The Eddie Higgins Trio - Christmas Songs (SACD, Japanese edition)
The Eddie Higgins Trio
Eddie Higgins, piano [click here to see more products featuring Eddie Higgins]
Jay Leonhart, bass
Joe Ascione, drums
1 Hybrid SACD
Original Master tape : YES
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Venus Records, Inc.
Label : Venus
Original Label : Venus
Recorded at Avatar Studio in New York on July 7 & 8, 2004
Produced by Tetsuo Hara
Remastered by Tetsuo Hara
Originally released in 2014
Tracks:
- Let It Snow
- Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
- Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
- The Christmas Waltz
- The Christmas Song
- White Christmas
- Sleigh Ride
- Winter Wonderland
- I'll Be Home For Christmas
Reviews:
“First, this is the kind of music that you can play at family gatherings when your relatives are allergic to jazz (as in, "why do they keep messing up the melody?"). For one thing, Eddie Higgins is the gentlest of sparkling pianists, and the tunes are served straight up with only brief improvised choruses, offering a friendly invitation to any shower singers in the room (mirror dancers will also enjoy "White Christmas"). For another, Higgins's comrades are also world-class: Jay Leonhart is justly renowned for his pitch, melody and wit, while Joe Ascione is famed for his imagination, versatility and taste. Together they produce consistently swinging and delightful music, with no need to lunge for the "skip" button at any time.
Happily, there are stealth surprises in here for the jazz fan, like the intriguing arrangement of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," where Ascione double-times his brushes over Leonhart's stately bowing; "Little Town...", which gets due reverence in the opening piano solo, then glides into a slow bossa; and "Sleigh Ride," with its tongue-in-cheek quote from Prokofiev and Higgins really stretching out. The longest track, at 6:11, is "Winter Wonderland," but even Aunt Gertrude will be bobbing her head to Ascione's tasty solos, especially after a few trips to the punch bowl.
These Christmas Songs are warm, beautifully-executed, and, well, merry.” AllAboutJazz Review by Dr. Judith Schlesinger, November 19, 2004
Ratings :
Discogs: 4,88 / 5