Of discs, dodos, and nurserymen.(Surveying The Soundscape)

Of Discs, Dodos, and Nurserymen: Fantasy Records says that it holds "The World's Mightiest Jazz Catalog" and has been releasing a series of Original Jazz Classics samplers to support the claim. The new wave based on '50s and '60s recordings that came out on smaller and subsidiary labels like Jazzland, New Jazz, Specialty, and HiFiJazz are, to me, the most interesting so far. That's probably because most of the performances and even a number of the performers are less well known than the relatively big names that the Fantasy, Prestige, Riverside, and Contemporary compilations naturally drew on.

Check out, in particular, "Things Ain't What They Used To Be" by Mel Rhyne (Wes Montgomery's organist) on the Jazzland sampler (OJCCD-3708). Gene Harris plays piano on the date following a two-keyboard tradition that never fails to excite. Examples that come quickly to mind is the Illinois Jacquet "Port of Rico" session which brought together Count Basle on the organ and Hank Jones at the piano ("Flying Home: The Best of the Verve Years," Verve CD 521644), the exquisite "Count Basie Presents Eddie Davis" (unreissued Roulette LP 52007) date where the Count was back at the piano and Shirley Scott played organ, and the more recent "Conference de Presse" piano/organ duo CDs by Eddy Louiss and Michel Petrucciani (Dreyfus CD 36568, with another CD not yet released in the US).

I was also blown away by "My New Jet Plane" on the Specialty/HiFiJazz/Nocturne sampler (OJCCD-3707). It's a high-intensity high-speed psycho-surreal proto-rap vocalization by Steve White, whose cool sax soloing eases the pressure. White's abetted on this previously unreleased excursion by the ultra-hip pianist Jimmy Rowles, himself an occasional off-the-wall vocalist.

You're going to have to dig a little to find this next CD. It's "The Right Move" by The Salt Brothers. The "Brothers" are guitarist Coleman Mellett and trumpeter Jeff McSpadden. It's a sort of throwback to '70s acid-tinged jazz of the electrified but non-cheesy variety. You get a rhythm section featuring Fender ...