Recorded several years before
David Benoit hit it big commercially, this set of Christmas songs (originally recorded for AVI and reissues on CD by Bluemoon) is surprisingly jazz-oriented. Pianist
Benoit performs ten traditional songs in a quartet with guitarist Jimmy Fox, bassist
Wade Short and drummer
Tony Morales and really digs into some of the familiar themes, particularly "Christmastime Is Here," "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" and "Greensleeves." Much better than expected. ~ Scott Yanow