Albuquerque Journal from Albuquerque, New Mexico • Page 79

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1997 HOLIDAY GUIDE 15 It begi A 111 1L 1.X J.J. JLJLJL Li tu auuiiu a iui jlijlv vi 11 10 Linao. New albums put world in a gift box By David Steinberg win -i 11 I I his is a good year to buy seasonal music for Christmas presents. Not only is the quality gh, but the music that's geared y. ff Ivory," which is a terrific vehicle to present the two polarities of hjs performance his explosive twr hand approach to the instrument balanced by his exquisitely soft touch.

The 16 selections are a mix of traditionals and pop tunes that have become seasonal THE GUY ON THE COVER OF' BLUE NOTE'S "YULE BE BOPPIN" (GREAT TITLEI) is playing the tenor sax in a Santa coat and red beret His white beard, is recently trimmed. Nice idea, but I don't think he's one of the artists on the joyfully jazzy holiday album. Bob Dorough X- is older and he plays piano and sings. Fareed Haque Mean One Mr. is a young guitarist.

Eliane Elias Got My Love to Keep Me is '(' female and plays piano. Rachelle I Ferrell on is another female pianist. Maybe it's Joe Lovano of the Whoever it is, this one' a keeper WARNER BROS. INVITES TO LISTEN TO ITS ANTHOLOGY of current jazz artists on "Warner Bros. Jazz Christmas Party." r-1 Some of the performers on the album are familiar to Albuquerque audiences.

Joshua Redman, who played to several sell-out New Mexico Jazz Workshop concerts, motors through "Santa Claus Is Coming to Kevin Mahogany, who like Redman was here compliments of the New Mexico Jazz Workshop, is on ADOLPHE PIERRE-LOUIS "Home" and "Circle of Joy." Still, for me, it works. Yet another Windham Hill compilation is "The Carols of Christmas." It's got a lineup of more popular musicians Janis Ian Joan Armatrading from the Realms of Steve Morse Came Upon a Midnight and Leo Kottke The fourth from the label is Jim Brickman's album "The Gift," which is a potpourri of his arrangements of traditional tunes and the keyboardist's own originals. Brickman, who is a pretty hot commodity these days, has some of his own pieces "Starbright," "Angels," "Fireside" and the title cut. Collin Raye and Kenny Loggins make guest appearances on the cozy-feeling album. JUDY COLLINS RECORDED "CHRISTMAS AT THE BILTMORE ESTATE" in front of a live audience in this castlelike building in Asheville, N.C.

She sings, plays guitar and piano and is backed by a full band and at times a choir. On a number of cuts, Collins shares remembrances of Christmases when she was a kid. They're all traditional numbers, but I guess it threw me to hear her doing holiday stuff. On a second listen, I still found it bland. CONCORD JAZZ HAS TWO SMOOTHIES for the holidays.

Underrated tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton, who has performed in Santa Fe and Taos over the last decade, is recorded here with strings, cruising with his mellow tones through the album "Christmas Love Song." There are 11 tunes from the Great American Christmas Songbook, including Til Be Home for Christmas," "Greensleeves," "Winter Wonderland" and "White Christmas." The underexposed pianist Dave McKenna brings us "Christmas SEASON'S SAMPLING: New holiday CDs out this year range from jazz to Celtic music. specifically for the holidays is wiite extensive. Compilations a )ound. Here's a sampling of what's out lere: AN ALBUM TITLED "A LATIN JAZZ Why not. And you know what? This is great fun.

Trumpeter Bobby Rodriguez, a ppoduct of East L.A., leads an ensemble that has a hot Latin percussion section. They play a cha-cha version of "Santa Claus Is doming to Town" and "Silver Sells," "Deck the Halls" with a lierengue beat, "Silent Night" as a bplero, "Jingle Bells" done as a samba and six salsa versions of other traditional holiday tunes. ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL GIVES US "Merry Texas Christmas, Y'All." If you judged 4e CD by its title, this album riight not sell too briskly along the Rio-Grande Valley. What do you think? I'd buy it. Not only because I've been a constant fan of Ray Benson's swing band for nigh on 20 years.

Not only because my in-laws live in Hempstead, Texas. But this music makes a great Christmas dance party album. There's "Swingin' Silent Night," "Jingle Bell Boogie," "Xmas in Jail," "Feliz Navidad" with help from Tish Hinojosa, and "Pretty Paper" and "Silent Night" with an assist from Willie Nelson. THE GRP LABEL, WHICH MAKES A HABIT of generating holiday compilations, has produced two anthologies this season. One is "A Traditional Jazz Christmas," with a number of famous artists including Ahmad Jamal "Ramsay Lewis Days of Les Brown and His Band of Renown it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it two from Louis Armstrong in New Orleans" and "Christmas Night in and Mel Tonne" doing his trademark "The Christmas Song." The other GRP collection, which is no less accessible, is "A Contemporary Jazz Christmas." Artists include Diane Schuur Be Home for Chick Corea Elektric Band Rest Ye Merry Tom Scott and Spyro Gyra (Til Be Home for "A VERY GREEN CHRISTMAS, ARTISTS FOR EARTH" is the title of a holiday release on the Seventh Wave label.

