Toe-Tapping Jazz

Audio

Dana’s Best Sing & Swing-A-Long Tunes: Classic & Cool Jazz for Kids. Real Music for Kidz. 40 minutes. CD: $14.95; cassette: $9.95. Ages 2 to 10. (800) 223-6357; (800) 342-0295; (800) 557-3262. Recording artist Dana’s bouncy, well-schooled jazz soprano is a delight in these well-chosen selections of old and new. From “The Joint Is Jumpin’ ” to “I Got Rhythm,” “Happy Feet” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing,” Dana offers kids a terrific introduction to songs by such greats as Fats Waller, Gershwin and Duke Ellington; her own adaptations and original songs fit right in to keep toes tapping, particularly her version of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and her swing-time “Nursery in Overdrive.”

My Name Is Lyle. MalZac Music. 30 minutes. CD: $14.95; cassette: $9.95. Ages 2 to 10. (800) 223-6357; (800) 342-0295; (888) FUN-SONGS. Singer Lyle Cogan’s high-octane style and her exuberant yet nuanced vocals are a treat in mostly original songs that celebrate being a kid--and a parent--in a variety of musical styles, from bluegrass to calypso. Highlights: “Sticky Kid,” “Wake ‘Em Up, Shake ‘Em Up” and “Three Green & Speckled Frogs.”

Jungle Jim. Wagner Productions. 33 minutes. Cassette: $9.99. Ages 2 to 8. (888) 834-5022. Generic music and no bells and whistles here, just a well-conceived mix of education and entertainment presented in a simple story/song format. The action centers on a little boy’s bedtime fantasy adventure, when his closet turns into a doorway into the wild outdoors, where friendly animals sing and chat about a tiger’s camouflage, a monkey’s prehensile tail, a cheetah’s speed and a porcupine’s quills.