Various Artists: Jazz: Live from New York

This Telarc sampler pulls together material recorded live in New York and previously released throughout the course of the 1990s. Most of the tracks feature old masters at a late point in their careers, and in remarkably good shape. Some — Al Grey, Dizzy Gillespie, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Mel Torme, and Stéphane Grappelli — would soon pass away. In that regard, one of the more remarkable tracks is "It Might As Well Be Spring," featuring James Moody on alto duking it out with the late Grover Washington, Jr. on soprano. Little did anyone know that Moody would outlive the far younger Washington.

Indeed, the appeal of this package often lies in its multi-generational mix, typified by Dizzy Gillespie and Danilo Perez’s duet on "Con Alma," or by the reincarnated Jazz Messengers’ "Oh, By the Way," featuring 60s veterans Benny Golson and Curtis Fuller in the company of Terence Blanchard, Geoff Keezer, Peter Washington, and Lewis Nash. By the same token, there’s quite a variety of music here, from the modernist calypso of Jim Hall’s "Pan-O-Rama" to the old-school jam session spirit of Lionel Hampton’s "Flyin’ Home." And on a two-disc program dominated by horns, it’s a welcome break to hear Stéphane Grappelli on violin, backed only by guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli and bassist Jon Burr.