Ali Bey My Finest Hour

One of the great alto saxophonists, Cannonball Adderley had an exuberant and happy sound that communicated immediately to listeners. His intelligent presentation of his music (often explaining what he and his musicians were going to play) helped make him one of the most popular of all jazzmen.

Bill Evans's Finest Hour represents a number of choice tidbits recorded by the pianist between 1958 and 1970 for Verve. The settings of these recordings range between the intricate trio work he became so identified with to, in at least one instance, full orchestration. While Evans is certainly capable of bopping with the best on songs like "Luck Be a Lady" and "I Should Care," his style glimmers more distinctly on quieter numbers. The fragile "Elsa" and subtle "Spring Is Here" allow him to slowly, though deliberately, develop his impressionistic piano lines. Sensitive accompaniment by drummer Paul Motian and bassists Gary Peacock and Chuck Israels also adds a rich dynamic to these cuts…

This collection of Betty Carter's Verve material may not literally be her finest hour of recorded music, but it is easily her finest hour of recordings for the labels associated with Verve, which include not only her later Verve recordings, but also those on ABC from the early 1960s. There are 14 cuts on the set, including such well-known Carter performances as "In the Still of the Night," her theme, "Open the Door" "What a Little Moonlight Can Do," "Dropping Things," "Tight," "You're Driving Me Crazy," and others. This is a solid selection of Carter's artistry. It's true that she recorded for so many labels that a complete introduction is almost impossible, but this will serve both fans and beginners well.

Like Nico, Astrud Gilberto's everywoman voiced has always had a polarizing effect on critics and fans alike. While her take on bossa nova is less than reverent and decidedly lightweight, the warmth and approachability she brings to each performance is stunning. Verve's lovingly compiled - and blissfully affordable - Astrud Gilberto's Finest Hour is as solid a collection of her heady mixture of samba, jazz and pop as you're likely to find. Twenty songs, including the classic "Girl From Ipanema," wash in like waves from the warmest of oceans, carrying with them the soft, reverb-drenched soundtrack to summer. If the tropical heat of "Berimbau," the lazy and lonely pulse of Burt Bacharach's "Trains and Boats and Planes" and the upbeat swing of "Wish Me a Rainbow" don't instantly take the drudgery of your day away, then consider yourself hopelessly bitter.