until 1974 that Butler was coaxed backninto the recording studios. Since then,nhe has appeared on several Xanadu albums.nThe latest is “Wheelin’ and Dealin’n” (Xanadu 169), and in it Butlernleads a quintet featuring the tenor saxophonistsnTeddy Edwards and Joe Farrell.nFarrell is adventuresome and edgy.nEdwards often falls back on bop clichesnbut is as comfortable as an old corduroynjacket. Butler’s solos are short, infrequentnand brilliant. His timekeepingnand accompaniments are perfect.nScott Hamilton is a phenomenon, antenor saxophonist born in 1954 whosenheart is in the late 30’s. Hamilton’s heroesnare Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster,nChu Berry, Herschel Evans, LesternYoung, the tenor giants of the swingnera. While most of his contemporariesnmodel themselves on John Coltrane andnSonny Rollins and become less and lessndistinguishable from one another, Hamiltonnhas used the lessons of older generationsnto forge a style that is morendistinctive year by year. The latest ofnhis several albums on the Concord labelnis “Tenorshoes” (Concord CJ-127).nWith beautiful assistance from pianistnDave McKenna, Hamilton applies hisnspacious conception to a group of standardnsongs, one blues, and the bebop anthemn”Our Delight,” which he de-bebopsndelightfully.nRollicking was one of the things thenbaritone saxophonist Leo Parker didnbest, and he does it throughout “Rollin’nwith Leo” (Blue Note LT-1076), recordednin 1961 just a few months beforenParker died at 37, but not releasednuntil now. Parker was one of the first ofnthe bop baritone players. Never a profoundnsoloist, he had a huge sound withna cutting edge that was perfect for thenbottom of the legendary Billy Eckstinensaxophone section. Most of the recordsnunder his own name were blues. Henloved to play the blues, which are herenin several keys and speeds. However,nit is not a blues but Coleman Hawkins’sn”Stuffy” that takes album honors, Parkernjustifying the “rollin’ ” of the LP’sntitle.nNot that the music of Fats Waller andnJames P. Johnson needs the SmithsoniannInstitution to survive, but the SmithsoniannJazz Repertory Ensemblenhas done the composers proud in “Musicnof Fats Waller and James P. Johnson”n(The Smithsonian CollectionnN-021). With clarinetist-saxophonistnBob Wilber in command, the playersnrecreate some of the piano giants’ bestnrecordings, but contribute their ownnsolos. The power and fun that Wal­nMore on Central Americanby Jeffrey St. Johnni«inEdward J. Walsh’s “Letter from CentralnAmerica” (Nov./Dec. 1980) hasnso many fissures running through itnthat I feel compelled at least to offernthe benefit of my own first-hand experiencesnin the region.nMr. Walsh’s errors, both of omissionnand commission, are the ones made bynMr. St. John is a Washington-basedncolumnist, national broadcast newsncommentator and author.nIIKK.ATI’.Mnill lilt- |;iniiary 19S() is.sue ofnCl’inn/clcs an I’rror was nuicle inn’I’homa.s .liilnar”.s idriiiilicaiionn(••(‘i)rri.-sp()ni!ence.”” I.ern-r troninParis: i’lic iTencii “New Righl “i.nProti’ssor Molnar reaches .iinHrooklvn Colliiii’. mil W’w ^’mknL.’niiTsiiy.nnnler and Johnson put into their music isnclearly transmitted through these latterdaynadmirers. Pianist Dick Wellstood’snhandling of “Jitterbug Waltz” andn”Handful of Keys” re-emphasizes hisnprimacy among Waller interpreters.nAhmad Jamal’s “Intervals” (20thnCentury-Fox T-622) is mostly pop pap.nBut “So in Love” and “Bones” featurenJamal’s piano without fusion trappings,nand it is evident that his magic use ofntouch, melodic invention and spacenhave not withered, despite efforts tonmake of him another Ramsey Lewis. Dnnearly all Americans educated in thenidea that the intellectual and culturalnroots of North America run East tonWest, thus ignoring the cultural currentsnSouth to North. For example, henrepeats the inaccurate incantation ofnthe Spanish conquest as motivated byngreed for gold, which ended with genocide.nAs with most history, it was angreat deal more complex than that. Furthermore,nmany of the Mayan andnQuiche Indians joined forces with thenSpanish, much as the North AmericannIndian tribes chose up sides betweennthe French and the English as a way ofnsettling old tribal scores. Mr. Walshnshould read a very informative and importantnprimer on the nations south ofnthe Rio Grande, Tree of Hate (BasicnBooks, 1971), by Dr. Philip WaynenPowell of the University of Californianat Santa Barbara.nI have spent time up in the QuichenIndian country of Guatemala, and Inthink it would have been helpful fornthe reader if Mr. Walsh had pointed out,nif he knew, that most of the Indians ownntheir own land. The social structure ofnfamily, the marketplace and religion—nthe latter a blending of ancient Mayannritual and Catholicism—is the funda-ni43nMarch/April 1981n