There's no doubt that jazz is out, as far as Victor and Columbia are concerned. In the past four months Victor has issued one Blackbird record of Barney. Bigard, which is three weeks overdue in the stores. Columbia did a little better with an occasional Basic or Goodman sextet, and much better with a Teddy Wilson album. Only Decca has approximate peace-time output, with two Gams of Jazz albums and about a dozen Bob Crosby records.

Considering that 99.99 per cent of the collectors are men and most likely in uniform now, that jazz never sold very well anyhow, and that a collector of Jazz, unlike a Lombardo-lover or Kaye-swayer, never tires of his records, it would seem downright unpatriotic to carp at the present output. Victor's latest "Smart Set" albums, however, like "Favorite Love Songs," and Songs of Imperishable Beauty," seem hardly likely to leave any of the better. Columbia reissues behind in a could of shellac. Or take the case of Half McIntyre's new band, which the gentlemen in Camden are plugging vigorously. Practically every Victor refuse has a new McIntyre record on it. The band is one of the best to come up in a long time, and deserves a break if only for imitation Ellington, so well. But while putting out imitation Ellington, why doesn't Victor put out some of the genuine?

To get down to what little has been released lately, it is a pity that Decca, the one company that shows any interest in jazz, has the worst record surfaces. These have been improved lately, but not so that a cactus needle can approach them without a qualm. Decca's new Gams of Jazz, vol. 5, lives up to the standards set by the previous albums, and brings out the first batch of all-improvised jazz in over six months. This time, however, there are no big names like Hawkins, or Berigan. As a matter of fact, it is very probably that you've never heard of Jimmie Noone, Art Hodes, or Jimmy McPartland. Fame in jazz, as elsewhere, has little to do with the quality of the product, and this time is no exception.

Up to now, Hodes has been known only to collectors of Solo-Art and Signature records and to explorers of New York jazz spots. With these new releases, Hodes' piano is fortunately within reach of everyone's ear, and definitely worth the listening time of two records. With a rhythm section of Zutty Singleton, drums, Eddie Condon, banjo, and Earl Murphy, bass, the band achieves a colossal beat, especially on "Indiana." On "Georgia Cake Walk" they outdo the Yerba Buena band in the latter's own territory.

Jimmy McPartland, trumpeter in the Bix style, you've met before in the Decca Chicago Jazz Album. His two sides here, made four years before the Chicago album, are even better. Jimmie Noone, clarinetist, is known to most people only as the man who taught Benny Goodman how to play. You won't hear much Goodman, how to play. You won't hear much Goodman, but you will hear the best work Noone has ever recorded.