The Argentinean jazz musician Oscar Alemán (1909-1980) deserves to be better known. As a child he played the Brazilian cavaquinho, but he soon turned to the guitar. After establishing himself in his homeland, he headed to Paris, where he led Josephine Baker’s backup band and met Django Reinhardt. Alemán went on to bring his touch to a number of styles, as can be heard on this collection of recordings from the 1940s and ’50s. He covers several American and Latin American standards by composers such as Ernesto Lecuona, Irving Berlin, Dorival Caymmi, and George Gershwin. “Improvisaciones Sobre Boogie Woogie,” which was recorded in Buenos Aires in 1945, looks forward to 1950s rock ‘n’ roll, while “Apanhei-Te, Cavaquinho,” a nod to Brazilian music, finds Alemán soloing throughout. The comp’s earlier material stands out, but the tracks recorded in the ’50s also have their appeal. On “Casi Negro,” from 1955, Aleman uses a slightly dirty guitar tone, which sounds great, and on “De Buen Humor,” a version of the Glenn Miller hit, “In the Mood,” he brings an edge to light material.