The third in a series of collections of danceable jazz from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s that wasn't afraid to throw in rock, soul, pop, and blues elements (the prior volumes being and ). What makes this stand out from other compilations of the sort, not to mention most jazz compilations of any sort, is its sheer irreverence and willingness to mix in tracks that might be considered inappropriate, or downright blasphemous, by purists. Thus you get esteemed veterans like doing modern rock and psychedelic hits, and while that's not always a great thing ( 's doesn't come off), it's a gas to hear, for instance, singing with . It's a pretty unpredictable, but usually quite cool, mix of singers, instrumentalists, and styles, from doing and the 's lounge jazz-soul to 's typically strange interpretation of ' (yes, that ) loosening up on the mambo doing loopy Vegas-style jazz on Jazz can be fun, and not beyond some worthwhile kitsch, as this anthology proves despite some duff spots. ~ Richie Unterberger