Beyond doubt, the compact disc is the...

Beyond doubt, the compact disc is the groove of the future. (Yes, yes, I know it has no grooves.) It will duly become to the LP what LPs were to 78s. Because of digital mastering (and in some cases digital recordings and mixing), the sound, read by a laser beam through the plastic surface of the 4 1/2-inch, 1-millimeter-thick disc, is just about as perfect as perfect will ever get.

Though this small, silver surface can accommodate up to 70 minutes of music on a single side, certain inconsistencies have to be resolved. A CD offering only 32 minutes looks exactly like one that may carry twice as much; moreover, the store may overcharge you for the former, as there are no firm price regulations. Even if not used to maximum capacity, of course, the discs are great space savers.

What follows is a sampling of the best I have heard, representing jazz in various styles and stages:

“COLE PORTER SONGBOOK, Volumes 1 and 2.” Ella Fitzgerald. Verve 821-989-2 and 821-990-2. “RODGERS AND HART SONGBOOK, Volumes 1 and 2.” Verve 821-579-2 and 821-580-2. Technically, as well as in the quality and quantity of what we hear, these four sets offer proof of what CDs can accomplish. Each of the four runs from 54 to 56 minutes. The Cole Porter packages show that even monaural sound benefits from CD values. (The Rodgers and Hart sets were recorded slightly later; 24 of the 34 tunes are in stereo.)

Fitzgerald is represented profusely on CDs from this “songbook” period. Given the caliber of the material and the creative peak she had reached, it is hard to fault anything except the occasionally insipid arrangements by Buddy Bregman. Nor do I take kindly to the conversion of “Have You Met Miss Jones” to the awkward “Sir Jones.” (Why didn’t she try “Have You Met Joe Jones”?) But why quibble over quality, when Ella’s very presence epitomizes it? 5 stars all around.