so much life as Mulligan brought to the table.

The cd is almost eight years old. My review is the first. If you know Mulligan, if you don't, buy this cd--the whimsical cover art,and, of course, the art inside will make you love, admire, and miss the great Gerry Mulligan.

I have over a dozen Cal Tjader CD's, and this is perhaps my favorite. If you liked his "Cal Tjader Plugs In" disc, you'll love this live release. Like the "Plugs In" recording, there's a strong emphasis on "groove" playing with an electric guitar & keyboards giving a more contemporary sound to the band. But unlike that disc, these are live versions where the band is allowed to really stretch out and explore the tunes. The playing is top-notch, the result of Tjader keeping a cohesive group together for years that knew each other inside and out. The tunes really cook, and are played with enough dexterity and inventiveness to satisfy any hardcore jazz fan. And people who just like a good groove will enjoy this too. All the tunes are very melodic and listenable, but this is definitely NOT a "smooth jazz" CD. These guys are incredible musicians playing full-tilt, and it captures their sound and perfectly. This disc is currently bargain priced and extremely well recorded for a live session. Don't miss out on this one!

I bought this one after hearing the title track. This one is smokin - !

I was delighted to read that this recording had been made, from the cover notes on "Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster". Then,when listening to it I found that they complemeted each other's playing perfectly. The icing on the cake was to be told in the cover notes that they had swapped instruments for the first 3 tracks and listening again to hear the characteristics of each one's style on unfamiliar instruments. This is one of my favourite recordings.

Very together work.. fantastic counterpoint..they play like one instrument

Getz and Mulligan were obvious heavyweight jazz musicians, but this recording falls way short of other efforts during this period in their careers. Although switching horns may have brought some interest to the session, the results are not positive, and in the end just a bad idea. Mulligan's tone on tenor is particularly strident and his intonation is poor, and after hearing Getz's sweat tone and precise technique on tenor, Mulligan just sounds lousy on tenor, especially in the upper range of the horn. Getz pulls the horn switch off more convincingly and plays the Bari with some authority and retains his voice, but the question in the end is why? There are some nice moments and obvious skilled improvisation and technical prowess on this recording, but the recording is not a high point.

Stan the Man, the greastest sax player of all time should have made a number of albums with Jeru - the best baritone of all time (since his better playing mentor Serge Chaloff died off young). Both were Cool both West Coast Jazz. The owner of Verve put them together. But there is only this one.

In order to fool the listener, they switch instuments at one point! Getz plays baritone and Mulligan plays tenor. They should have made great music togehter but the results are adequate but don't live up to what each of the Cool Jazz greats did on other albums where they were out front. The Getz and Bill Evans albums are also pretty mediocre. Maybe too many egos?

The best series of duet albums Getz did (other than piano with Al Haig or Kenny Barrons) was with Bob Brookmeyer on valve trombone.

Why this one is adequate but not great (as is stated elsewhere), it's hard to say.

"Getz Meets Mulligan" was my favorite jazz album when I was 16, and it remains my favorite as I approach 60.

That about covers it, so far as I'm concerned.

Ghs

This album is one of my all-time favorites. It is a must-have to enrich any smooth jazz collection.

For his undeniable contribution to Bossa Nova and Brazilian culture, Henri Salvador was awarded the Brazilian Order of Cultural Merit by none other than Gilberto Gil, the Minister of Culture, and Brazilian President Lula.

Henri Salvador, according to Tom Jobim, was the father, or at least precursor/godfather of the Bossa Nova movement. Jobim credits Salvador and his first hit song "Dans mon île" (1957; "Chega de Saudade" was released a year later) as inspiration for Bossa Nova.

Upon his return to liberated France from Brazil (whereto he had wisely decamped with Ray Ventura's orchestra), Salvador began his illustrious musical court jester career and only rarely reconnected with his original musical loves (jazz and ballads).

The musical court jester is not the "Room With A View-Henri Salvador". Instead we are presented with the ever young in heart and spirit jazz musician and singer Salvador, who, uncharacteristically, relinquishes composer duty on all but the last track (with another 60's icon, Francoise Hardy).

There are two world-class gems on this album: "Jardim" and "All I Really Want Is Love," a duet with Lisa Ekdahl. All the other tracks contribute to make this an excellent capsule of the essence of Henri Salvador, as its success (both artistic and financial, with over 2 million sold) can attest.

Having said that, it must be pointed out that all 14 tracks on the album are ballads, and that Henri Salvador's delivery sometimes flirts with the soporific. If an all-ballad album sung by an octogenarian is your cup of tea, you will love this album. If it sounds a little over the top, and you don't want to part with the money, but are still interested in Henri Salvador and/or quality music, I highly recommend, on this album, the individual track purchase of "Jardim" and "All I Really Want Is Love."

If you want music for a sultry day when you're sitting at a table under the sun with great company and just want to enjoy the moment with a jazzy background sound... this is for you! Think "sitting in the shade under an umbrella on a sunny afternoon at a little table on the sidewalk outside a corner cafe...."
ENJOY!
What an excellent voice ... really really great sounds!

I bought this CD at the year of 2002 then had a period (3-4 yrs) didn't listen it. It's still being very nice when I took it out for listen today.

So many artists (and voices) get threadbare with age. Only a few are lucky enough to find a way to keep some of their old color or adapt with the times. Even more rare is the artist who, after a career of decent (but rarely great) output, produces a stunner. That is the case with "Chambre Avec Vue."

I know there are Salvador stalwarts out there who will protest my characterization of Henri as being generally just OK, and I agree he released several standout songs throughout his long career. But those standouts are watered down by so many recordings that are "just a bit too." Just a bit too sentimental. Just a bit too comical. Or just a bit too out-of-genre for Henri to carry. Salvador's early background in cabaret, his affection for a variety of musical styles, and his associations with a wide range of musical greats (everyone from Django Reinhardt to Quincy Jones) have resulted in an impressive (and no doubt enjoyable) but flawed career.

With "Chambre Avec Vue," Salvador has taken the best of what he does well and has improved on it by performing with more wisdom than whimsy, more expertise than experimentation, and more authentic sentiment than unselfconscious sappiness. I agree with another reviewer that the influence of Benjamin Biolay (who has been associated with a few really great albums lately) cannot be underestimated on this album. But regardless of who you think deserves the credit, this is truly an album for those who like nuanced, toasted jazz vocals. Yes, it's all in French, and the album is packed with more international influences (notably bossa nova) than the average jazz vocal album. But on "Chambre Avec Vue," Salvador sounds as relaxed as Bing Crosby, as seasoned as recent Tony Bennett, and as melancholy as Chet Baker. That adds up to a surprising and welcome addition to the Salvador oeuvre.