Casino Lights 99
From the opening note ofBob James's lyrically romantic "Mind Games" to the closing jam onMongo Santamaria's "Watermelon Man," theCasino Lightsare shining bright.George Duke,Kenny Garrett,Kirk Whalum,Boney James,Rick Braun,Larry Carlton, andGabriela Andersconstitute an awesome smooth-jazz lineup here, with Anders's smoky harmonies shining especially alongside Duke on the title track from his classic albumBrazilian Love Affairand on her silky hot "Fire of Love." Even trumpet honker Braun, musically way over his head in this company, manages to push the smooth-jazz envelope. The firstCasino Lightsalbum,  recorded on the same Montreux Jazz Festival stage and released in 1989, was a vocal heavy effort that pales in comparison with this recording, dominated as it is by crafty instrumentalists playing a bit of inspired one-upmanship on each other with the listener turning out to be the winner. The superlatives abound, from the packaging to the selections, which include covers ofRonnie Laws's "Always There,"Eddie Harris's "Cold Duck Time," andFourplaydoing a tour de force onMiles Davis's "Four." One of the top contemporary-jazz albums of the year.--Mark Ruffin