António Carlos Jobim - Quiet Now: Nights Of Quiet Stars (1999)

Antonio Carlos Jobim's Quiet Now: Nights of Quiet Stars is probably the most successful entry in this series of Polygram reissues, because the Brazilian composer's music is so blissfully suited to compilations that focus on the gentle, romantic side of jazz. Perhaps it's his sleepy, low-key voice, which makes Perry Como sound like Darby Crash, or the mellow casualness of his melodies, which mine a remarkable number of subtle emotional shadings out of a surprisingly limited number of guitar chords and the intangible Brazilian concept of saudade, a kind of happy-sadness-shading-into-sad happiness that's at the root of his music. All of these 13 tracks are familiar to even casual Antonio Carlos Jobim fans -- indeed, those who have the three-disc set The Man From Ipanema are missing almost nothing of consequence -- but they're very cleverly sequenced, progressing from the scene-setting (and title-providing) "Corcovado" (the classic Elis Regina version), slowly progressing to the childlike bliss of Astrud Gilberto's take on "Dindi," and then back down to the shimmering stillness of Regina's version of "Inutil Paisagem," a lovely bit of melancholy. It's nothing new, but it's terrific mood music.