Layton Review (continued)   All Of Me

I don't care what that counter girl says, I did NOT ask for crumbled Oreo sprinkles.

Then I got home and reached for my stack of CDs to be reviewed and came up with Espresso's CD, " All Of Me. " Thank God.

If you are into jazz at all, you have to have this CD. This is a collection of classic jazz, blues, and swing standards from the '30's and '40's recorded so clearly and beautifully that it sounds like the group is playing right here in my living room.

The recording really is incredible. I can hear every vocal nuance from singer-guitarist Sandi Russell. She has a cool, sassy, attitude-filled voice that sometimes drops to a whisper and other times belts it out. She really shines on " Body and Soul" and George and Ira Gershwin's " A Foggy Day. "

The other two-thirds of the group are bassist Barbara Hilton and jazz clarinet player Bob Sparkman. The absence of percussion does not hurt their sound at all. It keeps the mood dreamy and delicate, especially on " Skylark, " where I can hear that these musicians don't just love playing together. They love music. They make these old standards come alive. On the instrumental " Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise," the clarinet does the singing in a soulful, moving way.

When they're not playing delicate, elegant music, they really swing. They offer a toe-tapping rendition of " Tuxedo Junction " and an equally cool " Honeysuckle Rose."

This was such a pleasure to listen to. And a lifesaver for all the people I will come in contact with tomorrow. I feel so much better.