With the exception of a live version of
Mel Torme singing "The Christmas Song" in 1988, all of the selections on this Christmas CD were recorded by various Concord artists from 1995-96. There is plenty of variety in both instrumentation and moods, yet the overall results are consistently pleasing, and there is lots of fine playing. Heard here are trumpeter
Maynard Ferguson (performing a six-song "Christmas Medley"), singer
Dennis Rowland, tenorman
Rickey Woodard (romping through "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"), flutist
Ali Ryerson, vocalist
Marlena Shaw, guitarist
Jeff Linsky, organist
Jack McDuff, pianist Gerry Wiggins, singer
Mary Stallings, altoist
Jesse Davis, guitarist
Carlos Barbosa-Lima, trumpeter
Randy Sandke ("It Came Upon a Midnight Clear"), pianist
Manfredo Fest,
Nnenna Freelon (singing a couple of spirituals), pianist
Sergio Salvatore,
Chris Potter (taking "O Come All Ye Faithful" as an unaccompanied tenor solo), and
Torme. ~ Scott Yanow