Improvisations to Music

Nichols and May's 1958 debut album found them doing what they did best--pulling sharp satire and comedy from midair. The slightest suggestion or hint of scenario could send the duo off on a creative tear, and here they vamp spontaneous routines over pianist Marty Rubinstein's genteel ivory tickling. On the whole, Improvisations is a little more whacked-out and a little less engaging than their later releases. Adventurous bits concerning international intrigue, modern advertising, and daydreaming dental assistants, for example, are dotted with references to apiaries, obscure poets, and oral prophylactics. Still, at its finer moments--like the wonderful "Cocktail Piano," which finds a boss awkwardly wooing his secretary with promises of Andre Kostelanetz on the hi-fi--it's a retro comic treat. --Michael Ruby