Sergio Mendes + Brasil 66 - 'Mas Que Nada'

BOSSA NOVA

"In stereo!" Loving the snapping and sweet accents on the voices. Great piano. Interesting stereo mixing, right?

Paul Desmond - 'O Gato'

BOSSA NOVA

Great sax and great guitar. The hats get a bit too metallic and high at some point. The whole album is recommended, really.

(Magic In The Moonlight) - Bix Beiderbecke - 'Big Boy'

FILM (MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT)

Woody Allen's "Magic In The Moonlight" has a wonderfully supervised soundtrack. While "You Do Something To Me" composed by Cole Porter but performed by Leo Reisman & His Orchestra functioned as the main theme to the film, "Big Boy" really made driving scenes memorable and fun.

Simply listening to the tooting trumpet and bouncing bright piano reminds me of the sunny scenes of the characters driving top-down by the South France seas. Now THAT is coasting.

(Mad Men) - David Carbonara - 'Lipstick'

TELEVISION DRAMA (MAD MEN)

Smoky jazz that doesn't heat up to a boil. This original Mad Men track composed by David Carbonara shifts its solos from one instrument to another often between dramatic pauses.

Carbonara's compositions don't all fall under the jazz genre. Here is another favorite track that changed the mood of the show - as if ridiculing the mess of the characters' lives.

Daniel Roure - 'Les Baleines Bleues'

JAZZ

Clean guitar solos with suave vocals.

From Le temps d'un jazz (2008) by Azur Jazz Club

Heather Rigdon - 'Young & Naive'

CONTEMPORARY JAZZ

Warm vocals to sorrowful lyrics. Hashtag sensual.

From Young & Naive (2007)

Serge Gainsbourg - 'Black Trombone'

JAZZ

Black Trombone from Serge Gainsbourg on MySpace

(1962)