Windham Hill Christmas: I'll Be Home for Christmas
The Windham Hill regulars are back with another unhurried compilation of holiday songs, both old and new. Fans of the previous sets will indubitably love this one too; that these are highly skilled musicians is beyond question. But people who tend to prefer  jazz, classical or world music will probably get a tad squirmy about half-way through. Why? Because this genre of music can sometimes come across as pallid, self-absorbed and antiseptic. But certain tracks will find adherents regardless--Barbara Higbee's iridescentAngels From The Realms Of Gloryis a definite keeper, as isYazala Abambuti, with dulcet vocals by the great Ugandan singer, Samite. But Philip Aaberg'sThe Compleat Nutcracker Sweetcan only be explained by the widespread proliferation of Attention Deficit Disorder. His piano condensation displays an arch, tongue-in-cheek playfulness that might hopefully inspire interest in the original Tchaikovsky ballet, which is not all that long, really.  --Christina Roden