Reuckert is a solid presence while seldom intruding into the music deftly performed by his mates. Chris Potter gets plenty of solo work, showing his status of one of the world's great tenor players is not undeserved. Also impressive is the stellar sounds made by alto wizard Hayden Chisholm.

The lineup of tunes is sublime, ranging from Cole Porter to John Coltrane, the latter having three compositions included. There's also an outstanding version of Sonny Rollins's wonderful "Pent Up House," and a swinging version of the oft-recorded standard, "Willow Weep for Me." Also a standout is the band's licks on Dave Brubeck's zinger, "In Your Own Sweet Way."

Excellent work by all concerned!

ALL-STAR JAZZ

Gary Burton turned 55 years old this year. I saw him in performance about three decades ago at the Cincinnati Jazz Fest, then being held every summer at old Crosley Field on a weekend when the Reds were out of town. Burton was then a newcomer, a self-taught vibraharpist who showed startling talent even at a tender ago.

In a candidate for best jazz album of the year, Burton joins with Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Roy Haynes, and Dave Holland on a magnificent album, "Like Minds" (Concord Jazz). As publicity notes indicate, this album makes one of those rare times when everything clicks. Nine of the ten tunes on the album were created especially for it by Burton, Corea, and Metheny. The exception is a soulful reading of George Gershwin's "Soon."

Burton's technique has continued to improve with the passage of time. His solos are inventive and occasional merit jaw-dropping. Corea, always one of my favorite jazz heroes, plays with power and grace in equal measure. His distinctive solo work will elicit smiles, while his ensemble work is, as always, just perfect.

Pat Metheny caught my attention more than two decades ago with a series of albums in which he and Lyle Mays made some of the best and most hypnotic music I'd ever heard. He fits in well. Haynes has a long reputation as a marvelous small-group drummer. Dave Holland's work on bass is exemplary.

PARRISH PREACHER

Singer Michael Parrish is a new talent to this listener. His first album came out in 1995 and his band played the HORDE Festival in 1997. His new album, "Beautiful Rocks" (Geographic Records) is just about a perfect entry in the folk rock vein. With a solid, friendly voice, Parrish makes every track on his album seem special. His lyric-writing talents are immense. The dozen songs are each crafted with care, filled with humor, and thoughtful as well. And he plays keyboards, guitars and percussion on an outing that's always entertaining, often brilliant.

The album pays tribute to four major influences, now woefully departed from this life, from Parrish's days as a boy in San Francisco. The quartet consists of Guitar Gabriel, Howie Wyeth, Ed Stevens, and Townes Van Zandt. The latter, whom Parrish met in the mid-'80s, once told Parrish to give up. At first Parrish says he was devastated.

"Then, after he died, it suddenly struck me how privileged I felt that Townes Van Zandt told me to quit," he told writer Cree McCree in the magazine No Depression.

It's a good thing that Parrish chose not to follow that advice. This album is a delight from start to finish.

LATIN STYLE DANCE GEMS

Expect to don on your dancing shoes when you put Johnny Polanco's new release on your CD turntable. "L.A. Amistad" (Tonga Productions) contains some of the best salsa rhythms you'll find anywhere.

Polanco, in show business since the age of five, is a master of the guitar, both the cuatro from Puerto Rico and the tres from Cuba. He's also proficient on congas, timbales, and bongos, trombone, and violin. He works frequently on movie soundtracks. His work could be heard in the Vanessa Williams film from last summer, "Dance with Me."

As the album's notes point out, Polanco was a major influence on the salsa explosion in New York City during the '70s. Now he's based in Los Angeles and is one of the most popular bandleaders on the West Coast at the helm of his group Conjunto Amistad.

"L.A. Amistad" contains a bonanza of great Latin music, mostly up tempo and infectious. If you don't understand Spanish, it matters not one bit. This is terrific music, the real stuff.

JAMMIN' WITH THE CATS

Listening to Cats & Jammers' new album, "Hooray for Everything" (Beluga Records) is like a fast slide back to the '60s, when pop rock began to give way to the punksters, whose sharper edges enervated a musical style that was beginning to wear out. These young men from Chicago might remind you of the glory days of the B52's melded into a strange new sound that includes some of the edgy fun made popular in more recent times by Green Day.

There's even a bit of the Ramones, in that Cats & Jammers perform three-minute extravaganzas that made a point with sharply designed lyrics and perform with a raucous jolt of energy. At times it sounds as if the band swigged ample amounts of Mountain Dew during their hours in the studio.

The band combines a happy note of innocence that makes their sometimes darker lyrics take on a sinister cloak. The main man for Cats & Jammers is guitarist/vocalist Scott Anthony, who also writes all the songs. The album notes make a point that Anthony has an interest in writing fiction, as shown in his new book of fiction called "Trickster Tales." The notes include instructions on how to obtain your own copy.

Here's a band that definitely is widening its horizons beyond the confines of the Windy City. In November, they toured the East Coast, including gigs in Boston, Providence, and New York City. Watch for them in your town. They're damned good fun.

_________________________________________