Sinatra was great. The Velvet Fog, according to me and Judge Harry Stone was pretty awesome, too. Tony Bennett? Wonderful! Joe Williams, as I’ve already mentioned, was my kind of singer before he was Claire Huxtable’s dad.

But WOW! Johnny Hartman was – and is! – surely the ballad king! Tonight, I’m unwinding with his contribution to the Verve For Lovers series. Nothing fancy, nothing showy. Pure, unadulterated romantic ballads, in a lush baritone.

Oh yeah….there’s some other guys playing along with Johnny Hartman on this CD. Guys with names like Tyner, Jacquet, Jones (Hank and Elvin), Hinton, and some saxophonist named Coltrane.

Check it out!