REISSUES

SHELLY MANNE & HIS MEN “At the Manne-Hole, Vols. 1 & 2”

Contemporary

* * * 1/2

From the late ‘50s through the mid-’60s, Los Angeles, believe it or not, had two great jazz clubs: the It Club, a funky joint on Washington Boulevard, where Thelonious Monk and Dexter Gordon appeared, and the likewise less-than-posh Shelly’s Manne-Hole, on Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood (a few doors south of what is today Catalina Bar & Grill).

But who gave a hoot about niceties? The Manne-Hole, run by drummer Manne, presented tiptop traveling bands--those of Bill Evans, Miles Davis and Cannonball Adderley, among them. Often splitting sets with these greats, or serving as the lone headliner, were quintets led by Manne, of which this vintage 1961 unit is a solid, listenable example.

On these two volumes--which are available separately--trumpeter Conte Candoli and tenor saxophonist Richie Kamuca make a dandy front line, sounding a bit like Dizzy Gillespie and Lester Young, respectively. Pianist Russ Freeman, who vanished into the studios a few years after these dates, bassist Chuck Berghofer and the leader flesh things out.

“Vol. 2” is for those who like up-tempos, as “Love for Sale” and Gillespie’s blues “The Champ” are delivered at quicksilver paces. On these tunes, Candoli and Kamuca ride Manne’s driving rhythmic pulse seemingly without effort, dropping in stinging, biting phrases, then launching into longer, curving be-bop-based lines.

Freeman’s easy gait seems suited for the medium-tempo look of “Green Dolphin Street” that opens “Vol. 1,” and Candoli scores with a full-of-space, unhurried essay on the same tune and on “If I Were a Bell.”

The ballad takes--particularly Kamuca and Freeman on “How Could It Happen to a Dream?”--are added pluses.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four (excellent). A rating of five stars is reserved for classic reissues or retrospectives.