Songs in the Key of Death

NEW YORK: Who says Dr. Jack Kevorkian's a stiff? The controversial physician, known for his advocacy of doctor-assisted suicide, has just released a compact disc of original jazz tunes entitled "A Very Still Life." Listing for $18.95, the aptly titled CD contains 12 tracks in which Dr. Death can be heard jamming on the flute and organ with the background assistance of the Morpheus Quintet. "The thing I hope the world will say about me years from now is that I was a physician who helped relieve human suffering," Kevorkian writes in the CD's liner notes. "Music has often soothed me and I hope these works will make you smile." Song titles, 11 of which were penned by Kevorkian, include "Fuguetta Caffeine" and "Whispering, Came Violets." But so far, Dr. Death's jazz debut has received a chilly response. New York Post reviewer Dan Aquilante described most of the tunes as depressing, adding "no one is going to accuse Dr. Death of a killer performance." Ever the pragmatist, Kevorkian will channel $4 dollars from the sale of each CD towards a future clinic for doctor-assisted suicide.