Rating:
Genre:
Jazz
Release Date: 01/09/2001
Though it's part of the
Pure series,
Verve's
Pure Jazz almost seems more as part of the
Ken Burns Jazz multi-disc series, especially since it was released during that documentary's airing on
PBS. Any of the tie-in discs to
Ken Burns Jazz were designed to give an overview, either of an artist or an entire jazz style, while
Pure Jazz is designed to be a single-disc, 18-track overview of the entire genre, from
Nina Simone to
Diana Krall. There are certainly some major players missing here, especially because this is designed not to be comprehensive but cohesive. Therefore, this is smooth, accessible music, playing into romantic ideas of what jazz is all about, at least for mainstream tastes. That means when
Louis Armstrong is featured, it's for the crooner of
"What a Wonderful World," not the groundbreaking musician who led
the Hot Sevens and
Fives. That's not necessarily a criticism, since this isn't designed for purists or collectors or scholars. It's designed for dabblers, the kind that love
Miles Davis'
"Round Midnight" for its smoky ambiance,
Dave Brubeck for
"Take Five"' s collegiate cool,
Benny Goodman's
"Sing Sing Sing" and
Glenn Miller's
"In the Mood" for their intoxicating swing,
Getz/
Gilberto's
"Girl From Ipanema" for its bossa nova seduction. Yes, this isn't what collectors would like (and it's hard not to wonder what
Etta James is doing on here; she's a blues singer, not jazz), but for casual jazz fans, this is a nearly ideal sampler.
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
;)
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