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To my way of thinking, CD releases on the Putumayo label occupy a specific market niche. Generally speaking, they are not designed as potential additions to the music collection of serious\/hardcore music fans. That\u2019s not to say they\u2019re not without merit; not at all. It\u2019s merely to point out that what a Putumayo release offers is something unique, something different from the mainstream.<\/p>\n
In 2011 Putumayo offered a title called Putumayo Presents Jazz<\/em>. Unlike some of the label\u2019s other collections, this one casts an hopelessly wide net. Their rhythm & blues collection<\/a> sought to bring together some of the biggest names currently working in the genre. Putumayo Presents Yoga<\/em><\/a> offered music ostensibly well-paired for some time spent on the yoga mat. Another collection surveyed the current pop music of India<\/a>, and yet another \u2013 Putumayo Presents Jazz Around the World<\/em><\/a> \u2013 looked at the manner in which artists outside the USA approached this American art form. All were clear in their goals and (to varying degrees) successful in their execution.<\/p>\n But with Putumayo Presents Jazz<\/em>, what can the listener expect? As Joel Dinerstein<\/strong>\u2019s liner notes explain, \u201cMany of the songs in this collection are gems from the \u2018great American songbook.\u2019\u201d Well, fair enough. It\u2019s perhaps not worth quibbling over, but a more descriptive title might have telegraphed that; unwary listeners might otherwise have expected Miles Davis<\/strong> or Sun Ra<\/strong>, for that matter.<\/p>\n Instead we have in front of us a set of twelve songs that \u2013 for the most part — put vocal performances front and center. As a quick and shallow survey of vocal jazz, this set succeeds. There are tracks from Nina Simone<\/strong>, Louis Armstrong<\/strong>, Nat King Cole<\/strong>\u2019s trio, Chet Baker<\/strong> and Billie Holiday<\/strong>. If your thing is jazz with vocals, those will please you; their classic status is beyond question.<\/p>\n And if instrumental jazz is more to your liking, there\u2019s Cannonball Adderley<\/strong>\u2019s version of Bill Evans<\/strong>\u2019 \u201cWaltz for Debby\u201d (with Evans himself on piano). With the exception of that track, there\u2019s little in the way of challenging music on Putumayo Presents Jazz<\/em>. But then, to the extent that one would know what to expect from such a broad-brush title, \u201cchallenging\u201d likely wouldn\u2019t be one of those things.<\/p>\n As the backdrop to a nice dinner, or an evening of cocktails and conversation, this disc would fit the bill nicely. As a conversation starter, it might be a notch less successful. And as an excursion into the wide world of jazz, it\u2019s less than compelling.<\/p>\n But ultimately Putumayo Presents Jazz<\/em> should be viewed (and reviewed, and listened to) in the spirit intended. So notwithstanding my suggesting that a better title might have been Putumayo Presents Classic Mostly Vocal Pop-Jazz<\/em>, this is an enjoyable set of music.<\/p>\n
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