Burning acid?

What is acid jazz? This retro-futuristic style was spawned in European dance clubs during the late '80s, and the best definition I've seen is concise: jazz for dancing. The most imaginative record company in this terrain, Ubiquity, labels several of its compilations "dancehall jazz." This refers to a marked emphasis on groove-driven jazz rooted in funk, Blue Note's Donald Byrd or Jimmy Smith circa the 1970s. Update that traditional sound by experimenting with electronic embellishments and hints of hop-hop and/or reggae and you've mastered the formula (look at what Us3 did with Byrd, Smith, Loud Donaldson, and others in the Blue Note catalogue).

The most satisfying compilation I've discovered is Is That Jazz? (Ubiquity), a collection that reveals just how much creativity can be unleashed within a limiting formula. High points include a brilliant scat vocal version of Thelonious Monk's "Straight No Chaser" that flirts with a hip-hop beat, and a soulful fusion workout by the New Legends, a quartet whose saxophonist, Nalgas Sincarne, sounds like a young Archie Shepp.

Another mind-boggling compilation reflecting the international club and record-company involvement with acid jazz is Groovin' High: Volume One (Stepping Stone). A Forest Mighty Black perform a snappy bit of funky samba (acid jazzsters love reconstructing sambas as much as revising old James Brown or Blue Note riffs) that showcases some sexy-sounding scat by their vocalist, Kitty K. First prize for a winning example of an unlikely stylistic fusion goes to the Japanese band the Silent Poets. A funky hip-hop groove is adorned by a French rapper talking about "La Vie" while a jazzy soprano sax wails. The 11 tunes from various bands are masterful examples of jazz in various "drags" or guises, danceable amalgams of '60s jazz and '90s techno and hip-hop (or trip-hop).

Juice: The Sound of Acid Jazz (IRMA America) is a relatively tame collection of Italian acid-jazz bands. Hip-hop and electronic effects are minimal. But who can resist being tickled by the ironic psychedelic tribute to the '60s during the sitar solo with which Gazzara open "Love Potion"? And Bossa Nostra play a mean samba-funk-jazz mix.

Beware of CD covers proclaiming "Acid Jazz" in bold print. In addition to being a musical style, acid jazz is also the name of a UK-based record company whose titles are being selectively reissued here by Hollywood Records. Its "Re-wired" compilations are worth hearing, even though many of the bands included play nothing remotely like acid jazz. The label's genuine acid-jazz acts include the New Jersey Kings and the Quiet Boys, both of whom adhere devoutly to the Donald Byrd school of silky jazz funk. The wildest band, Emperor's New Clothes, are either a jazz band in love with reggae or visa versa. The Wisdom and Lies album is a hypnotic hybrid of swinging backbeats and echoey trumpet calls.

The Instinct label probably has issued more CDs labeled "acid jazz" than any other company. Its compilations include a European composer/bandleader whose cleverness may just begin and end with his name, "Count Basic." The superficial level of jazz soloing offered by the Indistinct bands suggests that these discs are intended for Kenny G fans who wish they liked James Brown but find his music too savage.

Speaking of Mr. Brown: don't miss the splendid two-disc set just out from Polydor, James Brown -- Foundations of Funk: A Brand New Bag: 1964-1969. Saxophonist Maceo Parker and trombonist Fred Wesley blur the distinction between funk and jazz in this collection, which offers previously unreleased material. More evidence of the roots of acid jazz can be discovered through two first-rate compilations: Talkin' Verve (Verve) and Blue Note Rare Grooves (Blue Note). The Blue Note anthology stuns with the appearance of avant-garde pianist Andrew Hill, whose previously unreleased "Soul Special" offers an extreme tweaking of a musical formula. His Monk-like (dis)chords dysynchronously play against the rigidly steady funk drum patterns of Idris Muhammad. Acid jazz indeed!