Late Night Rendezvous / Various

In 2007, Rendezvous Entertainment, the popular indie label founded by sax superstar Dave Koz and industry vets Hyman Katz and Frank Cody, released two wonderful compilation discs to celebrate two exciting events: it's five year anniversary and, perhaps more importantly, it's success as the label with the number one market share in smooth jazz radio. While Smooth Ones focused on chart-topping hits by Rendezvous artists and other genre stars, Late Night Rendezvous was dedicated to a batch of ten "under the radar" tracks from the company's diverse roster of smooth jazz and chill artists. Sometimes the two subgenres intersect, as on guitarist Marc Antoine's sultry and hypnotic "Gotham" and Praful's mystical "We Live On." Most tracks are specifically jazz or chill, ranging from Camiel's soothing and ambient "You Can Stay" to the vocal on Kyle Eastwood's pop-jazz driven "Leave It" and Wayman Tisdale's thoughtful and romantic "Shape of Your Heart." Other great artists included on this perfect late night soundtrack are Brian Simpson, Michael Lington, the Philippe Saisse Trio and - last but not least - the masterful chill producers Adani & Wolf. For fans who wanted to understand the cool connections between smooth jazz and chill in the early 2000s, this disc is the ultimate primer. - Jonathan Widran, AllMusic