JAZZ : *** 1/2 HERBIE HANCOCK, “Hurricane!” <i> V.I.E.W. Video ($19.98)</i>

Though filmed in 1984, at a concert in Switzerland, this hourlong program has not lost one iota of its contemporaneity and is packed with plenty of sizzle. The considerable excitement that pianist Hancock and his partners--bassist Ron Carter and drummer Billy Cobham--are able to generate as they romp through four trio tunes (the video includes three unaccompanied pieces as well) makes this a most enjoyable program.

Numerous cinematically interesting close-ups take away the distance one usually feels in a concert setting and replaces it with the intimacy one can only find in a small club. This electronic front-row seat--augmented by judicious editing that cuts between the artists at exactly the right moments--lets you closely observe the zeal, and the camaraderie, with which the musicians head into their material.

The hi-fi sound is a perfect companion to these visuals, as you can hear what’s being played just as clearly as you can see the fellows play it.

Blues open and close the set, and both of these--Hancock’s “Eye of the Hurricane” and Miles Davis’ “Walkin’ “--are given seething, blow-it-out airings. Here Hancock displays his mastery of his instrument and his ability to quickly shift moods and styles, say from downright funky to wildly abstract.

The medium-tempo “First Trip” allows for more lyricism, but if you’re looking for pretty sounds, nothing beats “Princess,” a 12-minute number in which the players paint lovely aural landscapes. Information: (800) 843-9843.

Items in this periodic survey of jazz-related books, videocassettes and laser discs are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to five (a classic).