Simply Late Night Jazz [Box set]

I've been searching for this type of music for years but it's practically impossible to define and, therefore, get hold of. As well as being simple jazz, the style is so many other things all at once: relaxed, bluesy, moody, sultry, sophisticated, elegant, emotionally charged and so very grown up, both retro and cutting-edge supercool at the exact same time.

It's the kind of music that you would expect to hear in any number of classic black-and-white movies from the 1920s/30s/40s. You know how it goes: the main character is drowning his sorrows at three o'clock in the morning in the lounge-style bar of some hotel when a gorgeous 'dame' walks in, dressed to kill, and says, 'You got a light?'. Flirty, even dangerous dialogue charges between them and THIS music is playing in the background the whole time. Every time I play the sax CD in particular, I half expect a gruff voice to appear from nowhere that says ''She was the kinda broad that every man dreams about. Only one problem: she was Johnny's girl (pronounced 'jan-eez goyl', if you please!) and even lookin' at her in the wrong way could get you a bullet in your head''.

I'm sure you get the idea. There are four CDs in total, each one specializing in a different theme: sax, singing, muted trumpet and piano. All of them are easy, smooth, mellow. The only CD to have voices of any kind is the singing one; the other three are all instrumental. And, all in, there's something like a blissful four hours of music, each CD being around an hour or so. I'm no expert, but the quality seems perfect to me; I haven't heard even a single hiss. (Update: Okay, I have heard the slightest hiss on ONE of the tracks.)

Everybody who hears even a snippet of this music says, 'Oh, that's really nice, I like that.' I can imagine the sound complimenting perfectly the smaller, wind-down hours of a wedding or a party. The tracks on the trumpet CD in particular are absolutely perfect for slow dancing to, blissfully shuffling around the dance floor as if you have somehow been transported back in time to the glitz and glamour of a romantic movie from the '40s or '50s. Any of the CDs would be equally perfect as background dinner music, especially if the dinner is romantic in any way. Even if you're just working late or chilling out when you're on your lonesome, it's a delight. And if you can't sleep 'cause you got troubles on your mind, this music was MADE to soothe you.

Any negatives? Well, for me, the weakest CD is by far and away the singing one: some of the voices just get on my nerves. But there are still some gems on it. And on the instrumental CDs, one or two of the tracks are just a little bit too up tempo, so they don't quite fit and you might want to edit them out on your computer. Overwhelmingly, though, the music is very well chosen and flows from one track to the next without breaking the mood that it sets. Perhaps that's the best description: mood music.

If you are a romantic person in any way, I'd bet that you'd love this collection and that you'd get a lot of 'mileage' out of it, so to speak. And play it at any kind of public function where the drinks and the conversation flow in equal measure and it will make the evening one to remember: classy, sophisticated, elegant, warmly ambient and yet, strangely, as cool as ice at the exact same time. It is exactly what you need to create an enchanting, magical atmosphere inside a marquee, for example. As I'm sure you've guessed, as far as I'm concerned, it's a real find. For a fiver, it's amazing. Put it on, but DON'T listen to it! Just let it weave its magic in the background.

4 CDs that give you a very laid back jazz music. The first one is Sax, Moonlight Serenade (a mixture with songs, reminding you of black&white movies), Trumpet and a Piano. Good for a late night background music. Very relaxing, you can either work, read or eat to it or may be have a snooze..:) Recommended.

Lovely music which is great for relaxation...I love to listen this type of music when I'm reading or doing needlework...it's great background music...thanks for a smooth transaction and fast delivery!