Pure Jazz
With the exclamatory message "18 of the Greatest Jazz Recordings Ever!" inset in its tray card,Pure Jazzisn't a bashful anthology. It opens withNina Simone's early hit, the shuffle-rhythm "My Baby Just Cares for Me," then features another dozen vocal tracks that hit high marks all around. The most familiar are probablyBillie Holiday's "God Bless the Child," here from the achingly poignantLady Sings the Bluescollection, andElla FitzgeraldandLouis Armstrongteaming up on "Summertime." But there's alsoSarah Vaughanon "Misty" andNat "King" Coleon "Unforgettable."Among the instrumental cuts areMichel Legrand's 1958 arrangement ofThelonious Monk's "Round Midnight" forMiles Davis, the original (and forever beguiling) "Take Five,"Paul Desmond's most famous composition and his andDave Brubeck's most famous performance by far. For "Peel Me a Grape," some of the song's veteran interpreters get one-upped byDiana Krall, and rather than reach deep into the discography for, say, "West End Blues," the collection closes with Armstrong's famous take on "What a Wonderful World," a choice that will irritate some. True to its title, though, this set includes 18 great jazz performances, and it will likely pique the appetite for more. One minor quibble is the lack of musician credits--which may be clutter to some, but they are central to many listeners.--Andrew Bartlett