Pop-jazz. Jazz-pop. The labels are mere shorthand for a sort of music that’s tough to describe. The terms can often be applied in a pejorative sense, used to describe (and dismiss) disposable music. But that’s not at all what we have here. Mood Lit, the second album from Brooklyn pianist Jim Duffy, is a delight from start to finish.

The dozen tracks serve up sprightly melodies that swing. Duffy is aided and abetted by a small combo featuring The Smithereens‘ Dennis Diken on the trap kit, plus Paul Page on bass and Lance Doss on guitars (the latter two are also members of Ian Hunter‘s band). The lineup is the same as on Duffy’s first release, 2005′s Side One. On Mood Lit, Duffy drives strong, snappy compositions via acoustic piano or a Wurlitzer 200A.

There are some production flourishes — such as a vibes, horns and glockenspiel — but Mood Lit is an incredibly organic disc. The songs sound as if they’re being played right in your living room. The melodies are strong enough that vocals aren’t missed; on the contrary, the arrangements would suffer if anything else were added. Note-perfect arrangements throughout make Mood Lit that unique disc that’s perfect as a backdrop to cocktails and entertaining and highly engaging enough to reward careful listening. Musical touchstones lean in a jazz-for-all-the-people direction: hints of Brubeck, Bacharach and Guaraldi are there, and there’s even a subtle nod to the Ides of March‘s “Vehicle,” a 1970 Billboard pop hit. Another tune kicks off with an ambience that calls to mind Stevie Wonder‘s “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” but heads immediately in another (equally pleasing) direction.

Sometimes instrumental albums suffer from repetition or a dearth of ideas. Mood Lit finishes as strong as it starts, and doesn’t sag in the middle either. Pointing out a highlight would only do disservice to the other eleven tracks. Highly recommended.

The Smithereens are well-known rock fans. Their unique, canny take on rock music is informed by everyone from the Four Freshmen (drummer Dennis Diken cites them as a large-looming influence) to Black Sabbath (guitarist Pat DiNizio wrote a tribute of sort to Iommi and Co. on the first ‘Reens LP). And their affection for rock giants like the Beatles and the Who was well-known long before they covered those groups on record. So after establishing a consistent and deep back catalogue, the group took a (forgive the Who pun) detour into cover-tribute territory in the 00′s.

There is in fact a proud tradition of established rock musicians covering the work of others. The Hollies and Byrds did Dylan. Wilco did it with the work of Woody Guthrie. And the pride of Carteret NJ, — The Smithereens — have established something of a cottage industry with three of their last six albums. After two Beatles-centered albums (Meet the Smithereens and B-Sides the Beatles) the quartet returned in 2009 with The Smithereens Play Tommy.

The Smithereens 2009 release reinterprets the classic album, and in fact improves on it in a number of ways. First, the ‘Reens strip away the album’s lesser tracks. Doing so doesn’t make for a jarring “story line,” seeing as the original wasn’t all that lucid a narrative to start with. Second, the Smithereens answer the question posed in Bill Crowley’s liner notes: “What if the Live at Leeds or Who’s Next [era] Who had recorded a proper, all-out rock studio version of Tommy‘s best songs?”

As Smithereens’ Pat DiNizio told the audience at the 2009 Charlotte Pop Fest, the idea for this project came mostly from guitarist Jim Babjak and drummer Dennis Diken. It’s mostly their project, he says, meaning that in the best possible sense.

Rolling Stone famously wrote that bassist John Entwistle had the misfortune to be a very good songwriter in a group with a great one. With respect to vocal duties, a similar argument can be made concerning both guitarist Jim Babjak and drummer Dennis Diken. Babjak’s voice, especially on “Amazing Journey”, is ideally suited to the material. Freed from the all-originals format, the Smithereens turn in a more vocally democratic performance: all three original members take multiple turns in the lead vocal spotlight, selecting the songs that best suit their ranges and styles.

The Smithereens “new” bassist Severio Jornacion (“The Thrilla” joined in 2006 after original bassist Mike Mesaros retired) ably channels the high-energy punch of Entwistle’s bass lines, yet there is enough subtle reworking of the songs — a turnaround where there wasn’t one before, a new percussion accent, some interesting chord shadings — to keep Tommy far out of Whomania territory. The band sinks their musical teeth into the material; Diken seems to relish the opportunity to crash into the songs with controlled abandon, and Babjak cuts loose, bringing forth the feeling of Townshend’s slashing windmill-filled playing without aping his style. And production by DiNizio, Diken, Babjak and Kurt Reil (The Grip Weeds) ably bests the original album’s thin tone, bringing out the oomph that was missing from the — it must be said — slightly effete two-LP set.

The band takes the most liberties with “Sparks”. One’s stereo needs to be cranked as loud as possible to fully enjoy the Smithereens on this track. And The Smithereens rescue “Sensation” from obscurity; that song — bearing the most in common with the high-energy work of the mid 60s’ Who — is delivered here with the deft mixing of punch and subtlety that informs Diken’s solo album of original (yet often Who-influenced) material. The Smithereens Play Tommy isn’t meant to replace your well-worn copy of the Who album, and it shouldn’t. But this loving and energetic tribute does serve as an enjoyable rethinking of that set. The Smithereens are well suited to the challenge of covering an iconic work without losing their own identity in the process.

The selection of William Stout to design the cover art is a nod to hardcore Who fanatics and bootleg collectors; those people will recognize Stout’s work from the Tales of the Who bootleg. The comic-book themed artwork makes for a cool cover, and throws a knowing wink in the direction of those hardcore fans, as if to remind them (us), “hey: we’re with ya.” and indeed the Smithereens — who remain every bit as vital in concert in 2009 as twenty-five years ago — are.

