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Our Review

Think about it. Have someone at home who loves jazz, but just barely tolerates seasonal music? The Peter Smith Quartet's Yule Like This is the perfect remedy. The quartet incorporates many exciting jazz elements into a seamless whole, making this holiday product a completely enjoyable one!

Peter Smith is the senior member of the band (here, with Kevin Laliberté, Drew Birston, and Jesse Baird). Everyone performing has great jazz credentials. Smith creatively leads this quartet and various other ensembles, all under the PoteSmote Music banner. Sounds like a great gig for this multi-faceted Smith fellow!

Yule Like This has twelve generous tracks (over an hour of delicious music!); half of these are traditional seasonal fare, and the other half are contemporary pieces that express sentiments of the season or have titles that inspire them. In any event, of the nontraditional fare, Smith has composed three impressive pieces that smoke in a supremely seasonal (sort of) way. The jazz stylings throughout the album are somewhat traditional; the tracks tend to be long and include lovely improvisational riffs by the various players. The music is joyful, but not raucous.

Yule Like This does include one terrific vocal--Heather Bambrick on "Baby It's Cold Outside" (instead of trading quips with a guy, she's chatting with a saxophone). She's one super-talented lady; her scat singing is an extremely cool addition to the track and the album! I have many favorites on this release, but perhaps the best surprise was the wily ol' "Mr. Grinch." Nice! The award for most bizarre intro and alien sound effects goes to "Little Drummer Boy"; weird, but fascinating.

The Peter Smith Quartet's Yule Like This is a compelling holiday album that will truly please jazz lovers, even those who are mildly phobic around seasonal music. Just fantastic!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2005)

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From the liner notes:

Peter Smith: Saxophones, flutes, clarinets, percussion
Kevin Laliberté: Acoustic guitar, banjo
Drew Birston: Double bass
Jesse Baird: Drums, percussion, accordion

With:
Rodrigo Chávez: Congas, percussion

Featuring guest artists:
Heather Bambrick: Vocal on "Baby It's Cold Outside"
Mark Duggan: Vibes on "Look to the Sky"
Phil Manning: B3 on "Blue Christmas"

And guest artists:
Nigel Smith: Sound effects
Carl Petzelt: Timpanum and jingle bells

Produced by Peter M. Smith for PoteSmote Music
Arranged by the Peter Smith Quartet
Horns arranged by Peter Smith

Recorded live in the studio by the Peter Smith Quartet on August 1 & 15, 2000

Peter Smith Quartet

Yule Like This

Artist link

Track List