For Lovers

Stan Getz, Horace Silver, Jimmy Smith, Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley, Stanley Turrentine, Dexter Gordon and Earl Klugh.

The Music for Lovers series from EMI and Blue Note spotlights the balladic nature and romantic side of artists who have recorded for its associated labels. Joe Williams, of course, was a superb ballad singer whose rich voice and patient interpretations usually brought a maximum of feeling to the standards he sang. His Music for Lovers volume includes songs from three sessions for the EMI-owned Roulette - all but one from either 1959 or 1961 - and it features Williams in a comfortable setting with musicians who knew how to swing the Joe Williams way; two of the tops, trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison and tenor Ben Webster, join him on the highlights, "I Only Have Eyes for You" and "You Are Too Beautiful"…

Music for Lovers is a nice 12-track collection that covers several of Earl Klugh's laid-back, romantic tunes recorded for Blue Note Records, including "If You're Still in Love With Me," "Long Ago and Far Away," and "Livin' Inside Your Love." Though it isn't a comprehensive retrospective of his greatest hits, Music for Lovers is a decent introduction to the sentimental material the lite-jazz guitarist is known for.

The 14 cuts on Stan Getz's Music for Lovers - as part of Blue Note's eight-part series - were all recorded between 1948 and '54. With the exception of "Early Autumn," on which Getz is a member of Woody Herman & His Orchestra, and "Easy Living," as a member of Count Basie's band, these were all small group sessions, quartets. and quintets. There are a number of classics here, such as "Moonlight in Vermont," with the saxophonists' memorable solo and Johnny Smith's empathic guitar playing. Ditto that with Jimmy Raney playing on "These Foolish Things" (which also featured Duke Jordan on piano) and "Tenderly." Another high moment is "Imagination," where Getz interacts with pianist Horace Silver (who has his own volume in this series)…

These nine ballads were recorded by Stanley Turrentine between 1962 and 1969. Apart from being a genuinely wonderful set of romantic tunes, Music for Lovers showcases a soft side of the great tenor's playing. Turrentine is one of the quintessential soul-jazz saxophonists. His Blue Note recordings from the 1960s with Shirley Scott are generally the works cited, but there is so much other material on offer that a small collection like this is welcome. A pair of ballads with Scott on organ are here, representing that darker groove aspect, but so are tunes with pianists like Sonny Clark, McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock, Horace Parlan, and Cedar Walton…

This edition of Blue Note's Music for Lovers set combines nine remastered tracks by hard bop trumpeter Lee Morgan recorded between 1957 and 1967. Obviously, the purpose of this CD is to spotlight Morgan's romantic side by featuring such standards as "You Go to My Head," "What Now My Love," and "Lover Man." The trumpeter is in excellent company on these tracks, sharing the spotlight with several legendary horn players including Wayne Shorter, Hank Mobley, Curtis Fuller, Jackie McLean, Benny Golson, Gigi Gryce, and Pepper Adams. Despite the drab packaging and generic title, the music of Lee Morgan remains timeless in any context.

These nine ballads were recorded by Hank Mobley between 1955 and 1967. Apart from being a genuinely wonderful set of romantic tunes, Music for Lovers showcases a different side of the great hard bop tenor's playing. Mobley's approach to ballads was reverent, but it was loose, too. Mobley brought a big helping of soul to his readings of standards such as "Darn That Dream," "I Should Care," and even the ethereal "Deep in a Dream." However, as this small collection illustrates, it is in his own tunes that Mobley shines brightest. First, there's the beautiful "No More Goodbyes," recorded with Bob Cranshaw, Billy Higgins, and John Hicks from a late date in 1967…

Part of Blue Note's Music for Lovers series - although points should be taken off for the lousy covers - these nine cuts show a different side of the wild, inventive, and funky soul-jazz organist Jimmy Smith. These ballads were recorded between 1958 and 1960 (with one exception, "Little Girl Blue," taped in 1957), all of them standards. Smith is in fine company on these sides. Some of the other players include Kenny Burrell, Ray Crawford, Blue Mitchell, Lee Morgan, Lou Donaldson, Jackie McLean, and Ike Quebec. Smith's sensitive side is revealed in readings of "Lover Man," "Willow Weep for Me," "Angel Eyes," "My One and Only Love," and "It Could Happen to You"…

Here are ten tracks showcasing the utter beauty of Horace Silver's playing - and in some cases, composing - jazz ballads. These tunes are lushly romantic and utterly soulful. Recorded between 1952 and 1968, this collection features such notable Silver compositions as "Peace," "Shirl," "Sweet Stuff," "Lonely Woman," and the gorgeous "Next Time I Fall in Love." The rest is choice as well - especially for a budget-priced set - and includes Silver's read of Duke Ellington's masterpiece "Prelude to a Kiss," accompanied by Art Blakey and Curly Russell from 1952, and Guy Wood and Robert Mellin's "My One and Only Love," with Art Farmer, Hank Mobley, Louis Hayes, and Teddy Kotick. This isn't the funky, soul-jazzin' Silver, but the romantic, poetic balladeer whispering to lovers.

Most of these nine tunes were recorded between 1962 and 1965, with one cut, the final one, taken from a very late date in 1985 with John McLaughlin, Herbie Hancock, Billy Higgins, and Pierre Michelot. Over the course of his career in jazz, Dexter Gordon became one of its greatest balladeers. These tunes, all standards save one original, showcase him in wonderfully intimate settings, allowing his true singing voice on the horn to shine through and express complex emotions through fairly simple arrangements. "Serenade in Blue" opens the set, and Gordon croons to Sir Charles Thompson's light-fingered chords and ostinati. On "Stairway to the Stars," with Bud Powell, Kenny Clarke, and Michelot, Gordon digs into the melody and paints it with deep, resonant colors…