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Care to spend your holiday in Finland? One of the great pleasures of reviewing seasonal music is the opportunity to reach across borders and explore diverse Christmas offerings. Christmas Jazz is the love child of vocalist Mariah Hortans and guitarist Mathias Sandberg, a duo that is rapidly becoming an important presence on the Finnish music scene. The album presents ten smooth jazz numbers sung in English, Finnish and Swedish. Not surprisingly, the ambient temperatures run cool, and the overall mood is emphatically laid back.

Hortans and Sandberg mesh very well; their professional pairing conveys an easy intimacy and mellow comfort. Opening with It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, Hortans' voice immediately caught my attention. Her vocals are lovely, flexible, and weightless. Her English imparts a light Nordic accent that gives her interpretations a sweeter color and richer texture.

The song selections provide a favorable balance here. For example, the second cut is Giv mig ej glans, ej guld, ej prakt, apparently one of the most famous Finnish Christmas carols; it is a gentle, understated gem. Hearing Hortans sing Kuului laulu enkelten (Gloria in Excelsis Deo sung in Finnish, I think) is a fun twist on a well-known holiday chestnut; for the occasion, Sandberg ramps up his guitar improvisations, and Hortans turns up the charismatic heat. The duo similarly increases the urgency on God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen; both Hortans and Sandberg swing with sweet jazz abandon.

And so it goes--Christmas Jazz combines holiday "regulars" with Scandinavian newcomers (new to the U.S. audience, anyway), and the result is soothing and entertaining. The album does include a few unexpected turns. For example, the lush island-flavored interpretation of the usually staid Ave Maria was a nice surprise, and I also applaud the inclusion of Ser du stjärnan i det blå (known to us as When You Wish Upon a Star). This Disney number apparently became a Nordic Christmas fixture because of a long-running cabaret show that began playing on Scandinavian televisions 48 years ago. Today, gathering the entire family to watch the program is an important tradition in the Nordic countries, and the song has accordingly become an ingrained part of their culture. Seasonal or not, it's a beautiful song with a sentiment that fits Christmas well, and Hortans handles the number with fragile grace. Sandberg provides an excellent jazz guitar counterpoint with subtle shades of creative improvisation.

These talented artists apparently did a Christmas tour in the United States last year; I only wish that they were playing in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area this season. Their Christmas Jazz release provides adult contemporary fare of the finest sort. I would love to relax at the corner table of my favorite late-night restaurant, enjoying the Hortans/Sandberg duo explore the mixed pleasures of the holiday season. I could listen to them for hours and hours. And so I propose a Christmas toast--to Mariah Hortans & M. Sandberg, and to FINLAND!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2008)

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From the liner notes:

Mariah Hortans, vocals
Mathias Sandberg, guitar

Produced by Mathias Sandberg

Recorded live at the Doo-Bop Club in Vaasa, Finland by Mariah Hortans
Mixed & mastered by Janne Hyoty at DeeKay Records

From the Promotional Materials:

The Mariah Hortans / M Sandberg Duo debut album "Christmas Jazz" will definitely get you into the Christmas spirit in style. Classical Christmas compositions by Sibelius and Schubert are interwoven with traditional Nordic Christmas carols, songs and hymns and even a song from the animated children's cartoon "A Charlie Brown Christmas". The songs are sung in Finnish, Swedish (the two official languages in Finland) and English, and have been rearranged and harmonized with the jazzy harmonies, swinging rhythms and melodic improvisation the duo has become known for.
Last December we did a two week Christmas Jazz tour in the US. This year we will do 15 Christmas Jazz concerts in Finland.

From the Web Site:

Biography
Jazz vocalist Mariah Hortans and guitarist Mathias Sandberg have quickly created a niche on the Finnish music scene. Their music, which can be described as cool, intimate, traditional vocal jazz is performed completely live with just one voice and one guitar.
The duo have performed extensively in Finland during the last couple of years and done two successful tours in the US.
Mariah Hortans is a well respected singer and educator. She graduated from Pietarsaari Conservatory in 2006 and has since kept a busy teaching schedule as well as conducting choirs.
Jazz guitarist Mathias Sandberg is one of the most in demand musicians in Ostrobothnia. He has studied at Manhattan School of Music in NYC and Berklee College of Music in Boston, and has been teaching at all the major music schools, institutes and colleges in Ostrobothnia. Georg Riedel, LaGaylia Frazier, Geir Rönning, Pierre Swärd and Antti Rissanen are some of the artists he has worked with.

Mariah Hortans and M. Sandberg

Christmas Jazz

Artist link

Track List