At the end of the year, music takes an ugly turn. Blaring from speaker after speaker are the same feeble renditions of songs that sound worse with each passing commercialized year. And what's worse, you probably know all the words. Even on hearing background music, the lyrics start to circle uncontrollably in your head like ghosts of holidays past.
If you feel that the onslaught of Christmas Muzak is systematically reducing your musical standards, you can pump them back up with Chris Botti's new "December" album and the reissue of Ella Fitzgerald's "A Swinging Christmas." Like that stowed-away, pricey bottle of champagne, they'll set things right again.
Botti's disc is the calm one to put on after the dinner dishes are done and you're settling back in with a last glassful. He plays cool jazz trumpet, modal and reflective, but with a poplike punch. He backed Sting and Paul Simon before moving on to release his own work. "December" offers a couple of songs with vocals, by Botti himself, but mainly sticks to instrumental renditions of Christmas melodies. The arrangements never over-emphasize the jazziness of the rhythms, but stick to modern 4/4 with a little swing. He works the tunes with careful, intimate tones that retain the melody even on the solos. While a distinct pop influence is clearly present, the laid-back approach keeps the serenity of the songs central.