Various Artists

The other evening I was blasting one of those Sun Ra reissues on Evidence. During the cuts toward the end of the album, which feature synth noises that sounded like R2D2 getting a “local” massage from C3PO, my Newfie-Chow Chow mutt Sammy Hagar Jr.’s ears perked up like Nipper hearing his master’s voice, and he started barking at the speaker and wagging his tail. While this set does not produce the same yelps and arfings as Mr. Blount’s joint did, it does contain mucho “dawg” music, an appellation that mandolin virtuoso David Grisman came up with to describe that inspired spot where string-band music and jazz intersect. Throughout this fine set, from Grisman’s cuts with the late Jerry Garcia and Tony Rice, with Mike Auldridge and Bob Brozman, with Carlo Aonzo and Beppe Gambetta and with Denny Zeitlin to choice numbers by Aonzo and Gambetta, Frank Vignola and Charles Sawtelle, Omega is on the air.