Ken Navarro - Christmas Cheer (1996)

Acoustic guitarist Ken Navarro teamed up with pianist Jay Rowe for a duet set of Christmas-related songs. Navarro is a mellow player who normally performs in the contemporary jazz field, but some of these renditions are relatively straight-ahead. Respect is paid to the melodies, and a few unexpected numbers are included, such as John Lewis "Skating in Central Park," David Sanborn's "Rain on Christmas" and Navarro's original "Skating on the C&O Canal." The communication between the two musicians is strong, and the overall music is quite pleasing and tasteful. -- Scott Yanow