Various Artists

"Midnight Cool" is a collection of diamonds and pearls from America's biggest jazz and vocal stars. The after-hours ambience of smoky jazz clubs and sulty cocktail lounges is fueled by such '50s and early '60s vocal and instrumental masterpieces as Nat Cole's "Unforgettable", Dave Brubeck's "Take Five", Peggy Lee's "Black Coffee", Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit", Sarah Vaughan's "Misty", Frank Sinatra's "I Get A Kick Out Of You" and "Come Fly With Me" and George Gershwin's legendary "Summertime" sung by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong. The late-night mood is further set by more recent performances, including Al Jarreau doing "Sophisticated Lady" and Carmen McRae's stirring rendition of Billy Joel's classic, "New York State Of Mind".