JAZZ NOTES.

BEST OF 2006 -- Michael Carvin, "Marsalis Music Honors Michael Carvin" (Marsalis Music)--A mainstream horn-plus-rhythm quartet let loose on standards. Do you feel the dust settling already? Not on this sharp set, led by an under-recorded drummer whose enthusiasm generates an explosive turn from the tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland.

Ornette Coleman, "Sound Grammar" (Sound Grammar)--The concept here isn't quite new: in the late sixties, Coleman had a quartet with two acoustic bassists. Still, returning to the plucked-and-bowed setup brings out a coiled lyricism in the saxophonist that shakes up romps like "Matador" and his 1959 blues number "Turnabout" (which he has retitled "Turnaround") and brings a wrenching emotion to the ballad "Sleep Talking."

Bill Frisell, "Bill Frisell, Ron Carter, Paul Motian" (Nonesuch)--As a departure from his forays into twisted Americana and world music, the inventive guitarist delivers a bona-fide jazz album. The all-star threesome performs like a seasoned band, and Frisell remains the only six-string poet of his generation.

The Kevin Hays Trio, "For Heaven's Sake" (Jazz Eyes)--There are plenty of talented pianists under the age of fifty, but few have Hays's melodic charms and sense of style. Here he produces superbly designed improvisations on standards and jazz classics. He reworks Sonny Rollins's "Sonnymoon for Two" by stretching out the phrasing, to great effect; Hays is a player who knows that he isn't being paid by the note.

Aaron Irwin Group, "Into the Light" (Fresh Sound New Talent)--Irwin is a lyrical alto saxophonist and a compelling original composer, as well as a canny bandleader. Unconcerned about sharing space on his debut with another horn player, Irwin calls on the seasoned tenor saxophonist Rich Perry, and their interplay injects subtle tension into imaginative ...