Miles Davis

Elitist jazz fans may rant about using Miles to set the mood for an amorous evening, but it's hard to deny the romantic pull of the music. It's also surprisingly well selected, combining key tracks from Davis' first great quintet (with Coltrane) and his second one (with Herbie Hancock) with Gil Evans cuts and one neglected stunner ("Summer Night") with the sadly underrated pianist/vibraphonist Victor Feldman. The opener, Miles' cover of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time," doesn't really fit. It's a nicely written number, but its synthy soft-rock backing ages it like a Miami Vice rerun.