MAXJAZZ Holiday
MaxJazz's finest singers deliver an understated collection of seasonal  songs. Whether lightly swinging, copping from New Orleans's vast musical  treasure chest, or touching on gospel, each piece seems to have its own inner  light, as highly accomplished singers such as Mary Stallings, Phillip Manuel,  Carla Cook, and others explore the festive sentiments of Christmas. Using sparse  instrumentation (piano, drums, bass for the most part),MaxJazzalso  features a lovely guest spot by pianistCyrus Chestnut. But it's bass player Ugonna Okegwo and  pianist Bruce Barth whose deft musicianship dazzles. Listen up as these  different artists uniformly discover, in the words of Rene Marie in the CD liner  notes, "the imagery of romance these tunes elicit. How the icy coldness of  winter juxtaposed with intimacy and warmth of new love creates new memories."  Not even old Saint Nick could put it any better. Highly recommended.--Martin  Keller