Note: the album is included as a bonus CD in the deluxe package of The Gears‘ Rockin’ at Ground Zero (reviewed below), but it deserves its own review.

The 2009 Hep Cat release of Rockin’ at Ground Zero includes a bonus CD of cuts entitled, appropriately enough, Rare Cuts! After the demise of The Gears, vocalist Axxel G. Reese and guitarist drummer Dave Drive resurfaced quickly in The D.I.’s, There they employed a similar (yet slightly more refined) approach. Elements of rockabilly are brought more to the fore; “Taylor Yard Blues,” the kickoff track on Rare Cuts! sounds like Jason and the Scorchers, West Coast Edition. The production of nine of Rare Cuts! tracks is handled by the estimable Billy Zoom (X, The Blasters) who exhibits a keen understanding of the group’s musical direction. (He would. I mean, look at the guy.)

While elements of humor always lurked just below the surface in The Gears’ songs, tracks like “Your Dad’s a Cop” bring the smirking approach to the fore. The D.I.’s slow things down just a bit compared to The Gears, but in doing so they add a certain groove to the music. Except for the punkabilly vocal delivery, “Leave Love to Me” wouldn’t sound out of place on a Junior Brown album. As with The Gears, there’s a surprising and refreshing variety to the songs; the tracks on Rare Cuts! stay far away from the “let’s write the same song over and over” approach of many bands.

Rare Cuts! spans five separate sessions covering the period 1983 to 1990. The four tracks that comprise their 1984 Lock N’ Load EP (the group’s sole official release prior to this compilation) exhibit a buzzsaw guitar attack leavened with nimble lead fills throughout. “Shot Down” from the group’s 1985 sessions for A&M starts off sounding like a punked-up “Last Train to Clarkesville”, and that’s not a bad thing. Those sessions even include a touch of keyboards(!) courtesy of Benmont Tench (Tom Petty & the Herartbreakers) and tight harmony backing vocals. By far the most “professional” sounding tracks on the disc, the A&M session cuts keep the energy while bringing the sort of polish that (one would have hoped) could have brought the D.I. some hard-won commercial success. That was not to be, but this package puts 22 songs together for a fantastic listen. Don’t miss the D.I.’s cover of the Buffalo Springfield hit “Mr. Soul.”

The liner notes included with Rare Cuts! add some needed perspective and context to the music by this relatively-unknown combo. Despite their low profile, the D.I.’s were turning out music every bit as exciting as The Blasters and X, to name two. While the D.I.’s maintained the punk aesthetic, the songs on Rare Cuts! transcend that genre to produce some timeless rock and roll. Packaged together, The Gears’ Rockin’ at Ground Zero and The D.I.’s Rare Cuts are two hours of rock and roll’s true essence.

Initially I had reservations about even spinning my review copy of Rockin’ at Ground Zero. While I wasn’t familiar with The Gears, I do know enough about the L.A. punk scene of the late 70s and early 80s. And that era of punk doesn’t really do much for me. The L.A. variant seemed musically angrier and less melodic than stuff coming out of other locales (like NYC). Speed was king, and finesse mattered less. Eventually I popped the disc in, and was pleasantly surprised.

The first thing that struck me was the immediacy of the songs. The dry, almost effects-free production aesthetic presents The Gears in a manner that (I imagine) isn’t too far removed from their live set. Of course the needles aren’t all in the red, and the balance and mix are as they should be. But the energy’s all here.

“Baby Runaround” kicks off sound a bit like a slowed-down Ramones, but there’s — believe it or not — a subtlety to the playing. “Let’s Go to the Beach” updates surf music for the era, while providing a catchier take on that genre than, say, the Surf Punks. “Elks Lodge Blues” marries blues and punk in an effective method, turning in a performance that has as much in common with the tracks on Rhino’s Loud, Fast and Out of Control (an essential box set compilation of 50′s rock) as it does with, say, the Sex Pistols. Axxel G. Reese’s yelps are particularly effective, and the playing tighter than one might have a right to expect from L.A. punk scenesters.

Overall, the songs on Rockin’ at Ground Zero traffic in teenage rebellion and fun-at-the-beach themes rather than nihilistic, atavistic hardcore messages. And musically, the Gears manage the feat of providing variety while working solidly within the punk genre (something the Ramones decidedly did not do that same year: they recorded End of the Century with Phil Spector at the boards). The Gears weren’t adherents of the faster-is-better aesthetic so prevalent in L.A., and that’s ultimately to their credit. These tracks hold up well nearly thirty years later, and don’t really sound dated at all.

Well, except “Darlin’ Baby.” The song starts as a 50s throwback tune and then (ahem) shifts gears for the chorus into a pogo-worthy rocker. The presence of such dynamics throughout Rockin’ at Ground Zero makes listening to the album a rewarding experience; unlike some records of the era, the shifts in tone, style and delivery keep the listener on their toes, and sidestep the numbing attack of lesser punk acts. One guesses the Gears were an incendiary live act; hearing these songs, it’s impossible not to imagine a club full of pogoers. The Gears seemed to understand what was valuable about early rock and roll, and incorporated that into their then-modern songs. The spirits of Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent…and Sid Vicious are breathed back to life on Rockin’ at Ground Zero.

Bonus tracks include the original 45s of “Let’s Go to the Beach” and “Don’t Be Afraid to Pogo.” Both versions are (naturally) rawer than their album counterparts, in both performance and production. Five demos from 1979 (in surprisingly good fidelity) show that the Gears’ approach was pretty fully developed before they entered the studio. The exception is “Heartbeat Baby”, which underwent a radical reinvention that improved the song exponentially. In the end, most the self-produced demos don’t sound that different from the polished versions. And that’s to the credit of Rockin’ at Ground Zero producer Gary Hirstius and all involved in that album.