Jazz Moods: Tranquility

Concord Jazz was clever enough to realize that there are legions of jazz listeners who use the music as mood music on occasion. Knowing this, the label compiled a whole series titled Jazz Moods, designing each disc to fit a specific mood. With Tranquility, it's a collection of cool jazz, soft bop, fusion, and smooth jazz, all ideal for relaxation. Some jazz purists may scoff at this idea, but they would likely be satisfied by the music itself, since the disc contains first-class performances from Kenny Werner, Kenny Burrell, JoAnne Brackeen, Charlie Byrd, George Shearing/Jim Hall, Jeff Linsky, Marian McPartland, Jim Hall, Ali Ryerson, and Walter Norris, among others. They help make this a substantive collection, as well as one that is entertaining. But the highest compliment one can pay Tranquility is that it sounds like jazz that should be played when you need to be tranquil.