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:

“HEAT WAVE.” Cal Tjader-Carmen McRae. Concord CCD 4189. Given a wide range of tunes, from Irving Berlin to Ellington to Stevie Wonder, and the late vibraphonist’s propulsive percussive group, McRae was very much in her element on this 4 1/2-star set. Tjader’s Grammy-winning “La Onda Va Bien” also is on CD, Concord Picante CCD 4113. Other recommended Latin jazz: “Crazy Bird” by Clare Fischer, with an augmented Salsa Picante group, Discovery DSCD-914; “Come With Me” and “Wild” by Tania Maria, Concord Picante CCD 4200 and CCD 4264 (preferably the former).