HOME BREW

Remember how we would forget test material as soon as we handed those exam books to the front of the class? Same goes here. The ins and outs of improvisation take a lifetime to learn, and a class in jazz is hardly a guarantee of classy jazz. But professor Taylor has shown that the group can succeed if it will drop the eraser-throwing bravado of material that they will outgrow. Keep at it, ensemblers, time will show that swing's the thing.

The latest in what seems like a quarterly issue of Spinning Jenny tapes finds the Tempe guitar band stretching its scope with added edge.

Indeed, 17th Street continues the Jenny's push from the comfortable charm of old Beatlemania bits toward a more strident sound, best reflected in the ragged efforts of new lead guitarist Freddy Gildersleeve.

The rougher treatment helps make older, more established Spinning Jenny songs sound urgent. The travelogue tragedy of "Fastest Car in Town," for example, now seems to make more sense, while "Back in the Light," the band's best song, adds depth to its skinny-tie power-pop.

But the Jenny's tough-guy approach costs the band a little something, too. The cool guitar touches on the chorus of "Back in the Light" are downplayed too much on the cassette, and the band's secret weapon, the back-up croon of bassist Damon Doiron (formerly of the Jetzons and the Strand), is hardly heard behind singer-guitarist Stephen Easterling's lead vocals.

Even so, Easterling is clearly one of the better pop songwriters in the Valley, and 17th Street confirms Spinning Jenny's position as one of Tempe's better bands. For proof, check out the title cut, which literally brims with a communal come-on to suburban Tempe. It's a good song with an inviting feel, and a perfect example of people not having to be told that a music "scene" grows best when it's pushed least.