Wine Pairings: Five perfect dinner party albums
A party without music is like gin without tonic; it’ll get the job done, but it’s a much more depressing affair. With the crazy dance music house parties of your youth – fueled by cheap cider and regret – firmly in the past, dinner parties are now within your grasp. The middle-class adult equivalent of a real party, dinner parties allow you and your chosen guests to absorb yourself in an evening food, wine, and painfully polite chit-chat. However, the inclusion of some decent tunes has the potential to elevate that experience into a Come Dine With Me-worthy masterpiece.
Selecting the perfect soundtrack to your dinner party is fraught with difficulty. You could go down the route of picking out your favourite records, but something too captivating might distract entirely from the food and conversation – you can’t politely discuss your weekend break in the Algarve while also blasting out the lyrics of ‘Born To Run’. Alternatively, you could use the soundtrack as a means of impressing your guests with your deep and profound knowledge of music, but silently slurping soup with a backdrop of Leonard Cohen’s pulchritudinous poetry hardly sounds like a fun way to spend an evening.
Seemingly, the best way to go is to select a few records that are generally mellow and enjoyable without being intense or demanding enough to distract from the evening at hand. These selections still provide you with an opportunity to flex your musical mind, albeit in a slightly more subtle way than forcing your guests to listen to the entirety of the White Album in silence.
For ease of your dinner party planning, our selections come complete with a suitably pretentious wine pairing and dish suggestion. Good food can be capable of taking you on a journey all across the world, but with the added bonus of great music, the possibilities are endless. So, join us on this journey of self-indulgence as we cook, drink, and argue our way through five masterpiece albums that are perfect for your next dinner party.
Five perfect dinner party albums:
Nina Simone – Little Girl Blue (1959)
Jazz is an obvious starting place when it comes to selecting a dinner party album; in truth, there are few situations in life that cannot be aided by its irregular rhythm and lack of musical boundaries. As such, countless jazz records from across the spectrum could suit a gathering with food and wine – from the romanticism of Chet Baker Sings to the tapas-infused sounds of John Coltrane’s Olé. For our money, though, you cannot go wrong with the elegant sounds of Nina Simone’s masterful debut, Little Girl Blue.
Although the album was soon eclipsed by Simone’s more righteous efforts in civil rights-era soul and R&B, her underrated debut album is a perfect encapsulation of her unique appeal as a performer. Everything from the plodding beat and mellow romance of ‘My Baby Just Cares For Me’ to the instrumental brilliance of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ makes this an incredible album for a multitude of scenarios, including a dinner party.
Wine pairing: Elegance is the name of the game when it comes to Miss Simone, so the subtle fruit and rich oak flavouring of an aged red Rioja would suit her jazz masterpiece perfectly.
Dish suggestion: Soak Simone’s lush jazz masterpiece up with slow-cooked braised beef, with a healthy dash of paprika for a kick and a generous helping of garlic broccoli.
Jessica Pratt – Here in the Pitch (2024)
Impress your guests with just how on the pulse you are when it comes to music by introducing them to one of 2024’s finest releases. Jessica Pratt’s Here in the Pitch is a richly diverse record, taking cues from the image of Los Angeles during the 1960s. As such, the record perfectly toes the line between nostalgia and inventiveness without ever becoming too overbearing or lost in its own brilliance.
Not only will your guests revel in this fantastic discovery, but its gentle instrumentation, along with the captivating vocals of Pratt herself, make the record an ideal background for dinner party chatter. Simultaneously, the compelling performance of the vocalist will occasionally command the attention of the table, providing breaks in the conversation which can often come as much-needed moments of calm.
Wine pairing: Pratt’s tones suit the crisp acidity, fruity freshness, and golden colour of a white Albarino.
Dish suggestion: Lean into the freshness of Pratt’s performance and the organic nature of the instrumentation by opting for something fresh, herby, and acidic. A simple grilled seabass complemented by a lemon wedge and herby vegetables should do the trick.
Roy Ayers – Stoned Soul Picnic (1968)
Sure, you can go down the route of red wine and jazz music, leaning into the traditional caricature of what a dinner party should be, or you could enter down a different road. Opt for something more exciting, sun-soaked and zesty by keeping things light and airy at your dinner party. In those moments, nothing says summer quite like the music of Roy Ayers. Everybody Loves The Sunshine is a typical choice for summer hangouts and barbeques, but if you’re after something a little more all-encompassing, look no further than Stoned Soul Picnic.
Recorded in 1968, with production from Herbie Mann, the album captures the freedom and vibrancy of hippie-age jazz. Rather than the candlelit nightclub vibe of Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, or early Miles Davis, Ayers brings jazz out into the sunlight, crafting an album that is sure to keep things mellow and optimistic at your dinner party.
Wine pairing: Musar Jeune Rosé, with its intense un-oaked fruit aroma, smooth finish, and vibrant pink hue, will accompany the freedom and joy at the heart of Ayers’ playing beautifully.
Dish suggestion: Nothing says stoned 1960s hippiedom quite like a fresh lentil salad, but there is no reason why the cheap and abundant legume has to be boring. Give it a Roy Ayers kick of coolness by adding a zingy lemon twist and supporting it with a plethora of pitta bread and plenty of hummus – stoners love snacking.
Tom Waits – Nighthawks at the Diner (1975)
No discussion of blending music and food is complete without the mention of songwriting master Tom Waits. During his early years, the Californian worked in a local pizza restaurant in National City, where he would spend his lunch breaks glued to the jukebox listening to records by Ray Charles. As you might expect, this atmosphere bled over into his own discography years later, and Nighthawks at the Diner is a key example.
Creating the atmosphere of a late-night jazz club full of joy and merriment, the record was recorded in front of a live audience in a recording studio. This has the benefit of making your dinner party seem a little more lively than it might be, thanks to the wise-cracking gravelly tones of Waits. As a secret weapon for any dinner party, Waits’ typically gritty and romantic take on late-night jazz should be a go-to.
Wine pairing: Soft, medium-bodied, rich, and easy drinking: a Sarotto Gavi di Gavi is an excellent choice for the organic and good-humoured nature of Waits’ style on this record. It’s the kind of high-quality wine that you can also drink a lot of – it’s as easy to fall in love with as the music of Tom Waits.
Dish suggestion: Immerse yourself in the communal spirit of this album by embracing the community spirit of a traditional seafood paella.
Duncan Lamont – Best Of The Bossa Novas (1970)
Have your guests become fatigued with your riveting tales of travel and globe-trotting? Fear not; you can put away your iPad slideshow and instead evoke the atmosphere of exotic holidays by immersing the night in the stylish euphoria of bossa nova. Originating from the sandy shores of Rio De Janeiro in Brazil, bossa nova quickly spread across the world, inspiring the release of this Music for Pleasure release in 1970.
Arranged by Scottish saxophonist Duncan Lamont, this suave journey through the sounds of bossa nova includes various covers and interpretations of original Brazilian tracks, mainly by Antonio Carlos Jobim – although, bizarrely, also including a version of ‘Un Homme Et Une Femme’ from the Claude Lelouch drama. The record has a smooth jazz sound which is ideal for a dinner party, but with an exotic twist and occasional flourishes of Latin America, keeping your guests on their toes.
Wine pairing: The complex and rich feeling of Emiliana Coyam compliments the inventive, profound approach of Bossa nova, while its complex blend of fruit notes and acidity reflects the sporadic euphoria of Latin America.
Dish suggestion: Transport yourself to the vibrancy of 1960s Brazil with a classic Brazilian feijoada, a slow-roasted pork stew with black beans, rice, and perhaps a slice of citrus to keep things fresh and exciting.
