Midlife Chrysalis    Yes World
Two Days In November    Let Freedom Swing    SitJazzDown
Plays Well With Others       Jazziz Holiday Album
Art Can't Hurt You    The Andy Robinson Band    Talking To Dogs



Recorded at Sony Studios March 1999 by Rich Breen

Featuring:

  • Doug Robinson/piano
  • Peter Erskine/drums and percussion
  • Bob Sheppard/sax and flute
  • Dave Carpenter/acoustic and electric 6-string bass
  • Mike Miller and Steve Laury/guitar

Maybe the coolest project I’ve recorded so far--some of my favorite musicians on the planet playing hip versions of seasonal favorites. Mostly my arrangements, though Peter contributed a funky Little Drummer Boy and Dave arranged and performed Midnight Clear. Chris Albertson, a contributing editor to Stereo Review’s Sound and Vision, called this CD “the most prepossessing holiday jazz album I have heard.” (Click here to read the full review)

Check out the Real Audio samples, help yourself to an MP3 of "We Three Kings," then head over to JAZZIZ Magazine’s website and pick up a copy for your holiday entertaining.

(from left to right) Bob Sheppard, Dave Carpenter, Doug Robinson, Mike Miller, Peter Erskine


A Review by Chris Albertson
Contributing Editor,
Stereo Review's Sound and Vision
9/99

Every year brings its crop of holiday jazz CDs, releases that are meant to add a little cool to the season. The only problem I have with this is that it seems to negate the timelessness of jazz. Jazz is a year-round music, and good jazz doesn't seem to care which time of year is in question.

So imagine my delight when I heard Doug Robinson's Jazz For a Winter's Eve, a holiday album for all seasons. With its repertoire of seasonal perennials, the set is clearly intended for use in December, but Robinson and his stellar group take these familiar songs beyond the holiday season and frame them for everyday use. Familiar melodic lines are subtly woven into rich jazz textures, and each of the players is given plenty of room in which to shine.

With strong support from bassist Dave Carpenter and drummer Peter Erskine, Robinson's creative mind seamlessly incorporates Miles Davis' "Milestones" into "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," Bob Sheppard's saxophone whisks "We Three Kings" into another realm, and guitarist Steve Laury "Decks the Halls" with joyful imagination.

Doug Robinson and his well-chosen crew had not previously gathered as a group, but the mutual rapport is undeniable, and they have come up with the most prepossessing holiday jazz album my ears have heard to date.