This double-disc Christmas set from theLifestyles imprint is preferable to its
Smooth Jazz Christmas volume, but that doesn't mean there aren't problems. Given that these players aren't credited, and this was recorded presumably in a sound lab-type studio, issues of intonation, pitch, and tone are laid by the wayside and what transpires is something not so easy to listen to -- especially over two CDs. The saxophone is exclusively a tenor with piano, and the renditions are reverent to the point of academic. Spend your Christmas music dollars wisely and avoid these compilations; they add little to the spirit of the season. ~ Thom Jurek