Jazz and World Music CDs

SEPTEMBER

Ray Brown, “Some of My Best Friends Are . . . The Trumpet Players,” Telarc Jazz. The veteran bassist performs with Terence Blanchard, Jon Faddis, Roy Hargrove, James Morrison, Nicholas Payton and Clark Terry.

Regina Carter, “Motor City Moments,” Verve. Carter applies her versatile violin to a collection of tunes from Detroit stalwarts.

Lila Downs, “Tree of Life,” Narada World. This time out, Downs concentrates on traditional Oaxacan songs as well as her own compositions.

Danilo Perez, “Motherland,” Verve. Perez celebrates his Panamanian heritage in several original works, among them the two-part “Suite of the Americas,” accompanied by an international jazz all-star lineup.

Michel Petrucciani, “Concerts Inedits” Dreyfus. Three-CD set of live performances from the late, gifted French pianist.

Kendra Shank, “Reflections,” Jazz Focus. A third CD from a singer with a taste for highly individual, musically compelling interpretations.

Spaccanapoli, “Lost Souls,” RealWorld. The outgrowth of a workers collectiveE Zeziin Naples, the group Spaccanapoli is part of a resurgence of surprisingly diverse music from Italian ensembles looking past Verdi and Puccini and into the area’s rich, complex Mediterranean heritage.

Andy Summers, “Peggy’s Blue Skylight,” RCA/BMG. The innovative bassist from The Police’s expansive set of Charles Mingus compositions, performed with, among others, Randy Brecker, Deborah Harry, the Kronos Quartet and rapper Q Tip.

Various Artists, “A Love Affair--The Music of Ivan Lins,” Telarc. His music is performed in this attractive collection by Sting, Chaka Khan, Dianne Reeves, Brenda Russell, Vanessa Williams and Lins himself.

OCTOBER

Bill Evans, “The Last Waltz,” Milestone/Fantasy. Recorded barely a week before his death, this is a remarkable, eight-CD collection from a live performance at San Francisco’s Keystone Korner. Not to be missed.

Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette, “Whisper Not,” ECM. Oct. 10. More stunning standards from the Jarrett trio in a two-CD set recorded last year in Europe.

John McLaughlin, “The Heart of Things Live in Paris” and “The Believer,” Verve. McLaughlin revisits his 1997 recording, “The Heart of Things,” via a live performance, along with a reunion of Shakti with tabla player Zakir Hussain recorded during a 1999 tour.

Charlie Parker, “The Complete Savoy and Dial Studio Recordings (1944-48),” Savoy. The incomparable alto saxophonist’s work from one of his most vital periods in a single collection.

Oscar Peterson and Michel Legrand, “Trail of Dreams: A Canadian Suite,” Telarc. A Peterson composition commissioned as an “ode to the people and places of Canada.”

NOVEMBER

Don Byron, “A Fine Line: Arias and Lieder,” Blue Note. Clarinetist Byron again challenges categories and stylistic boundaries.

“The Best of Ken Burns ‘Jazz’ Collection,” Verve Records. Eleven CDs showcasing individual artists from the 19-hour Burns documentary to be aired in January.

“The Best of Ken Burns ‘Jazz’ Collection,” Columbia Legacy.” Eleven more individual CDs devoted to stars of the Burns documentary.

Ken Burns “Jazz”: The Story of American Music,” Columbia/ Legacy/Verve. A five-CD boxed set highlighting the principal themes of the Burns docu-mentary.