JAZZ : ALBUM REVIEWS : * * * 1/2 Bobby King, “Inside the Outer Kingdom,” Del Fi Records.

They’re not necessarily easy to find. But these small-label albums from Southern California-based jazz musicians can be every bit as rewarding as the well-publicized releases from Verve, Blue Note or the other major labels.

These recordings have shared characteristics that mirror, in mood and tempo, the tenor of our contemporary California culture, belying the once accepted “cool-school” cliche of West Coast jazz. The common threads include deeply reflective improvisational styles, strong rhythmic bases, use of ethnic instrumentation and musical forms, a willingness to merge a variety of jazz genres and a reverence for classical traditions from America, Europe, Africa and the East.

But most of all, these discs share an artistic aspiration that is uncompromised by commercial interests. These are musicians looking to establish their own voices and vision, without the help of big record company contracts.

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This album, recorded in 1983, follows a spiritual path back to the ‘60s for its inspiration. At times, saxophonist King’s solos aspire to the psycho-active attack of John Coltrane. Two of its six selections recall the east-meets-west explorations of Pharoah Sanders, featuring King, backed by sitar and tablas, playing everything from oboe and bass clarinet to shakuhachi and Tibetean bells.

But the album’s central attraction is its hard-swinging core. Drummer Shelly Manne and bassist Bob Magnusson drive straight ahead through King’s title tune, the Coltrane tribute “Little John,” and, for good measure, Sonny Rollins’ “Tenor Madness.” King’s front-line partner, Bobby Shew, blends his trumpet and fluegelhorn beautifully with the saxes and surprisingly cuts through the more outside pieces (“Land of the Orient”) with graceful aplomb. Pianist Bill Mays adds avant touches to even the most mainstream-sounding material.

With its disregard for cultural, style and generational boundaries, this 13-year-old document makes a timeless statement.