Pure Jazz

With the exclamatory message "18 of the Greatest Jazz Recordings Ever!" inset in its tray card, Pure Jazz isn't a bashful anthology. It opens with Nina Simone's early hit, the shuffle-rhythm "My Baby Just Cares for Me," then features another dozen vocal tracks that hit high marks all around. The most familiar are probably Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child," here from the achingly poignant Lady Sings the Blues collection, and Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong teaming up on "Summertime." But there's also Sarah Vaughan on "Misty" and Nat "King" Cole on "Unforgettable."

Among the instrumental cuts are Michel Legrand's 1958 arrangement of Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight" for Miles Davis, the original (and forever beguiling) "Take Five," Paul Desmond's most famous composition and his and Dave Brubeck's most famous performance by far. For "Peel Me a Grape," some of the song's veteran interpreters get one-upped by Diana Krall, and rather than reach deep into the discography for, say, "West End Blues," the collection closes with Armstrong's famous take on "What a Wonderful World," a choice that will irritate some. True to its title, though, this set includes 18 great jazz performances, and it will likely pique the appetite for more. One minor quibble is the lack of musician credits--which may be clutter to some, but they are central to many listeners. --Andrew Bartlett