Verve Unmixed

Review

In 2002, the legendary Verve label took 12 tracks from its huge and varied jazz catalog and turned a bunch of DJs and producers loose on them, creating a mostly successful old-meets-new program of jazzy electronica entitled Verve Remixed. Simultaneously, the label released this collection, which contains all the same numbers in their original form, calling it Verve Unmixed. Without the unifying theme that pulled the first compilation together, Verve Unmixed comes off as rather slapped together -- the program begins with Willie Bobo's largely instrumental celebration of Cuban rhythm entitled "Spanish Grease," then jumps jarringly to Carmen McRae's subdued rendition of the teary standard "How Long Has This Been Going On?," then slides into Quincy Jones' orchestral bossa nova take on "Who Needs Forever?" And so it goes for about 42 minutes. There's some great stuff here, of course, and there's nothing the matter with a little variety. But there's also nothing the matter with a little cohesion and unity of vision; on its own, this compilation adds up to something less than the sum of its parts. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide

Track Listing

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