Jazz Music For: Hot Summer Nights

Starting off with the stylish "Watermelon Man" by vocal jazz trio Lambert, Hendricks & Bavan, Madacy Entertainment's compilation, Jazz Music For: Hot Summer Nights promises to create a tropical atmosphere. The songs are all over the musical map, from Gil Scott-Heron's "I Think I'll Call It Morning" to Gary Burton's version of "Norwegian Wood" to "Night in Tunisia." Sometimes the collection seems a bit haphazard, ranging from hot Latin sounds to mellow, laid-back soothers, but there is some great material that helps it all hang together, including "Expansions" by Lonnie Liston Smith & the Cosmic Echoes and the lush and beautiful "Samba de Orfeu" by Paul Desmond.