Various Artists - Pure Jazz [Polygram]

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

Name Credits Astrud Gilberto Performer Benny Goodman Performer Billie Holiday Performer Chet Baker Performer Count Basie Performer Dave Brubeck Performer Diana Krall Performer Dinah Washington Performer Doug Schwartz Digital Mastering Ella Fitzgerald Performer Etta James Performer Jason Pastori Photo Research Ken Druker Compilation Producer Louis Armstrong Performer Miles Davis Performer Nat King Cole Performer Nina Simone Performer Oscar Peterson Performer Sarah Vaughan Performer Ute Friesleben Project Coordinator Vartan Art Direction