RECORDS / New Releases: Russell Malone: Black Butterfly (Columbia 47485, CD/tape)

One of many - musicians and fans alike - who miss the presence of the late Wes Montgomery, this 30-year-old American guitarist, a featured attraction with Harry Connick Jr's big band, reacts by paying devoted but rather literal-minded tribute. Pitched somewhere between the full-blooded improvisation of Montgomery's Riverside recordings and the cool urbanity of his best-selling CTI material, this album will probably appeal to those who like their jazz to come shrink-wrapped and odour-free. The Harry Connick Jr audience, in fact.