Swingin' Christmas
You expect holly and ivy at Christmas, but how about a two-olive  concoction loaded with classic swing? Eighteen cuts deep, there are pieces here  for every generation that ever dug the style, from the '40s to the music's  rebirth in the '90s. Truly timeless performances byLouie Armstrong(who  rightfully should be Father Christmas),Louis Prima, Les Brown, and Lionel Hampton and his  Orchestra, are matched by the country & western swing of Tex Beneke and filled  with likeable middle-of-the-road pop fluff by Jack Jones, Jo Stafford, andManhattan Transfer. The  always-innovative Mexican pop composer-geniusEsquiveldelivers his eccentric trademark version of  "White Christmas," while Bob Francis apes the Sinatra-Crosby-Como Rat Pack  crooner style with "That Swingin' Manger," a must for any martini and mistletoe  party.--Martin Keller