Deborah Harry

Summer demands a special kind of music, a sound that captures the warmth of the sun, bounces it back through the groove and lets your mind wander wherever it wants to go. With its mix of serious emotion and erotic fancy, Luscious Jackson's first new collection in almost three years (in stores Tuesday) positively quivers with the season's heady sense of reflection and possibility.

Remember Hal Willner? He's the adventurous producer who previously has gathered together such disparate artists as Deborah Harry, Wynton Marsalis, Joe Jackson, Carla Bley, Dr. John, Johnny Griffin and NRBQ to collectively assemble delightful homages to Thelonious Monk, Nino Rota, Kurt Weill--and themes from Walt Disney films. "Weird Nightmare," saluting the music of Charles Mingus, is Willner's latest effort.