Bob Dorough firmly established his jazz hipster credentials in 1962, when the singer-pianist wrote "Blue Xmas," a bitter rant about the commercialization of Christmas, and recorded the tune with Miles Davis for inclusion on holiday anthology "Jingle Bell Jazz." Later, the Arkansas native introduced his eccentric vocals and quirky melodies to a younger generation of listeners with "Conjunction Junction" and other now-beloved ditties heard on animated children's show "Schoolhouse Rock," a staple of ABC's Saturday-morning programming for 12 years ending in 1985.

At 76, the ponytailed bebopper is riding a career renaissance. "Right on My Way Home," his first major-label release, was called one of 1997's best by several critics. On "Too Much Coffee Man," he hooks up with saxophone master Phil Woods, bassist Ray Drummond, drummer Billy Hart and other blue-chip players for another exuberant set of hard-swinging jazz and laidback blues.

"The Coffee Song (They've Got a Lot of Coffee in Brazil)," one of two pieces dedicated to late bassist Bill Takas, sets the tone for the album: Who could resist the samba rhythms, tumbling percussion, muted trumpet, Woods' buoyant alto decorations and improvisation, and Dorough's goofy reading of the java-love lyrics? The title track, the other song in tribute to the pianist's longtime collaborator, thrives on Craig Kastelnik's juicy B-3 organ riffs, Joe Cohn's soulful six-string work and the leader's infectiously silly lyrics, half sung and half spoken.

Love figures in the mix, with the good kind represented by the bouncy, tuba-spiked "Wake Up Sally, It's Saturday"; "There's Never Been a Day," a lovely trio piece with bassist Steve Gilmore and drummer Bill Goodwin; and "I've Got Just About Everything," the title track of a 1966 album, since recorded by everyone from Tony Bennett to Tuck and Patti. The flip side, romance gone bad, is expressed on the acidic "Marilyn, Queen of Lies" and "Yesterday, I Made You Breakfast," a sad solo piece about the break-up of a marriage.

Dave Frishberg, one of several singers (along with Mose Allison, Mark Murphy and Michael Franks) influenced by Dorough, contributes the slow-grooving "Oklahoma Toad," which sounds like a slice of classic Ray Charles R&B relocated from Georgia to the Midwest. Dorough relies on his memories of a 1944 performance of Cootie Williams' evocative "Fish For Supper" for a fresh revival of the trumpeter-bandleader's tune.

"My job is to cheer people up, baby," Dorough told Jazz Times three years ago. Mission accomplished, once again.

- PHILIP BOOTH