Last year's round-up included the Ken Foster Trio's “O Christmas Trio,” a lively collection of tracks recorded in all sorts of styles. The group - Ken Foster, piano and keyboards; Brian Foster, bass; and Bob Macart, drums - has released another holiday jazz collection, the equally droll “A Holly Jolly Christmas” (Foster Music Enterprises, www.kenfoster.com). The arrangements are just as clever; I'm particularly fond of the lively cover of “Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town,” which opens with the first few bars of “In the Mood” and continues in that vein. A bluesy rendition of “Jolly Old St. Nicholas” begins with an echo of “Heartbreak Hotel,” and “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” boasts a hip-swaying reggae flavor that will be enjoyed by those who treasure their copy of Jimmy Buffett's “Christmas Island.” Unfortunately, a few tracks suffer from too much studio sweetening, particularly those where the basic trio sound is marred by the presence of digitized strings; “It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” for example, is way too syrupy. (Have faith in your own talents, guys; you don't want to slide into the purgatory of elevator jazz!) The entire album also sounds a bit tinny, as if the cues had been compressed too much during the mixing process. Those caveats aside, “A Holly Jolly Christmas” garners considerable good will for the aforementioned arrangements and its blend of lively toe-tappers and quieter hymns; Ken Foster's keyboard solo on “Good King Wenceslas” is particularly lovely. Besides ... how could I not enjoy an album when the musicians “double-triple-dog-dare” me to listen?

The Ken Foster Trio is a top-notch jazz ensemble that truly knows its way around holiday music. Two years ago, this site reviewed O' Christmas Trio, an excellent album that hit all the right notes with warm and winning jazz interpretations of seasonal favorites. These three talented guys (Ken Foster on piano/keyboards, Brian Foster on bass, Bob Macart on drums) now follow that success with A Holly Jolly Christmas, another dozen oh-so-tasty jazz treats for the holidays. First, let's consider the superficial. The first impression one receives of any album is its cover, and the Ken Foster Trio has two of the best around. Both O' Christmas Trio and A Holly Jolly Christmas share superb, whimsical cover graphics by Scott Jarrard (www.scottjarrard.com). Now let's look under the cover. The trio presents twelve appealing tracks, all well-known secular holiday chestnuts. Although everything is jazz, the styles vary slightly from cut to cut. Some pieces carry an island flavor (with Macart providing terrific percussive flourishes); at least one leans towards a western theme ("A Holly Jolly Christmas"). Everything is professionally executed with tremendous musicianship and style. My favorite tracks here include a delightful "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town," which features an inventive "In the Mood" opening, the richly rewarding "Deck the Halls," the bluesy piano licks on "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas," and the boogie-woogie "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree." Probably best of all, is the incredibly delicate "Good King Wenceslas"--just excellent! My least favorite aspect of this album is its piddling length; at just over 32 minutes, A Holly Jolly Christmas ends way too soon! If the Ken Foster Trio wants to release a seasonal album each and every year, the holiday music world would definitely be a better place. A Holly Jolly Christmas is an upbeat and lively jazz album sure to impress!