Café Après-midi compiler Toru Hashimoto makes silk purses from sow's ears, sifting through the detritus of the vinyl age to rediscover deeply funky and shimmering groovers from albums the average crate-digger has overlooked time and again. Hashimoto spreads his bounty across multiple series of hip, daringly eclectic compilations, but the Café Après-midi series is his towering achievement, mixing and matching far-flung samba, cool jazz, and soft pop cuts that have long collected dust in the vaults of major labels to create the perfect soundtrack for days when sunshine and cool breezes -- not time -- are of the essence. Milt Jackson's "Jazz 'n' Samba" accurately typifies what Lilas is all about -- the disc is one of the most urgent and energetic in the entire series thus far. Additional highlights include Monica Zetterlund's "Speak Low," Shirley Scott's "Can't Get Over the Bossa Nova," and Wilson Simonal's "Mexerico da Candinha." ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide