Concord Jazz was clever enough to realize that there are legions of jazz listeners that use the music as mood music, on occasion. Knowing this, the label compiled a whole series entitled
Jazz Moods, designing each disc to fit a specific mood. With Jazz at Week's End, it's a collection of lightly swinging soul-jazz and cool jazz, ideal for relaxation. Some jazz purists may scoff at this idea, but they would likely be satisfied by the music itself, since the disc contains first-class performances from
Ernestine Anderson,
George Van Eps &
Howard Alden, Marian McParland,
Jeff Linsky, Hank Jons,
Rosemary Clooney,
Carol Sloane and
Stan Getz, among others. They help make this a substantive collection, as well as one that is entertaining. But the highest compliment one can pay Jazz at Week's End is that it sounds like jazz that should be played at the end of the week. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine