Christmas in Swingtime

1	O Christmas Tree 5:44
2	Santa Claus Is Coming to Town 6:22
3	Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas 5:46
4	Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! 5:52
5	God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 6:10
6	White Christmas 5:51
7	Blue Christmas / John Pizzarelli 3:28
8	We Wish You a Merry Christmas 6:07
9	Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 5:13
10	I'll Be Home for Christmas 5:26
11	Ding! Dong! Merrily on High 3:01
12	Winter Wonderland 5:20
13	A Christmas Love Song 4:03

Barnes & Noble

Harry Allen has made the kind of Christmas album that can be listened to all year round. A tenor saxophonist out of the swing-to-bop Stan Getz school, Allen is a lyrical stylist who loves presenting a good melody and then adding his own beautifully constructed variations. While there are few surprises in his holiday repertoire -- you can't go wrong with such treasures as "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "I'll Be Home for Christmas," and "Whiter Christmas" -- Allen does throw a curve ball when it comes to the instrumentation of his accompanying ensemble. Where a horn and classic piano- bass-drums rhythm section might be expected, Allen has replaced it with a lean organ-guitar and drums combo. Larry Goldings does a stellar job holding down the keyboard parts, while Peter Bernstein shines on guitar and the impeccable Jake Hanna keeps it all swinging on drums. (John Pizzarelli turns in a neat vocal on "Blue Christmas.") A contemporary classic, Christmas in Swingtime is a holiday gift for any jazz lover. Steve Futterman

All Music Guide

This Christmas jazz release was released in Japan by BMG. The excellent swing tenor Harry Allen (whose tone is reminiscent of Stan Getz) is heard in a quartet with organist Larry Goldings, guitarist Peter Bernstein, and drummer Jake Hanna. Sticking mostly to familiar Christmas songs, Allen swings his way through such tunes as "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," and "Winter Wonderland," with John Pizzarelli taking a guest vocal on "Blue Christmas." This is a warm and accessible album that has its appeal beyond the jazz audience, although it will be difficult to locate in the U.S. Scott Yanow