Giant Amoeba emits semi-obscure CD

This is the jazz CDs section of Amoeba. The store also sells 33s, 45s and 78s.

During a recent visit to Los Angeles, I ventured into Amoeba, one of the last enduring record stores and one of the largest. My mind went back two decades when I spent hours in such places, flipping through the stacks. However, we had many sightseeing priorities in the Hollywood area, so I challenged myself to find a worthy CD in 10 minutes or so.

"Tring-A-Ling" with the Amoeba price sticker.

I wanted a CD that was probably out of print and only available at Amoeba or from collectors online. I didn't achieve that level of obscurity, but I did find, within the self-imposed time constraint, "Tring-A-Ling" by Joanne Brackeen. The 1977 LP was reissued as a CD in 2009.

Michael Brecker appears on four of the seven tracks. While Brackeen and Brecker both are in the early stages of their careers, Brackeen sounds like the full arc of her artistry is already achieved, while Brecker is still in a developmental stage.

Brecker: He's running the tenor at high speed, but he's not negotiating the curves all that well. He's yippy in spots, and, on "Haiti-B," he's bending notes into howls like a mournful beagle. Two and three decades later — as heard on a couple of my favorites, "Tales from the Hudson" and his last album, "Pilgrimage" — he had become the master we all know, infusing emotional intensity where there was once just velocity.

Brackeen: The complex yet playful compositions are already here, as are the sprawling piano solos, roiling in crosscurrents. Many jazz musicians who find their path early and follow it through life usually are not very interesting to hear in their later years. However, Brackeen is an exception. As you go forward in her career, the work is just as absorbing even though the concept hasn't changed.