Frank & Joe give nostalgia a good name once again

Almost everything about the Frank & Joe Show has a fond ring of nostalgia. The name of the band sounds like a variety show from television's early days, something that might follow the Huntley-Brinkley report. The music that this sextet plays harks back to when pop-jazz wasn't an epithet. It swings confidently on a repertoire mostly built on inventive arrangements of standards. The members titled their debut recording, "33 1/3" (Hyena), and I suspect they would have called it "78" except that people may have been more inclined to think of the disco days rather than the 10-inch discs of World War II-era record players.

What isn't revivalist about the group is the instrumentation: two guitars, bass and three percussionists. In the era that its music evokes, such a lineup would only be used for novelty. Instead, guitarist Frank Vignola and percussionist Joe Ascione lead a band that takes itself seriously but has a lot of fun in the process. The group is playing Sunday evenings through June at Sweet Rhythm, 88 Seventh Ave. S., 212-255-3626.

On a recent Sunday they opened with a loping rendition of Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine," which segued immediately into a furious take on "Caravan," the Juan Tizol tune made famous by the Duke Ellington Orchestra. The tune highlighted the leaders' virtuoso solos. They mixed in a few originals around standards such as "Stardust" and "Paper Moon," and kept the set lively with witty patter. Even though Vignola's playing owes a debt to Django Reinhardt, and Ascione's stage manner comes from vintage comedians, their show felt like a contemporary creation. In an era when jazz-inflected pop like Norah Jones is considered jazz, it would be nice to see pop-inflected jazz make a mark.

LARRY KATZ