Generation x

Larry Coryell's "Blues for Django and Stephane" (from a 1992 concert, featuring guitarists Philip Catherine and Marc Fossett, plus bass virtuoso Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen), plus a mesmerizing guitar trio rendition of "Tears" (with Rocky Gresset, Adrien Moignard, and Sylvain Luc) are here, off-setting some of the more contemporary arrangements, which aren't as interesting. Guitarist David Reinhardt's setting of Django's "Nuits de Saint Germain Des Pres" combines a more poppish/contemporary sound with Brazilian rhythm, organ, and flute, though it is innocuous. Babik Reinhardt's original "Incertitudes" is more like a cheesy smooth jazz track, with his effective electric guitar backed by mundane keyboards and an instantly forgettable pop rhythm.

Richard Hell and the Voidoids’ Blank Generation is an iconic album that has influenced countless rock bands with its image, its attitude, and its blistering performances. Released in 1977 on Sire Records, the album was received ecstatically by critics such as Lester Bangs and the New York Times’ Robert Palmer (who called it one of the ten best albums of the decade), but as was the case with most original “punk” albums, it wouldn’t get mainstream recognition for decades. Now its place in music history is secure as one of punk’s most significant records. Recently, Rolling Stone magazine lauded Blank Generation as one of the “40 Greatest Punk Albums of All Time,” giving the innovative and literate band its well deserved credit on the cusp of its 40th anniversary.

Mid-'80s release that established Horovitz among the prime composers and players on the contemporary improvising scene. He's not among either the traditionalists or the fusion/light jazz crowd, but is part of the New York "downtown" school that utilizes everything from hard bop to rock to contemporary classical. Guitarist Bill Frisell was also an important contributor to the date.

Next Generation of Swing assembles a dozen tracks from the retro-swing movement of the 1990s, tossing in a vintage ringer - Louis Prima's original "Jump, Jive an' Wail" - for good measure. The latter-day material doesn't quite capture the same excitement, although the Brian Setzer Orchestra's "Route 66," Royal Crown Revue's "Datin' with No Dough" and the Mighty Blue Kings' "Jumpin' at the Green Mill" come close.