PARADISE ALLEY—Original Soundtrack (MCA):: You might be tempted to pick this up for the two new Tom Waits tunes—which are okay but not Blue Valentine fine—but you also get a bonus: Sylvester Stallone sings. Sort of. Sort of like Waits, actually; give the man some gravel to gargle with and he just might become a star.

M.D.

JACK* DEJOHNETTE—New Directions (ECM):: It’s not really new, it’s pursuing the old ‘ for greater satisfaction. Drummer DeJohnette, guitarist John Abercrombie, trumpeter Lester Bowie, and bassist Eddie Gomez are creating in the context of structured freedomt i.e., in and out, and this type of playing only works if the players have a special affinity for each other. And these players do. The structure/in sections are smooth and the freedom/out sections demonstrate a fascinating interplay between drums and guitar, especially when Bowie is playing up front. Gomez ain’t bad either. Great stuff. R.C.W.