If it's Fall, then it's time for a new Clooney album. Just in stores is "At Long Last" (Concord Jazz CCD-4795-2), Rosemary's first collaboration with the Count Basie Orchestra. Putting together two of the best performers of the century results in another album that should please devoted Clooney fans, and bring smiles to Basie band aficionados, too.

Besides her unique voice (now even warmer with the passage of time), one of Clooney's strongest attributes is her unerring choice of songs. Seldom does a clinker make its way onto a Clooney album. Selections in the new album include wonders from the past, along with delightful newer tunes that emphasize Ms. Clooney's marvelous ear for what's good.

Grover Mitchell's direction of the Basie assemblage seems unusually restrained, save for a selected few humorous quotations snipped from classic Basie arrangements. One track opens with a statement from the Basie-ized version of "April in Paris," which was a hit single back in the '50s, before slipping smoothly into another song. The clever transition reminds one of how the late Errol Garner, a jazz piano genius, would concoct elaborate introductions that kept listeners guessing what the chorus would eventually turn out to be.

The 16 songs on "At Long Last" include favorites such as "Just in Time," "Willow Weep for Me" and a wondrous "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning." The latter's a gorgeous arrangement has Rosemary stressing the sadness in this heartbreaking old song. A surprise selection is Fred Astaire's rarely heard "If Swing Goes I Go Too," and a delightful version of Rosemary's little brother Nick's clever tune, "It Just Happened to Happen to Me," which she's been doing in concert appearances recently. Nick, of course, is the friendly, handsome white-haired emcee on the American Movie Classics cable channel. And he's also famous as the father of a young actor named George,who plays a doctor on some Thursday night TV series.

Barry Manilow, a longtime friend of Ms. Clooney, joins in for "How About You." The wonderful John Oddo, Rosemary's veteran pianist and arranger, is heard to good advantage on several tracks, including "Old Devil Moon," "I Got Rhythm," and the Astaire selection.

My only quibble about the set is that the band occasionally seems reluctant to recreate that superb Basie sense of rhythm, renowned over the decades as the best timekeeping band in jazz history.

"At Long Last" is another in the uniformly magnificent string of Concord Jazz releases that assure Rosemary Clooney a place in the Music Hall of Fame. The pride of Maysville, Ky. continues to be simply the best.

Quick, what is the greatest house band in music history?

Time's up. The obvious answer (and I knew you'd get it right) is Booker T and the MG s, whose work at Stax Records in the '60s set the standard for Southern r&b, a standard never matched. Now there's a fantastic three-CD set that assembles the best of the band in a handsome package. "Time is Tight" (Stax 3SCD-4424-2) includes 65 tracks from the entire history of this magnificent group. The accompanying 48-page booklet gives a thorough history of the band in its various incarnations, along with a nice spread of photos and album covers.

Booker T. Jones, pianist, organist and singer, assembled great musicians, who not only provided backup for the Stax stable of influential artists, but completed a stirring catalog of their own, including such masterpieces as "Green Onions" (their first hit, released in 1962) to a fairly recent live version of "Dock of the Bay." Stax Records unquestionably was "the label that Booker T. and the MG s built." This is an essential addition to collectors' shelves.

Latin jazz continues making inroads, spreading in appeal beyond its solid audience into the mainstream. The excellent Oaktown Irawo, out of Oakland, Calif., shows they're one of the strongest combos involved in this magically entertaining genre with the recent release, "Funky Cubonics" (Tonga TNGCD-8303). This album has received heavy rotation duties on my office CD player for several weeks. It's a goodie.

Christoph Stiefel shows off his excellence at jazz piano in his new release, "Sweet Paradox" (Jazzline JL 1148), a pleasing collection of original instrumentals.

Stiefel is backed by Michel Benita on double-bass, and the superb Peter Erskine on drums and percussion. Sometimes romantic, sometimes exciting, always listenable, "Sweet Paradox" is an outstanding album.

Vibes master Cal Tjader, who gained fame working with Dave Brubeck decades ago, later distinguished himself with a series of excellent albums. "Tjader Plays Jazz" (Fantasy 3-211) contains material recorded in 1954 and re-issued in Fantasy's important "Original Jazz Classics" series after an exceptional job of remastering. The band for this date included the Getz-like Brew Mo0ore in tenor sax, Sonny Clark at the piano, Eugene Wright on bass, and Bobby White at the drum kit. Although Tjader died 16 years ago, he remains a major influence in Latin jazz. This release is an excellent example of why he remains in high esteem.

Celtic music has been attracting new fans in the U.S. for years. One of Ireland's most popular groups, The Cassidys, won platinum status in their homeland for "Singing from Memory" (Sliced Bread CD-SB&1180), a strong collection of traditional Irish melodies from the family group's childhood memories. If you're not yet a fan of this brand of music, The Cassidys are the real thing and "Singing from Memory" could make you a convert.

Need a nice, romantic album for one of those forthcoming cold winter nights you'd like to spend in front of a roaring fire with your sweetheart at your side? OK, here's a good choice. "Visions of Love" (Windham Hill 01934-11342-2) contains a dozen selections from such romance experts as Phil Perry, Jim Brickman, Michelle Wright, Janis Ian, and Peabo Bryson. Nice!

Also pleasant as background music is CommonGround's "Homeward Bound" (North Star NS0101), an hour-long collection of the music of Paul Simon. Some of the lesser known tunes from the extensive Simon catalog are included, along with such standards as "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "Mrs. Robinson."

Rudy "Tutti" Grayzell spent some time on the road with Elvis Presley. His new album, "Let's Get Wild" (Sideburn 1001-2) captures the rockabilly mood of the Elvis glory days with 14 delightful tunes. One song admonishes against messing with a ducktail haircut, while another is a belated salute to J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI. Grayzell, 65, has spent 40 years in music, yet this is his first full-length album. It's a keeper, for the grizzled Grayzell knows his way around rockabilly. He deserves a wide audience and his shot at the Big Time. It's fun music, recorded in a marathon three-day session with backup band The Skeletons.

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