Long, Long Ago (A Jazz Celebration of Christmas, Chanukah & Kwanzaa)

All About Jazz

     

All About Jazz.com Hacking The Holidays: Obscure and Unusual Albums from Online Stores by Mark Sabbatini Lynette Washington Long, Long Ago (A Jazz Celebration of Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa) GuavaJamm To put it simply, this is as good as online holiday music gets. Lynette Washington's Long, Long Ago (A Jazz Celebration of Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa) is an obscure release that ought to be in the collection of any jazz fan celebrating any of the season's holidays. Not only is it one of the finest modern mainstream performances in recent years, it's also available as a $6 bargain download from audiolunchbox.com. Washington's singing is deep, husky, adventurous and so full of soul I hit the "purchase" option on my Web browser before the first 30-second preview was complete. Considering I've been listening to several dozen holiday albums nonstop during the past few weeks, that speaks volumes about its impact. Her acoustic quartet is first-rate all the way, with saxophonist Gerry Niewood in particular competing for the listener's ear with a lyricism that compliments Washington in Velcro-like fashion. Nothing about this album is familiar, yet every one of the six songs provides more immediate gratification to someone who's really listening than comfort food fare ever can. "Always Christmas" is a post-bop barn-burner, "Long, Long Ago" a ballad in need of an extinguisher and "Kwanzaa" an African- jazz hybrid that'll get people to observe the holiday just so they can play this song. Need more convincing? "Always Christmas," is available as a free download from amazon.com - just consider yourself warned if your wallet is getting a bit thin from shopping. Featured Artist: Lynette Washington