New Jazz Records

Some of the newest jazz styles are bouncing out of some of the oldest countries and vice versa, at least in Angel's six LPs of transoceanic combos. From among the historic ruins comes Italian Jazz Stars, with its display of long, contrapuntal lines and cool U.S. flavors. Among the stars: Oscar Valdambrini and his neat, confident trumpeting (in La barca del sogni); Roberto Nicolosi and his hip orchestra (in something called C collaboration). Out of the newest culture of all comes Inside Jazz Down Under, with Graeme Bell and his jazz band, and the style is pure Old New Orleans. The Aussies make it sound as if they had just invented it, jigging two beat, grunting tuba, jangling banjo and all.

Somewhere in between fall the other nations' contributions. London Broil is the title given a fine series of moods (S'Wonderfid, April in Paris), in a style only as old as yesterday, by Johnny Dankworth's and Jack Parnell's big bands. There is also some happy, unspoiled Dixieland by Freddy Randall's gang (Carolina in the Morning). The Angel series bows to Paris in an album called Le Jazz Hot, with the late Guitarist Django Reinhardt. It then picks up a newer style in Jonah Wails. Jonah is

Robert Elliott Jones, onetime Kansas City-style trumpeter who has also learned to blow up some dust on the new side of the street.

Angel has picked its Danish jazzmen from the middle of the road, too. Svend Asmussen and His Unmelancholy Danes contains some swinging close harmony (Yes, Sir, That's My Baby} that goes right back to the Rhythm Boys of early Whiteman days. But Leader Asmussen plays his fiddle like Oldtimer Joe Venuti with a bop goatee, and a fellow named Max Leth dishes up some imaginative vibes and piano.

Other new jazz records:

Desmond (Fantasy). Alto Saxophonist Paul Desmond, who is usually heard with Dave Brubeck (TIME, Nov. 8), teams up with two other combos on this plaintive and appealing disk. On one side, he infuses his pure, sensitive tones into a handsome vocal fabric (by the Bill Bates Singers). On the other is a quintet, including amiable Trumpeter Dick Collins and Tenor Saxophonist Dave Van Kriedt, who composed such originals as a prelude (Baroque) and fugue (But Happy).

Jimmy Rushing Sings the Blues (Vanguard). Blues shouter for Count Basic's great band at the turn of the '40s. Rushing has a couple of men from the Basic gang in the band that backs him. He may not have the sweetest voice in the land, but his cries are uttered with a mastery of inflection that causes lumpy throats.

His words, traditionally improvised, are chosen with a craftsman's precision. Sample: "Anybody ask you who was it sang this song/Tell 'em little Jimmy Rushin' --he's been here and gone."

The Most Intimate (Charlie Shavers, trumpet, and strings; Bethlehem). A skillful jazzman, whose muted flights were jewels of chamber jazz in the late '305, now playing wide-open. Backed by Sy Oliver's strings, Shavers' brazen tones soar, tumble and melt as they extract the moods of tunes by Harold Arlen and Johnny Green.

Reap the Wild Winds (Stuart McKay and his Woods; Victor). A happy nonet, basically a saxophone quartet plus rhythm section, but more likely to be heard playing bassoon, English horn, flute, clarinet, oboe, with a discreet French horn on hand as well. Leader McKay plays nifty bassoon, fast and, when necessary, dirty. The rest of the crew has shrieking fun with sound effects (What a Way to Run a Railroad!}, and swinging fun with Those That Live by the Swordfish Die by the Sword fish.

Shelly Marine & Russ Freeman (Contemporary). Two top West Coast jazzmen go just about as far in mutual understanding as a pair of improvisers can go. Drummer Manne is not only a good rhythm man, but treats his skins, tubes and disks with an uncanny ear for contrasts of color and pitch. Pianist Freeman is an able partner, matching idea for idea, sound for sound. His style falls somewhere between the burbling counterpoint of Lennie Tristano and the swinging drive of Dave Brubeck. An adventure.

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