Audio CD review:
Tom Scott, B.B. King, David Benoit, Ramsey Lewis, Diane Schuur, Dave Grusin, Yellowjackets - GRP Christmas Collection, Vol. 3

Tom Scott, B.B. King, David Benoit, Ramsey Lewis, Diane Schuur, Dave Grusin, Yellowjackets - GRP Christmas Collection, Vol. 3

Band: Tom Scott, B.B. King, David Benoit, Ramsey Lewis, Diane Schuur, Dave Grusin, Yellowjackets Title: GRP Christmas Collection, Vol. 3 Rating: Release Date: 01 June, 1995 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Feliz Navidad 2: Merry Christmas Baby 3: Hark The Herald Angels Sing 4: O'Little Town Of Bethlehem 5: I'll Be Home For Christmas 6: Go Tell It On The Mountain 7: There's No Place Like Home For The Holidays 8: Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming 9: Joy To The World 10: Deck The Halls

Customer Reviews Good, but first two volumes were better and longer Just don't expect friends and relatives who aren't jazz-savvy to appreciate everything here in the spirit of the season. This third installment of GRP Christmas music is the least "Christmassy" of the three, but still has nice stuff that is well worth adding to your holiday playlist. For example, "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" by Ramsey Lewis and "O Little Town of Bethlehem" by David Benoit are nice jazz piano pieces but they take some liberties with the familiar melodies and don't dwell on them very long. Similarly, Dave Grusin does a beautiful job on "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming," but most people don't recognize this as a Christmas song anymore (if they recognize it at all). And B. B. King's "Merry Christmas Baby" is done in his classic blues style, which will please his fans but will not make everyone feel festive. I can tell you from experience (providing background music for the office Christmas party) that tunes like this can provoke looks of puzzlement and even distain from uninitiated listeners. I really like what Billy Taylor does with "Deck the Halls," and Diane Schuur's interpretation of "I'll Be Home For Christmas" (the only other vocal besides B. B. King's) is simply great. Overall, you may find this to be a better jazz album than Christmas album. Give us more! The more you listen, the jollier you feel. I concur with my fellow jazz enthusiasts - the entire GRP Christmas Collection is both a treasure and a necessity during the holiday season. My only complaint would be, "When is Volume IV going to surface?" Dave, Larry, you're on a roll - don't stop now!. Get all lit up like a Christmas Tree with B.B. King! Too bad you can't hear the whole thing. Listen to the sample of Feliz Navidad, I beg you. . . but it is excellent, as are the other songs on this CD. I have also written reviews on the other two volumes of the GRP Christmas Collection CD's. Everyone with whom I share this music loves it. If you have all classical or pop Christmas CD's, these will add a nice variety to your collection. Some are jazzed up and funky, some are mellow and atmospheric. Highly recommend whole collection, and I beg GRP to issue more volumes! Dave Grusin, phone your office!. . You can see a complete list of all Tom Scott, B.B. King, David Benoit, Ramsey Lewis, Diane Schuur, Dave Grusin, Yellowjackets discography, or go back to the Tom Scott, B.B. King, David Benoit, Ramsey Lewis, Diane Schuur, Dave Grusin, Yellowjackets tabs