A Year Jam-Packed With Jazz Releases : Recordings: Catching up with some new albums and reissues--from the traditional to contemporary--can be the perfect way to usher in the New Year.

So New Year’s Eve is almost upon us and you still haven’t decided what to do? Here’s a thought. Grab some of that Christmas cash and head out to the nearest record store to close out 1994 with a little enhancement of your jazz CD library. Then celebrate a safe and comfy New Year’s Eve at home, catching up with some fine sounds that have emanated from the jazz world in the last 12 months.

What to buy? For the traditionalists, TelArc has produced in the last few months an especially attractive set of releases from jazz veterans: Check out Dave Brubeck’s “Late Night at the Blue Note,” Gerry Mulligan’s “Dream a Little Dream” and Oscar Peterson’s duet with Itzhak Perlman, “Side by Side.” All very tasty, easy-listening, non-threatening jazz.

There are dozens of reissues, ranging from boxed collections of the complete Bud Powell on Verve, Blue Note and Roost, the complete Thelonious Monk on Blue Note and the best of Ella Fitzgerald’s Verve Songbooks to a variety of single CD re-compilations of Erroll Garner, the Duke Ellington Orchestra at Newport in 1958, Lee Konitz & Warne Marsh, and more.

For the fan of contemporary sounds, most of the emerging young lions of jazz--Joshua Redman, Terence Blanchard, Wallace Roney, Roy Hargrove, Mark Whitfield, Cyrus Chestnut, David Sanchez, Kevin Eubanks, the Marsalis brothers, Geri Allen, Benny Green, among many others--as well as such established giants as Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner, Art Farmer, John Scofield and Jimmy Rowles have excellent and relatively recent albums available.

And devotees of jazz singing will find that superb outings by Shirley Horn (“I Love You Paris”), Betty Carter (“Feed the Fire”), Cassandra Wilson (“Blue Light ‘Til Dawn”) and Helen Merrill (“Brownie--A Homage to Clifford Brown”) confirm the still-robust state of the vocal art.

Here’s a random look at a few other albums to add to the far- ranging list of current jazz choices.

New CDs from a number of drummers and bassists illustrate the pluses and the minuses that can occur when players step out of the rhythm section into leadership roles.

In the case of drummers, the result often is little more than a typical jazz session with the volume cranked up on the trap set.

But Leon Parker breaks the mold with a vengeance in his debut recording on Epicure Records, “Above & Below” (3 1/2 stars). The 29-year-old musician, most recently heard with the groups of David Sanchez and Jackie Terrasson, is intent upon re-examining every element of the jazz drummer’s setup. Working on some tunes with only a cymbal, on others with percussive body slaps and hand claps, he has fashioned an assortment of pieces--both standards and originals--that describe a novel, brilliantly varied interpretation of jazz drumming. Parker is assisted by a number of first-class players, including Redman, Terrasson and saxophonist Mark Turner. But it is Parker’s imagination and sheer joy in the act of taking musical chances that energize this important recording.

On “Vinnie Colaiuta” (1 1/2 stars) from Stretch Records, the L.A. drummer attempts a quite different approach to leadership, relying heavily upon massive synthesizer sounds and dark, atmospheric themes. Despite the evidence of Colaiuta’s growing proficiency as a composer, what is missing is what one hopes for most in a drummer--a powerful sense of drive and a strong undercurrent of swing.

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Winard Harper’s “Be Yourself” on Epicure Records (2 stars), on the other hand, is bursting with swing, propelled by the dependable drumming of the founder of the Harper Brothers band. Except for providing a solid rhythm section underpinning and contributing a few tunes, however, Harper largely takes a back seat to the soloing of the too-rarely-heard trumpeter Eddie Henderson, and saxophonists Don Braden and David (Fathead) Newman. The jazz is choice and straight ahead, but its wandering focus lacks any feel for what Harper’s overall view of musical leadership may be.

