The economy and the state of the nation wax and wane, but through it all, Americans still find meaning in the December holidays. That includes reconnecting with our favorite music and looking for new musical expressions of Christmas and Hanukkah. For recording artists, the Holy Grail is a Christmas release that the public will return to in coming years. There may not be a new “White Christmas” this season, but the 2011 season gives us some fine new jazz and vocal albums.
**** That Time of Year,’ Bill Cunliffe, Metre
The material may be common to the season, but pianist Bill Cunliffe’s probing solo jazz renditions are anything but standard, and they amount to a tour de force. He taps into the spiritual with “Angels From the Realms of Glory” and “Lo, How a Rose e’er Blooming,” while showing us how Bud Powell might handle “O Little Town of Bethlehem.”