What is more magical than a Christmas album by a trio of female singers who execute close harmony to perfection? Briefly, close harmony is a singing technique in which the voices are very close to one another and remain confined to a single octave. In this regard, The Puppini Sisters are heiresses in a long and prestigious line of vocal music groups, the most famous undoubtedly being The Andrews Sisters, a trio who entertained Americans in the dark years of the 1940s. The Puppini Sisters took the same comforting approach when they conceived this album, recorded in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, or more precisely, during the 2020 holiday season. For Marcella Puppini, the group’s founder, this record, exclusively available on Qobuz, wasn’t solely about the music: “It was about reaching out and touching the hearts of our fans when they needed it the most. The joy we received in return was the best Christmas gift we could ask for.” Recorded in front of a live audience (reduced to follow safety measures) at Premises Studios in London, this album consists of classic, essential Christmas songs, from “Jingle Bells” to “Let It Snow”, “O Holy Night”, and many in between. Such a selection, paired with this vocal technique, inevitably immerses us into waters that are decidedly retro. The British trio revisits the past with sparkling enthusiasm, and sometimes, a touch of irony. To this end, the mischievous Puppini Sisters have also chosen more unexpected tracks, like George Michael’s “Last Christmas”, to which they bring a delightfully jazzy sensuality. They have also made sure to give a nod to Marcella’s Italian roots, covering “Ba Ba Baciami”, a bouncy foxtrot created in 1940 by Roman Alberto Rabagliati. Accompanied by a piano, an accordion, a bass, and, obviously, bells, The Puppini Sisters recreate the spirit of Christmas in all of its warmth, color, and joy. © Nicolas Magenham/Qobuz

Probably the best words to describe John Kaizan Neptune are explorer and adventurer. Almost all the instruments used in TakéDaké are bamboo-only instruments of Neptune's own creation: baliphone (bamboo marimba), bambass, bamboo drum set, bamboo conga, bamboo frame drum, and, of course, shakuhachi. To that are added some other instruments from Bali, Vietnam, and more. TakéDaké in fact means "bamboo only." The music itself is as much an exploration as the instruments themselves. For example, the melody of the first piece "Ocean Motion" is based on a Japanese five-tone folk scale, the 12/8 rhythmic groove is African and it is accompanied by a Vietnamese torung. Two pieces are distinctly Balinese and Javanese in character. The other pieces have Japanese, Korean, Cambodian, African, and other influences. Quite a melting pot, but quite an adventure. Something to satisfy for the best musical travelers.© Bruno Deschênes /TiVo

Several famous pieces of music based on birdsong appeared in the 19th and 20th centuries; those by Saint-Saëns, Britten, and Ravel are here, although Messiaen is not. However, the affinity between music and birdsong had been explored for centuries before that, and the early music group La Rêveuse here provides some delightful examples. The always pictorial François Couperin is represented, as is Rameau, but other composers are less familiar but no less charming. Sample the works by Theodor Schwartzkopff, Michel Blavet, and especially Michel Pignolet de Montéclair (1667-1737), whose "Les Ramages" ("The Songs") names a group of birds and then illustrates their songs. Then there are historical-instrument versions of Saint-Saëns, Britten, and Ravel. One may accept this idea or not, but even in the latter case, they don't do much to dent the charm of the whole. The program ends with a work by contemporary composer Vincent Bouchot, Le Carnaval des animaux en péril, a kind of a take-off on Saint-Saëns for the Anthropocene era that also calls forth a striking variety of instruments from La Rêveuse. Another questionable idea is that, in keeping with the practices of this group, recorded birdsong is heard between some of the tracks. Whatever aspects of this release might be doubtful, it rarely fails to bring a smile. © James Manheim /TiVo

