KUAZ (Tucson, AZ)
- Blue N' Boogie-The Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band (I kept thinking of Charlie Ventura's "Euphoria" as I listened.)
- Wilpan's Walk-Chico Freeman (Sax, trumpet, piano, bass, and drums come together to pull off this fast romp.)
- Winter Wonderland-Hampton String Quartet (From the cleverly executed concept CD, "What If Mozart Wrote 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas?'" Other standouts: "Do You Hear What I Hear?" and "Frosty The Snowman.")
- The Boar's Head Carol-Robert Shaw Festival Singers (My brother's observation about this carol, "It sounds as though Eric Idle should be singing," is accurate. Nevertheless, this version is sung with appropriate force.)
- New York, New York (Live)-Ryan Adams (It's good to hear that this track, with its lyrics of resilience in times of adversity, works so well as an acoustic tune.)
- Tenderly-Whitney James (Engaging vocals with subtle piano and trumpet accompaniment.)
- Central Park West-Matt Ray (An elegant, sublime piano instrumental played at a reflective, in-its-own-good-time tempo.)
- When The Time Comes-Jess Klein (Commendable lyrics about taking a leap, sung energetically against a brassy backdrop.)
- It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas-The Sweetback Sisters (A surprising instrumental arrangement of the tune that channels Johnny Cash by way of The Ventures.)
