jazz

Usually your best jazz in Boston can be found at the music schools--Berklee and New England Conservatory. But those schools aren't untracked yet--so we have to draw on the clubs for the music.

That's not a bad option this week because Paul's Mall, Boston's largest (and most expensive) jazz/rock club is featuring Gato Barbieri through October 3.

The last time Gato came to Boston, in the fall of 1975, he gave a series of tremendous, albeit short concerts, playing his usual hard-driving saxaphone. At that time, Gato hadn't cut a recent album so he just played some of the old, crowd-pleasing favorites.

But this time the FM stations are just beginning to give his new album, Caliente, the play it deserves (the single "I Want You," has had some air time) and Gato will definitely be playing some of the album's better selections. If you are going to see him, however, here's one word of caution--he doesn't usually bring his regular back-up people to Boston, so he will probably be surrounded by some untalented locals.

If you like the softer jazz (some don't even like to consider it jazz) then you'll probably go to see Kenny Burrell playing the guitar at the Jazz Workshop. He'll be there through the third.

Out in Beverly, along the North Shore, Sandy's Jazz Revival is keeping up its summer reputation as the finest showcase of left-over Duke Ellington and Count Basie stars. This week it's Helen Humes, the Count's vocalist, through Saturday. She just finished a long engagement at the Cookery in New York.

Looking ahead, the New England Conservatory, located at the Symphony stop on the Green Line, will have Jackie Byard and an all-star Afro-American Jazz group starting October 7. The concert is the first in a series of great concerts that the Conservatory will be presenting.

For spur of the moment jazz notices, tune in WBUR 90.9 FM.