Al di Meola
's first so-called
Christmas
album is a relaxed, flowing, intensely musical affair that jazzers,
world
music buffs, and new agers will feel equally comfortable with. Mostly, he steers away from the often-cracked chestnuts, composing several nice tunes of his own (
"Zima,"
the leadoff cut, is especially inviting), playing acoustic guitar and a battery of percussion instruments and keyboards in a graceful one-man band, thanks to multi-track tape. Other tracks feature duets between
di Meola
(with overdubbed additional instruments) and
Roman Hrynkiv
, who plays a Ukrainian zither-like instrument called the bandura. For the die-hard consumer who must have those carols, there are intricate renditions of
"The First Noel,"
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,"
and
"Carol of the Bells."
~ Richard S. Ginell