But it's unclear whether the album is tied in to the Green Party, to a specific environmental cause or to a proclamation of the performers' love of terra firma. I think it's the third choice. In any event, this is a celebratory release from a mix of well-known and less well-known musicians. Suzanne Ciani leads an ensemble doing the traditional pieces, "Adeste Fideles" and "0 Holy harpist Georgia Kelly solos on "What Child Is Kate Price on the hammered dulcimer heads a trio pn "Carol of the smooth guitarist Teja Bell plays Agustin Barrios' "Villancico de and pianist Roy Eaton performs his "A Child's Christmas." Fifteen cuts in all. THE WINDHAM HILL LABEL WENT ALL OUT THIS YEAR with four holiday releases.

Continuing its success with samplers, the label has produced "A Winter's Solstice VI" with some of the best in New Age, classical and easy listening. Among the selections virtually all originals soprano saxophonist Marion Meadows' "Joyful Times," guitarist Michael Hedges' "Ursa Major," guitaristkeyboardist David Arkenstone's "Snow Dance," reclusive pianist George Winston's "January Stars" and famed clarinetist Richard Stoltzman doing the second movement of Francis Poulenc's "Sonata for Two Clarinets." Riding the crest of the Celtic music wave is "Celtic Christmas III" with some Celtic musicians Nightnoise doing the traditional "Lully Lullaby," Paddy Glackin and Micheal 0 Domhnaill doing the traditional "The South Wind" and some not so Celtic musicians guitarist W.G. "Snuffy" Walden who wrote "Sails of Galway" and Lisa Lynne on Celtic harp with Be Home for Bela Fleck (with Bob James) is on 1 'nyt others who havent been to town recently but who are simply popular artists, such as Al Jarreau doing "Celebrate Me Home," Boney James with "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and Michael Franks dnins his own 1 1, Bought You a Plastic Star for Your Aluminum Tree." Toy too loud for parent may hurt a child's ears Don't depend on government or industry regulation, she says. There isn't any. She says though activists are working for a Surgeon General's warning label for noisy toys, the prime responsibility for safe toys remains with parents.

Among her examples are some rattles and squeaky toys whose output measures as high as 1 10 dBA, comparable to power tools' and factory machines'. Electric guitars, drums, and horns can produce as much as 120 dBA, as high as the noise in a city subway. Toy phones register between 123 and 129 dBA, as high as a rock concert. The Associated Press NEW YORK No wonder you want the kids to play at the other end of the house the day after Christmas. Many of their toys are louder than most power tools.

"Noisy toys are not just annoying for the parent. They pose serious risk to our children's hearing," says Nancy Nadler, director of the Noise Center at the League forthe Hard of Hearing. Very loud or prolonged exposure can lead to permanent hearing loss and cognitive developmental difficulties. Gadgets that amplify voices have been measured up to 135 dBA, just like the percussion section of a symphony orchestra. Cap guns can produce more than 140 dBA, and toys with firearm sounds can register ISO dBA when measured a foot away about average for a jet takeoff.

Compare these levels with the 85 dBA limit set by the government for allowable sustained noise exposure in the work place. "Although OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) protects a person in the work place, the same protection is not available for our children," Nadler says. Nadler has some advice for parents: Before buying a toy, listen to it close to your ear, as a child would. Keep in mind that a child has shorter arms than you and will be listening to it at closer range. If it sounds too loud, it probably is.

If the noise hurts or makes your ears ring, don't buy the toy. Don't be misled by testing a toy's noise button through its packaging. Many toys are packed with the volume button on the low setting; when the toy is unwrapped, the maximum volume may be dangerously i loud. If someone gives your child a noisy toy, return it if possible. Otherwise, allow its use only under your supervision.

If there's a volume button on the toy, it should be on the low setting. Teach your children to never put toys that make noise next to their ears. Nadler recommends that if you encounter a too-noisy toy, report it to the League at 1 (888) 664-7388 or to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, ll (800)638-8270. II i Etched 505-344-8639 505-344-8639 HEARTH EXPERTS SINCE resigns Jerome Glass Etching and Carving Residential and Commercial Personalized Gifts and Awards .1984 mm A jty. 1 (fZt IREPLACE Xtrordinair (505) 883-1136 Alhunilrriiics.

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