Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Otis Read: Deck the Halls

Otis Read: Deck the Halls

Item: Deck the Halls
Rating: 0
Author: Dave Hughes

By Dave Hughes
December 1, 2001
View read count

Acoustic guitarist Otis Read offers up an enjoyable acoustic straight-ahead jazz program of holiday favorites. The program swings along in a laid-back, cool, comfortable groove from start to finish. I wouldn’t call this “groundbreaking,” but it’s good. On some tunes, the band plays it fairly close to the melody, while others feature more adventurous improvization. Interestingly, the primary lead voice on the CD is that of saxophonist Bruce Abbott; the leader assumes a supporting role and rarely solos. Pianist Willie Myette contributes some nice solos and collaborated with Read on the arrangements.

FOLLOW Dave Hughes and get notified whenever a new article published.
Dave writes about the sounds of contemporary jazz.

Track Listing

Angels We Have Heard on High; Good King Wenseslas; The First Noel; Joy to the World; What Child is This/Greensleeves; Deck the Halls; While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks; We Three Kings; Silent Night; Bring a Torch, Jeannette Isabella/I Saw Three Ships; We Wish You a Merry Christmas; Hark! The Herald Angels Sing; Glory, Sing Glory; God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen; It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.

Personnel

Otis Read

Album information

Title: Deck the Halls | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: North Star Records

About Otis Read

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Joe Lovano's Flights of Fancy
< Previous

Class of 1969: Most Influential Ever...
Next >

Become a Sustaining Member

Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.

Help Build the Future of All About Jazz

Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.

Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.

Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.