Customer Reviews

Essential Cocktail Lounge

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These set is a budget-priced MP3 version of the 4-CD set Complete Sessions issued on the Fine & Mellow label. It collects 102 tracks recorded by Jackie Gleason and Bobby Hackett between 1952 and 1959, with Gleason conducting an orchestra and Hackett adding his trumpet. The set includes the original albums "Music for Lovers Only" (1952), "Music to Make You Misty" (1953, and not including the tracks featuring saxophonist Toots Mondello), "Music, Martinis and Memories" (1954), "Music to Remember Her" (1954), "Music to Change Her Mind" (1956), "Music for the Love Hours" (1956), and "That Moment" (1959). The last two, which were the final two pairings of these artists are previously unreleased. The last of the albums is also the only one originally released in stereo, though it seems to be reproduced in mono here. Even stranger, most of the tracks from "The Love Hours" seem to be broader than plain mono, but not really stereo. One channel or two, Gleason's orchestrations are lush, with relaxed tempos and dramatic string arrangements that provide a compelling place for Hackett's languid playing and smooth tone. The material sticks mostly to standards, and though Hackett has a jazz background, this is very much easy listening music. A hundred-and-two tracks (over five hours of music) may be more than the casual mood music fan can use, but for Gleason fans or anyone looking for hours and hours of pleasant background music, this set is a steal. Note that the track ordering does not follow that of the original albums, and the detailed booklet supplied with Fine & Mellow's CDs are completely absent. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

Forget the title " Essential Cocktail Lounge" and that this is considered elevator music. Bobby Hackett was the best ballad player of his era or for that matter any era! Of the many great trumpet/cornet players of the swing era his tone was fat and sweet with a great choice of notes for any melody.I wish I had found this music years ago because my only exposure to Mr. Hackett's great horn up till about six months ago was the recordings he made with the Glenn Miller Orchestra in the early 40's.The Gleason/Hackett sound with Mr. Hackett's haunting trumpet playing over the strings is completly relaxing.
If you know a trumpet player that loves the Swing Era music this two disc set would make a great present.

Well I suppose the title pretty much says it all. I have been hooked on lounge, downtempo, and the like for some time now and am always eager for new sounds. This is one to listen to again and again -- and can serve as the firm basis for a great playlist. It's as funky as other lounge titles to be sure -- hey, this is Jackie Gleason, after all. But what great dinner music -- and even better music to cook by!