Christmas & Santa Fe
The innovative virtuoso acoustic guitarist delivers a baker's dozen of Christmas standards that are often amended, appended, and otherwise embellished with memorable second themes. Set against a lively percussion section that gives many songs a distinctively Latin flavor, Liebert's playing here is crisp and light and always imaginative. His version of "Silent Night" is touched deftly by a quieting theme called "Snow White," while "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" emerges out of a lovely fragment called "Canyon Road on Christmas Eve." "Dig the Wonderland/Winter Wonderland" combines the right amount of wintry playfulness and seasonal humor to warm even the stodgiest heart. With real gusto and a sublime amount of imagination, Liebert has made the kind of cool Christmas record you can play all year.--Martin Keller