Bloggerhythms

Putumayo has always released a lot of high quality American jazz compilations as part of their international focus on music and Putumayo Presents: New Orleans Christmas is no exception. Just from reading its title there should be no surprise that New Orleans Christmas is a jazz and blues CD. All eleven tracks feature artists who are natives of the Crescent City or have a long time affiliation with the town's jazz scene. One of the many jazz veterans who appear on the disc is Lars Edegran, an unknown to the general public even though he has had a long and impeccable career in the business. Edegran is a former Academy Award nominee, garnering the honor in 1979 for the soundtrack to the Louis Malle film, Pretty Baby . On "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" a big band frames Big Al Carson, a popular New Orleans R&B singer for a rousing version of this often tired old classic. Singer and trumpeter James Andrews does his best Louis Armstrong on "Christmas...

Even if you're not a big fan of World Music you have to admit that nobody can put a compilation together better than Putumayo . The love, care, and research the organization works into each of their CDs is superb, right down to the cover art and liner notes. Their new release, A Jazz & Blues Christmas , is no exception. This brief ten song disc is only slightly longer than thirty-three minutes but its richness will leave jazz and blues fans in anything other than a state of blues. In their detailed liner notes Putumayo says that, "This holiday collection exemplifies the close relationship between jazz and blues. Both genres developed side by side and most of these artists go from one to the other seamlessly." The artists Putumayo blends together on the disc include some of the giants of music, including Ray Charles, jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis, Charles Brown, and Riley B. King and his long-necked girlfriend who goes by the name of Lucille. Many unknown artist...