JAZZ : ALBUM REVIEWS : * * * Ray Pizzi “Wind Rider,” P.Z. Music.

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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Pizzi has been a Los Angeles studio stalwart for so long that he is too often overlooked in the listings of Southern California’s finest jazz players. In fact, Pizzi--who is a high-level performer on tenor and soprano saxophones, flute and bassoon--has been a persistently adventurous voice in a crowd that often seems more concerned with technique rather than inventiveness.

This outing, recorded in Germany, showcases Pizzi primarily on flute and soprano saxophone in a collection of easygoing, melodic originals, all executed with his characteristic blend of cutting-edge imagination and lighthearted whimsy. Best of all, there is--on “Invocation”--a hearty taste of his remarkable, funk-driven jazz bassoon. (Available from P.Z. Music, P.O. Box 8137, Van Nuys, CA 91409.)