Cool clips, even if they often fly under the radar

DESPITE the obvious impact that MTV and videos in general have had in pop music, they have had minimal effect in jazz and world music -- in part because of the more niche-style following of those genres and in part because the cost of making videos is hard to justify in the case of artists who generally sell fewer than 100,000 copies of each album.

BET Jazz has worked hard to bring the images and the music to television audiences. But neither jazz nor world music has yet had a significant presence on commercial DVDs.

That’s not to say, however, that what is arriving on DVD is in any way lacking in quality. And the very nature of jazz and world music -- unlimited to the immediacy of pop trends, focused primarily on music rather than visual spectacle -- opens a wide possible range of eclectic production styles.

Dizzy Gillespie

“A Night in Havana: Dizzy Gillespie in Cuba” (Docurama)

This is both a documentary and performance recording, enlivened by the great bebop trumpeter’s ineffable combination of wit, wisdom and extraordinary musicality. Released as a theatrical film in 1989, it chronicles Gillespie’s part in Havana’s 1988 International Jazz Festival.

Viewed today, it has a remarkably visionary quality, as director John Holland presents a view of Cuban music and culture forecasting the images that would arrive a decade later via the popularity of the Buena Vista Social Club documentary and recordings. The difference is that the Gillespie trip illuminated a new generation of gifted young jazz musicians -- trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba among them -- to American audiences, whereas Buena Vista revived an older but similarly fascinating group of veteran Cuban artists.

What brings “A Night in Havana” alive -- beyond its compelling view of Cuba in the ‘80s -- is the presence of Gillespie. Leading, playing, challenging the musicians (his as well as the Cubans) through performances of “A Night in Tunisia” (in which he plays piano in a duet with Sandoval’s trumpet), “Manteca” and a stunning duet on “Con Alma” with Rubalcaba, he is a constantly mesmerizing presence.

Interacting with his Cuban hosts, he talks about his bullfrog-cheek method of blowing the trumpet, his close relationship with Charlie Parker (“the same heartbeat”), and tosses in a possibly apocryphal tale about how his horn came to be bent into its famous shape by a gangster.

It’s a marvelous visual and aural document -- Gillespie in all his entertaining grandeur, still in fine form less than five years before his death in 1993 at 75, happily immersing himself in the Afro-Cuban musical culture that had such a powerful impact on his own art.

Keith Jarrett

“The Art of Improvisation” (EuroArts)

The idea of a more focused look at a single artist -- exploring the music, the ideas and the persona of one of the music world’s great pianist-composer-improvisers -- is a fascinating concept, given Jarrett’s sense of privacy and his willingness to cooperate fully with the making of the DVD.

The results are impressive, especially when Jarrett’s dark wit, his occasional acerbic moments and, most of all, his insights are on full display. At one point he speaks, surprisingly, of his admiration for Victor Borge’s “ability to go from one thing to another ... part of that neuron speed ... that in improvising is so important.” In addition to the revealing private passages with Jarrett, a concert segment features the Jarrett Trio (with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette), and 30 minutes of interview material with musical associates and family members.

Buddy Rich and His Band

“The Lost Tapes”

(Lightyear Entertainment)

This program is culled from tapes of a 1985 concert thought to have been lost in a fire. The audio restoration of the event, which includes a 16-minute-plus version of the Rich band’s classic arrangement (by Bill Reddie) of music from “West Side Story,” features 4.0 Channel Dolby Digital and DTS Digital Surround tracks.

The music, recorded two years before his 1987 death, displays vital, still powerful, remarkably virtuosic drumming from Rich, leading a state-of-the-art big band with strong solo contributions from saxophonist Steve Marcus and others. Substantial commentary from musicians and friends is also included. Despite otherwise flawless production, however, the newly mixed sound comes from a rock music perspective, overly emphasizing the bass, diminishing the sound of the trumpets -- and, amazingly, Rich’s drumming in some spots -- to near inaudibility. Rich’s music deserves a more accurate representation of the dynamic horn and drum-driven power of his fine band.

Charlie Hunter

“Solo Inventions” (Shanachie)

DVDs can also produce interesting results from relatively low-budget production, as demonstrated by this entry that simply showcases Hunter playing his eight-string guitar, with occasional commentary between songs. The music and his remarks are compelling -- of interest to fans and especially to guitar players. But anyone attempting to closely observe Hunter’s unusual techniques will have to deal with an excess of constantly roving camera angles and fast cutting from one shot to another.

The Ari Hoenig Group

“Kinetic Hues” (Smalls Records)

Recorded at Manhattan’s Fat Cat club, drummer Hoenig’s band emphasizes the byplay between his complexly layered percussion and the finger-busting piano of Jean-Michel Pilc. As they perform on Fat Cat’s living-room-style stage, cameramen crawl discreetly around them, jockeying small, hand-held cameras in search of the best angle, contributing to the visual flavor of a home movie. Simplistic as it may seem, the production nonetheless places the music front and center, and the result is an intimate view of contemporary jazz in the process of coming to life.

Baaba Maal

“Baaba Maal” (Palm World Voices)

In the world music arena, the new Palm World Voices series is a superlative, ongoing collection, combining a CD and a DVD in gorgeously produced boxed sets. This third release in the series is a definitive example of how to introduce a world music artist to a broad audience. One of the founders of Afro-pop, Senegal’s Maal has traveled from the villages of his native country to international stages and back home again. The DVD portion of this set explores that journey through a combination of travelogue-like images, revealing on-location camera interviews with Maal, and performances in tiny villages and huge festivals. In addition, the package includes a CD encompassing various periods in Maal’s career, a 48-page book of photos with an essay about him, and a large National Geographic map chronicling Senegal, Maal’s journeys and the instruments of his music.

Maireid Sullivan and

Ben Kettlewell

“Time After Time”

(Lyrebird Media)

This colorful journey celebrates the cultures of Ireland, America and Australia in a flowing stream of music, poetry and visual imagery. Created by Irish singer Maireid Sullivan and guitarist Ben Kettlewell, the film includes songs from Sullivan’s CDs, poetry readings and speeches from great Native Americans, juxtaposed against pictures reaching from a close-up of a tiny Australian butterfly to a view of the expanding universe. Rich, embracing and informative as music and video, “Time After Time” is an exhilarating example of visual world music at its best. Available at www.lyrebirdmedia.com.