The season is upong us, and I thought I’d review a batch of these early this year so you can have new music floating around your house directly after the thanksgiving meal. This is America, after all, and the CD I’m listening to is a perfect example of America. Putumayo has put together a compilation of seasonal songs that are very seldom heard by great artists, and there’s no reason for it except for our silly traditions of “White Christmas”. This year we can happily lay that aside and hear BB King doing Christmas Celebration, Ray Charles rocking out on Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Charles Brown (who wrote several Christmas hits for Elvis) doing a wonderful Santa’s Blues, and a very special treat – the Ramsey Lewis Trio performing Here Comes Santa Claus. There’s much more to enjoy – Randy Greer doing another Charles Brown composition, plus a regular stable of Putumayo selections of lesser known artists from around the globe who belong smack dab in the middle of your palette, Mighty Blue Kings, The Dukes of Dixieland, Emilie-Claire Barlow and the Ignasi Teraza Trio. A total gourmet package with many flavorful seasonings – a perfect hour to start off this season with. A Jazz And Blues ChristmasPutumayo on Eartaste
