"Credit the film and album The Bridges of Madison County with causing a great deal of excitement about crooner Johnny Hartman, a vocalist with a silky voice that almost defies description. Hartman has seen many of his albums reissued, with rapidly rising sales, since the release of the film. This collection marks the debut of Clint Eastwood's Malpaso Records label, which Eastwood intends to focus on jazz, and it's certainly a good start, featuring songs from Hartman, Dinah Washington, Irene Kral, and Barbara Lewis, as well as two versions of "Doe Eyes," an instrumental piece composed by Eastwood and arranged/conducted by longtime Eastwood collaborator Lennie Niehaus. Overall, the album is charming, low-key, and smooth, very much a record worth getting." (Allmusic).
De tweede plaat die de jazzcrooner opnam voor Impulse!, in hetzelfde jaar als z'n eerste: het beroemde "John Coltrane And Johnny Hartman". Deze doet daar nauwelijks voor onder. De repertoirekeuze is perfect en Hartmans beheerste bariton schittert naast de opnieuw formidabele begeleiding, ditmaal van o.a. tenorsaxofonist Illinois Jacquet, de gitaristen Kenny Burrell en Jim Hall en de gebroeders Hank (piano) en Elvin (drums) Jones. De hoestekst is veelzeggend: "Listen to Johnny Hartman's dark satin lyricism... a voice that is a perfectly tuned instrument... unobtrusive, relaxing yet heavy in quality. he caresses each word with tenderness - his enuciation is impeccable. He respects the word - his meaningful embellishments are a joy." Daar hebben we niks aan toe te voegen!
"This CD combines together parts of two sessions recorded in Tokyo by the warm ballad singer Johnny Hartman. Although titled For Trane, the vocal recital only has three songs associated with John Coltrane ("My Favorite Things," "Violets for Your Furs," and "Nature Boy") and the majority of the selections are actually taken from an unrelated session in which Hartman was matched with trumpeter Terumasa Hino. The music alternates between ballads ("Violets for Your Furs" and "The Nearness of You" are high points) and swingers and, although Hartman does not really improvise, his voice (still in its prime at the time) is appealing. Considering his slim discography, Johnny Hartman's fans will definitely want this one." (Scott Yanow, Allmusic)
Een onverwachte move van Coltrane: In 1963 ttv 't baanbrekende, vrije 'Love Supreme', wil hij graag deze romantische cooljazz-plaat maken met Hartman. John's kwartet begeleidt ingehouden subtiel diens fraaie, diep donkerbruine stem.
