NEW RELEASES : In Brief

* * * Eckinger/Manning Quintet, “L.A. Calling,” TCB Records. Trombonist-composer Isla Eckinger and saxophonist Chuck Manning, who both possess opulent tones, deliver an invigorating, well-rounded look at post-Coltrane mainstream jazz with their Southern California-based ensemble. The selections, all but two by Eckinger, range from “Blues East,” in which the soloists exhibit edge and snap, to the lovely ballads “Bad Girl” and “When You Said Goodbye,” mellifluous entries that warrant repeated hearings.

New albums are rated on a scale o one star (poor) to four (excellent). A rating of five stars is reserved for classic reissues or retrospectives.