"Encyclopedic" is the word that comes to mind when the subject is Jaki Byard. No pianist in jazz has displayed a more comprehensive understanding of the music's entire history, from the bedrock roots to the far reaches of the avant-garde. With his favorite studio rhythm section of bassist Richard Davis and drummer Alan Dawson plus the equally style-spanning Roland Kirk, an associate of the pianist's from their days in Charles Mingus's band, The Jaki Byard Experience is a veritable jazz Britannica. The program features nods to piano giants Eubie Blake, Thelonious Monk, Erroll Garner, and Bud Powell as well as a touch of gospel, one of Byard's own haunting ballads, and an unbroken stream of brilliantly uninhibited improvising. The quartet displays its ability to raise the roof in no uncertain terms, while a more considered eloquence prevails on two duets. A rare glimpse of Kirk's clarinet is an added bonus. with Roland Kirk, Richard Davis, Alan Dawson