Jazz Chillout

"'Round Midnight" is exactly the sort of song you want to hear when the small hand hits 12: a subtle wash of subterranean bass and trumpets that tease like an experienced lover. Our other Basics maintain the tranquil (yet alert) mood, from the nonchalant piano progression of "Django" to the late-night espresso shot of "So What."

As the night wears on, we'll put you in the capable hands of Milt Jackson, the godfather of smooth. Once he's set the tone, let Jimmy Smith take the bench for an expressive piece on his Hammond B-3, as a prelude to the soothing, candle-lit tenor sax tones of Stan "The Sound" Getz. You can start running the bath water now.

When Judy Garland sings "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" it's laced with tears and old Hollywood melodrama, but when it's delivered through Chet Baker's trumpet, the familiar melody caresses the soul like silk. Much the same can be said of Oscar Peterson's gentle, masterful way with the ivories on "You Go to My Head." Ahh . . . bliss.

Anything could happen tonight, here in this thick cloud of white-hot jazz, with femmes fatales lurking in the shadows, sax and trumpet materializing with the twitch of a bebop maestro's muscle, and the caress of brushed cymbals gliding through whatever space isn't occupied by a finely pressed suit or the whiff of scotch. Check your stresses at the door and take your time with that drink — pull up a barstool and let the greatest architects of neon-lit, noir-tinged jazz take you home to Sleepy Town.