A Love Affair

Bring together an all-star lineup of singers and musicians, match them with accessibly romantic melodies and radio-friendly arrangements, and the results will either be lightweight pabulum or superb high-quality pop music. In the case of producer Jason Miles' A Love Affair, it's unquestionably the latter. Even after 30 years on the world music scene, Brazilian musician/composer Ivan Lins may not have had a high profile. However, as this tribute recording demonstrates, his music is as fine as anything that has come out of his native country since the bossa nova heyday of the early '60s. Taken individually, each of these songs is a piece of joyous musical exuberance. Taken as a whole, this recording is better than an hour with any radio station you're going to find on the dial or online.

Since One for All were first organized in 1997, the all-star sextet has had a solid core with tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, drummer Joe Farnsworth, and trumpeter Jim Rotondi, though trombonist Steve Davis and pianist David Hazeltine have appeared on most of the band's CDs. This 2001 session mixes standards, timeless jazz compositions, and solid originals by individual bandmembers. It's hard for any band to compare to the famous version of Oliver Nelson's "Stolen Moments" (which featured Bill Evans, Eric Dolphy, and Freddie Hubbard in addition to its composer), though One for All's interpretation is full of potent solos that aren't derivative of the landmark recording. The bold brass and reed harmonies round out a tight, fresh arrangement of Hoagy Carmichael's "Skylark," while the driving chart of "Street of Dreams" showcases Alexander well…