Dinner Jazz

You've laid the table. Now its time to sample the best of the world's mellow jazz cuts and let the magic curl around you like candle smoke in the evening stillness. We've lined up the legends (Chet Baker, Nat King Cole) and the young goddesses (Norah Jones, Katie Melua), so all you have to do press play. This is haute cuisine for the ears.

By now, your get-together has passed the icebreaker stage and is moving on to the main course. Now that your appetizers have done their job and left you hungry for more, you can feel free to sample the somewhat less predictable, more exotic side of our menu. How about a helping of "Como Un Amante" from Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66?

By this point, your guests will be calling you the host with the most, and for good reason: You have demonstrated impeccable taste in music, which, as everyone knows, is the food of love . . . so before the evening gives way to Bacchanalian lust, make sure your soundtrack is set to the appropriate temperature: real cool, Daddy-O.

Selecting fine jazz for dinner is like choosing fine wine: You want something that is going to complement the meal. Something unobtrusive, yet indicative of your taste and style. After all, the guests and food should take center stage at any dinner party; musical accompaniment, like the lighting, is a mood-enhancer, not the focus. Fear not: You don't need to know your John Coltrane from your Joe Sample, or your Dave Brubeck from your Donald Byrd — we've got you covered.