Home for the Holidays
by Scott YanowPianist Gregg Karukas, in a trio with bassist John Leftwich and drummer Joel Taylor, mostly plays straightahead jazz (rather than his usual crossover) on this Christmas set. Singer Shelly Flint has a few vocals which range from an exciting scat-filled "Winter Wonderland" to a some folk-oriented originals that are of lesser interest. But Karukas's strong playing on such numbers as "Oh Tannenbaum," "The Christmas Song" and "Jingle Bells" makes this CD one worth getting.