SOUND CHECK : JAZZ.

Sonny Simmons/``American Jungle''

Five years ago, avant-garde alto saxophonist Sonny Simmons emerged in stunning form after a dozen-year absence. His new effort, ``American Jungle'' (Qwest/Warner Bros.), continues the good vibes.

This aggressive modern-jazz album reveals Simmons' debt to John Coltrane on more than just the two tracks that relate directly to 'Trane, ``Coltrane Story'' and ``My Favorite Things.''

On the hard-charging opener, ``Land of the Freaks,'' as well as the fiery 13-minute tour de force ``American Jungle Theme,'' Simmons blows in the steely sheets-of-sound manner Coltrane pioneered in the '60s. The brilliant bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Cindy Blackman deserve special mention. Four Stars

?13- Fred Shuster

Bill Stewart/``Telepathy''

Aside from Tony Williams and very few others, you don't imagine a drummer as leader and chief composer.

That's one reason why Bill Stewart's superb and aptly titled ``Telepathy'' (Blue Note) is such a revelation. Other reasons include sturdy mainstream material and strong arrangements that leave room for tight ensemble work from all-stars Larry Grenadier (bass), Steve Wilson (alto and soprano sax) and Seamus Blake (tenor sax).

Stewart, by the way, caused a stir several years ago when he turned up on the bill at a John Anson Ford Amphitheatre jazz show. He's put together a fine group for this album, which includes a string of standouts including his own ``Happy Chickens,'' an energetic cover of Thelonious Monk's ``Rhythm-A-Ning'' and Jackie McLean's tricky ``Little Melonae.'' Four Stars

?13- Fred Shuster

Orquestra Was/``Forever's a Long, Long Time''

Mention that producer Don Was' fascinating new project contains Latin-salsa-funk versions of five obscure Hank Williams songs, and the usual response is incredulity.

Was argues he was simply trying to see how far he could stretch the concept and still find meaning in Williams' material. But since these are not the country standard-bearer's best-known tunes, they come off as fresh frameworks for Was to work his r&b-tinged magic. A perfect example is the eight-minute recasting of Williams' ``I Ain't Got Nothin' but Time'' as a gorgeously silky funk workout powered by Herbie Hancock's Fender Rhodes and a battery of tasty percussion.

The excellent ``Forever's a Long, Long Time'' (Verve Forecast) also boasts five Was originals, ranging from the syncopated-industrial ``Excuse Me, Colonel, Could I Borrow Your Newspaper?'' to the scratchy maelstrom ``A Big Poem About Hell.'' Four Stars

?13- Fred Shuster

rock

Cyndi Lauper/``Sisters of Avalon''

Cyndi Lauper still wants to have fun, but she wants to be taken seriously as an artiste, too.

The dozen original songs on ``Sisters of Avalon'' (Epic) cover a lot of stylistic ground, from the infectiously soulful title track to the Celtic-fueled ``Ballad of Cleo and Joe'' and the tuneful tender ballad ``Fall Into Your Dreams.''

In fact, aside from the doleful ``You Don't Know,'' there's really not a dud in the bunch. Three Stars

?13- Fred Shuster

Depeche Mode/``Ultra''

1980s technocrats Depeche Mode have gone all funny on their 12th album, ``Ultra'' (Reprise).

Funny because the trio of David Gahan, Andrew Fletcher and Martin Gore has replaced the usual slithery synths and hollow drum sounds with guitars, pedal steel and very real percussion. There's still evidence of keyboard programming on most tracks, but as evidenced by this album's standout tracks, ``It's No Good,'' ``Sister of Night'' and ``The Love Thieves,'' Depeche Mode seems to want to go in a more organic and ultimately soulful direction.

Gahan's deep, quivering vocals are in fine form despite the drama of the last few years, while the material on display is certainly up to snuff. Three Stars

?13- Fred Shuster

soundtracks

Various/``Star Spangled Rhythm: Voices of Broadway and Hollywood''

If you gotta sing, gotta dance, ``Star Spangled Rhythm: Voices of Broadway and Hollywood'' (Smithsonian/BMG) is a collection worth savoring.

Going all the way back to Al Jolson (``That Haunting Melody'') and Eddie Cantor (``You'd Be Surprised'') and continuing through Nathan Lane (``Sue Me'' with Faith Prince) and Gregory Hines (``Sophisticated Ladies''), this 81-track, four-disc box makes a great gift for anyone who yearns for the golden age of stage and screen.

An 80-page accompanying booklet providing insight into the Hollywood and Broadway musicals and the songs they spawned is a bonus treat. Three Stars

?13- Stuart Levine

world beat

Zap Mama/``Seven''

Zap Mama, whose sound is a cutting edge weave of music's contemporary elements on a foundation of African folk, overcame paradox to make its new album. The female a cappella group's sound having been masterfully explored, the logical next step was clear: add men and instruments.

This third album, called (don't ask why) ``Seven'' (Luaka Bop/Warner Bros.), joins a list of the eponymous Latin Playboys, Paul Simon's ``Graceland'' and the Luaka Bop founder David Byrne/Brian Eno collaboration, ``My Life in the Bush of Ghosts,'' in being a record of alloy, hybridizing everything.

Marie Daulne (bandleader/lead vocalist/songwriter/instrumentalist/co-p roducer) has infused her band with hip-hop bass beats, thus allowing some Frippertronicly cool studio wizardry that would be plain goofy underpinning vocals alone. The concoction allows for sterling updates of Phoebe Snow's ``Poetry Man'' and Etta James' ``Damn Your Eyes.''

The vocals remain the highlight, supplying the pop hooks with yippedy-yodels and flum-flum baritones. It's catchy, you can dance to it, and it won't sound like anything else in your collection. Four Stars

?13- James Hames 

CAPTION(S):

7 Photos

Photo: (1) Martin Gore, left, Andrew Fletcher and Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode have gone in a more organic musical direction on ``Ultra,'' using more guitars and fewer keyboards.

(2--7) no caption (CD covers)