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Born in Colorado, Dotsero is a cool jazz band largely driven by saxophones and guitars. Its A Season of Wonder is a smooth jazz offering that is sweet, sassy, and stimulating. Dotsero operates with a clean vibrancy that makes routine holiday numbers buoyant and fresh.

For gift-giving, the "Christmas card case" is a unique treat. Larger than your usual digipak, the lovely cover opens to reveal fold-out angels tenderly supporting the disc in their arms. The next "page" of the cardboard case reveals "A Brief History of the Songs." Well executed, this package would be perfect for that jazz aficionado on your gift list. On the other hand, once the holiday is over, the same features that make the cardboard cover oh-so-cool will create certain practical difficulties when it comes to storing and accessing the excellent music for future Christmas seasons. Not a big deal, but something to keep in mind.

Dotsero is spot-on jazz entertainment. Some smooth "adult contemporary" products are bland and homogenous; in contrast, Dotsero has a spirited heart, lifting the day's worries away while inspiring an optimistic and life-affirming perspective. The arrangements are not raucous, but they do hum with splash and pizazz, keeping toes tapping throughout. All of the cuts mesh nicely. I adored the cascading Let It Snow sax intro (just 37 seconds!) to Jingle Bells, which was probably my favorite cut. Staccato, rhythmic melody lines richly accented by harmonic layers of excellent sax! The album makes effective use of dramatic, brief "interlude" cuts featuring different carols throughout the release. Although the musicianship is consistently fine throughout, I must confess to an affinity for the sax, which is magnificent in its many forms on this album (soft-spoken, howling, tenor, soprano, you-name-it). That being said, the smokin' keyboard stylings on Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, and the guitar melody line on tracks like In the Bleak Midwinter were also a delight.

Fun! Dotsero fires on all cylinders on A Season of Wonder, presenting jazzified selections that should entertain for many holidays to come!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2008)

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From the liner notes:

Produced by: Kip Kuepper and Dotsero
"Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" produced by Tom Capek, Kip Kuepper and Dotsero

DOTSERO IS:
Stephen Watts (Tenor and Soprano Saxophones, Akai EWI, Tin Whistle)
David Watts (Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Mandolin)
THE GUYS: Kip Kuepper (Bass, Keyboards, Guitar, Rhythm Programming); Tom Capek (Piano, Keyboards, Rhythm Programming); Larry Thompson (Drums)

Mastered by: Tom Capek at Colorado Sound, Westminster, Colorado
All arrangments by: Kip Kuepper and Dotsero, except for "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" (Tom Capek & Dotsero) and "Jingle Bells" (Willie Hammond, Kip Kuepper, and Dotsero)

From the Website:

Taking their name from a small mountain town in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, DOTSERO means "Something Unique" according to Ute Native American legend to some. It means DOT-ZERO on the earliest geographical railroad maps to others, but to jazz fans worldwide DOTSERO means Smooth Jazz at its best, full of life energy and spontaneity that few artists in the genre have been able to match. A no nonsense sax and guitar driven thrill ride of energy and excitement. As much fun to watch as they are to listen to. The band has performed at major jazz festivals; Red Rocks Amphitheatre, JVC Winter Park Jazz Fest, Jazz Trax Catalina Island Jazz Fest and The Cancun Jazz Festival, among others. From Ala Carte Ala Park in San Francisco to West Palm Beach's Sunfest, DOTSERO has crisscrossed the nation performing their exciting brand of jazz.

Dotsero

A Season of Wonder

Artist link

Track List