Taking a hint from 32 Jazz, whose compilations garnered remarkable commercial success in the late '90s, Prestige Records revived its Jazz for Lovers compilation series which had originally been issued in the mid-'60s. The first new collection, also titled Jazz for Lovers, was released in 1999; it featured a collection of instrumental versions of jazz standards, mostly pulled from Prestige recordings in the late '50s and early '60s. The song list reads like a who's who of great soul jazz and hard bop artists, including
Miles Davis,
Art Farmer,
Clark Terry and
the Modern Jazz Quartet. Highlights include
Gene Ammons' sweet and gentle version of "Someone to Watch Over Me" and Farmer's lingering, soulful version of "When Your Lover Has Gone." The overall collection is not very innovative or challenging and the all-instrumental versions of the songs rob them of some of their romantic content, but the album is definitely pleasant and soothing and sets a romantic mood. ~ Stacia Proefrock