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Galactic drummer Stanton Moore is a busy man. Besides working with NOLA's funky sons, he teaches, does a copious amount of TV and film work, and works on solo projects. One of the latter is his acclaimed trio with organist David Torkanowsky and bassist James Singleton. The three had booked studio time in the fall of 2015 to cut a follow-up to the previous year's celebrated Conversations. That was put on hold when Crescent City icon Allen Toussaint died suddenly after a concert in Spain. Moore's trio didn't feel right proceeding on their own without acknowledging the artist's passing. Moore had done studio work with Toussaint, and the shadow of his influence on the trio looms large. Instead of cutting an original record, the three assembled a host of NOLA luminaries for this masterful presentation of Toussaint's multi-faceted compositions. Vocalist Cyril Neville fronts the band on half the set's tunes, including the raucous "Here Come the Girls" (with a burning solo by Trombone Shorty). Neville's also there on the syncopated, second-line funk of "Life," whose horn section boasts solos by trumpeter Nicholas Payton and saxophonist Skerik, as well as a killer backing chorus comprised of Erica Falls and Jolynda Chapman. The latter of these two fronts the trio on the soulful ballad "All These Things." There are excellent instrumentals to boot. "Java," a famous Toussaint jazz tune synonymous with Al Hirt, is realized with Torkanowsky laying down his most "humid" piano lines amid a knotty, hard-swinging horn section comprised of Big Chief Donald Harrison, Jr., Payton, and Shorty, with Moore and Singleton driving the rhythm home. The altoist and trumpeter also join the trio on the bluesy, nocturnal "Riverboat," with its gospel overtones and shimmering atmospheric vibe adorned by gently rolling snare, tom-toms, and electric piano. On the deep funk tip, there's the eternal "Everything I Do Gon' Be Funky from Now On" that joins Moore's trio to sax players Maceo Parker and Skerik, trumpeter Eric Bloom and trombonist Mark Mullins. Neville and the backing vocalists emphasize the Mardi Gras Indian-styled chant in the refrain as the groove thunders. Toussaint was nothing if not a supreme melodist. In the title track, Singleton lays down a gorgeous solo before Moore and Torkanowsky follow to improvise on the harmony with grace and elegance. Actor Wendell Pierce guests on the classic "Southern Nights." He speaks the lyric with a jazzman's swing and a rapper's sense of time. Then Payton takes over the unmistakable sweet soul melody on a B-3 while Torkanowsky adds fills with an electric piano; Singleton and Moore frame it all with a laid-back groove. The icing on the cake is Payton's Louis Armstrong-inspired trumpet solo to carry it out. It's likely that other tributes to Toussaint's genius will follow, but it's just as likely that few will be as heartfelt and discerning as the Stanton Moore Trio's With You in Mind.© Thom Jurek /TiVo

On this continually interesting CD, the Manhattan Transfer revisits tunes from the swing era, in some cases re-creating (through vocalese) specific recordings. Benny Goodman's 1935 version of "King Porter Stomp," Bennie Moten's 1932 recording of "Moten's Swing," Glenn Miller's "I Know Why," Charlie Barnet's "Skyliner," and Fletcher Henderson's exciting arrangement of "Down South Camp Meetin'" are among the many highlights. The vocals are superb (particularly Janis Siegel and Cheryl Bentyne), although one wishes that the individual members had more of a chance to improvise within the style. The backup groups are different than one would expect, including the Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel, violinist Mark O'Connor (Stéphane Grappelli makes a special appearance on "Clouds"), and steel guitarist Buddy Emmons. Recommended.© Scott Yanow /TiVo

Two discs and almost 50 tracks of the Ink Spots, all recorded within a relatively narrow 13-year window, could be enough to overwhelm anyone not intimately interested in close-harmony vocal music, especially such a humid, narcoleptic sound as the Ink Spots tended toward. For those unhindered by the prospects of two and a half hours of gentle crooning, though, The Anthology earns its title and then some, sprinkling the big hits already anthologized many times over -- "If I Didn't Care," "My Prayer," "We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me)," "Java Jive," "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire," and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" -- among a parade of obscure yet intriguing performances. Prime among the latter are the kinetic "Your Feet's Too Big," one of their first recordings, and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin," probably more famous now as an Elvis Presley cover than an Ink Spots original. As often happened during the 1940s and '50s, the Ink Spots also recorded dozens of songs in the standards repertory, and several of those ("Who Wouldn't Love You," "Prisoner of Love," "I Cover the Waterfront," "I Get the Blues When It Rains") make for the biggest surprises on this bountiful compilation.© John Bush /TiVo

With their first album Hawaï, Java somehow revolutionized the traditional chanson française, introducing a singer rapping with the flow of a hip-hop MC and keeping the instruments of traditional French music: the double bass and the accordion. And not only did they invent a new musical style, but they did it with talent. Actually, their creations are more influenced by jazz and great composers like Gainsbourg or Boris Vian than pure musette; meaning that, as they do claim it in their anthem "Sex Accordéon et Alcool": "Java, c'est du rock & roll" (Java it's rock and roll music). Even though they are not technically playing rock, they have the wild and raw thing rock has in its music. Their lyrics too are well-wrought: so many cultural references and nice insights. It is not only about the rhythm and rhymes but also about what it says and how it is said. (Keep in mind that you will miss something important with this album if you do not understand French.)© Romain Guillou /TiVo

French singer Michel Sardou delivers a fine two-CD set of music on Bercy 98, the latest edition in his concert series. Focusing on his more accessible, poppy songs, he comes off like an adult contemporary star with a romantic French twist. Although the albums capture a good amount of material, the lack of variety seems like it could have changed so it would include some different material. The crowd often gets annoying, applauding so often it almost sounds like a continuous loop of silence-then-applause applied after the fact. The extra CD comes with one song, a Phil Collins-esque bore that matters very little to the entire package. Overall, this is a good album that could have been better, but there are other volumes in the Bercy series that are more essential anyway.© Bradley Torreano /TiVo