Bassists also tend to have difficulty with the reins of power. The too-often-neglected Ron Carter, on a trio album with the estimable Kenny Barron on piano and Herb Ellis on guitar, finds precisely the right blend of leadership and partnership on the Blue Note release “Jazz, My Romance” (3 1/2 stars). In his quest to remain an active, vital force in jazz, Carter has occasionally picked projects that did not adequately showcase his skills. Not so this time. Working with partners who both challenge and stimulate his playing, Carter has created one of the year’s finest displays of masterful mainstream jazz improvisation. The trio’s smooth and relaxed renderings of “Sweet Lorraine,” “Summertime” and several Carter originals are state of the art--jazz that is as easily listenable as it is musically provocative.

The far-less-known Robert Miller, “Child’s Play” (2 1/2 stars) on WildCat Records, is that rarest of hyphenates, a musician-attorney (specializing in bankruptcy cases). Miller’s edgy electric bass work is perfectly suited for a program of brisk, rhythmically turbulent pieces featuring superlative trumpet work from the underrated Randy Brecker. Further enhancing this eclectic, but impressive instrumental date are moody vocals by Jon Lucien on Miles Davis’ “All Blues” and Ada Dyer on Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire.”

Bassist Robert Hurst, highly visible in Branford Marsalis’ “Tonight Show” band, curiously elects to play a considerably less visible role on “One for Namesake” (2 stars). On this Columbia release, Hurst mostly confines himself to supplying a sturdy foundation for pianist Kenny Kirkland (also from the “Tonight Show”) and drummer Elvin Jones. The result is pretty much business as usual, competent and by the book, with Jones, in particular, sounding uncharacteristically low-keyed. Hurst’s sole expression of individuality is made via a mixed bag of 10 original compositions.

Speaking of visibility, alto saxophonist Charles McPherson has had almost none since his brief brush with fame as a principal contributor to the soundtrack for Clint Eastwood’s 1988 film “Bird.” Hopefully, “First Flight Out” (3 stars), his Arabesque Records release, will bring some much-deserved attention to a player who has doggedly extended and enhanced the be-bop style. Working with the gifted trumpeter Tom Harrell at his side, McPherson soars through a set of tunes that include probing re-examinations of Thelonious Monk’s “Well You Needn’t,” Charles Mingus’ “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” and five well-crafted originals. In McPherson’s hands, be-bop is alive, well and looking to the future.

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The latest Columbia release from saxophonist James Carter, “JC on the Set” (2 1/2 stars), has been influenced by a different saxophone style--the hard-driving, crowd-pleasing, theatrically extravagant soloing of such players as Illinois Jacquet, Arnett Cobb and Ike Quebec. Carter adds his own effusive tone and melodramatic high harmonics on alto, tenor and baritone saxophones to unusual readings of a wildly disparate melange of works ranging from Ellington’s “Caravan” and “Sophisticated Lady” to Sun Ra’s “Hour of Parting” and Don Byas’ “Worried and Blue.” Carter’s idiosyncratic manner can make listening wearisome, but if he expands and diversifies his tonal palette, he clearly has the ingenuity and individuality to become a significant artist.

Finally, no year is complete without a healthy sampling of Ella Fitzgerald’s singing. In the rush of celebratory packages issued since her 75th birthday in 1993, material covering every aspect of Fitzgerald’s career has been catalogued, collected and reissued. Not to be overlooked in the most recent batch of releases is the four-CD package from Pablo Records “Ella Fitzgerald, the Concert Years” (4 stars). Encompassing a three-decade period from 1953 to 1983, the programming includes the small group backing of Herb Ellis, Ray Brown, J.C. Heard and Raymond Tunia, dates with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, numerous appearances with Tommy Flanagan and a couple of performances with Roy Eldridge and an all-star band. This is magical Fitzgerald, from her finest performance period, interacting with enthusiastic audiences and impeccable musical associates. Absolutely essential to the Fitzgerald fan and strongly recommended for even the most casual jazz listeners.

* Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good, recommended), four stars (excellent).