FOR once there seems to be less going on. Or is it just that nobodys telling me? The pre-Christmas gig list is the sparsest Ive known it, so lets concentrate on the last-minute gift list I promised.

The CD re-issue lists get longer and longer, and we have a local company which is the most active in the field: Proper Records of Beckenham. It now has a fine catalogue of boxed sets of some of the most prestigious American jazz stylists, ranging from Sidney Bechet to Stan Kenton. They also include interesting anthologies of blues, Western Swing, Irish and ska music.

All of these boxed sets have comprehensive booklets with them. They are put together by people with knowledge, whose information you feel you can trust.

I have two personal favourites, Bebop Spoken Here perfectly titles the feel and spirit of 97 vibrant late-1940s tracks by Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Red Norvo, Billy Eckstine and more.

The effortless and mininalist swing of Lester Young is beautifully represented in another four-CD boxed set which gained the Guardian CD of the week accolade when it was released earlier this year.

A call in at Showells Music, of West Wickham (telephone 020 8777 5255), or an e-mail enquiry to Proper Records (info@proper.uk.com) should net these for you.

One CD re-issue will revivie some happy local memories. The 17-track Boppin at Edsquire (Indigo IGOCD 2125Z) covers the early bebop recordings of Ronnie Scott along with a host of new young bloods of the day. Bassist Joe Mudele, still residing in Bickley and still one of the busiest musicians around, is feature on three tracks from 1949. Many of the other characters of these post-war recordings are no longer with us, such as Flash Winston, Tommy Pollard and Denis Rose.

Two new books from Miller Freeman straddle that difficult divide between the worthy reference book and the good read. Both Bebop and the All Music Guide to the Blues are well constructed and written with a good historical perspective, as well as deftly-chosen lists of recordings for each artist and are available via Outline Press of London. One feature of Scott Yanows Bebop tome which I like is his listing of LPs to search for where CD re-issues dont exist.

Compare these lists with your own vinyl collection and you may find some valuable rarities at home.