The newly released straight-ahead jazz album of holiday standards, “Warm in December,” will be feted this Friday at a Boston concert date at Regattabar.
In the oppressive midsummer heat of New York City last July, jazz vocalist Penni Layne and her quartet entered iconic Sear Sound to record “Warm in December,” the just released Upside ten-track set of seasonal standards and an original tune that she wrote with her coproducer Larry Jackson. Despite the stifling temperatures and humidity outside, Layne and her ensemble summoned memories of Christmases past to bring to life this cozy collection of classics presented as acoustic jazz rhythms and melodies.
The seeds for “Warm in December” were sown last Christmas as Layne and Jackson began rifling through holiday songbooks to select material to record. Her mission was to record “a holiday album that is the product of childhood memories and magic, and traditions passed onto our children. The album is a love letter to my husband, my family, past and present, and to anyone who believes in miracles.”
Many of the selection on “Warm in December” are timeless perennials - “Winter Wonderland,” “The Christmas Song,” “Let It Snow,” “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” and “Sleigh Ride” – shared in imaginative new arrangements. A few cuts – the title track, “I Love The Winter Weather,” and “A Christmas Love Song” – are lesser-known gems given a fresh sheen rendered with the hope that they become new favorites of the album’s listeners.
Then there is the tender original, “At The First Snowfall.” Layne and Jackson composed it during Christmas in the pandemic, penning a song to conjure family connectedness despite the prevalent feelings of isolation and loneliness. The married partners tapped into fond memories and gratitude in order to tell a story to evoke happiness during the sacred season, a season that was hard pressed not to be impacted by the worry, sadness, and fear that gripped the globe at the time. The heartfelt number plays like a gift to be opened each Christmas, like the entire album.
Throughout “Warm in December,” Layne plies her soothing voice, beaming joy, grace, and elegance along with fervor and gentility. Her cohorts – pianist Michael Kanan, bassist Neal Miner, guitarist Greg Ruggiero, and drummer Keith Balla – astutely construct swinging jazz cadences and romantic ballad backdrops, settings from which Layne’s inviting vocals leap to the fore, taking powerful command of the spotlight.
The Boston-based Layne will celebrate the season and the album release with a concert at Regattabar in Boston this Friday (December 13). Performing a setlist featuring songs from “Warm in December,” Layne will be accompanied by Jackson on bass, GRAMMY-winning trumpeter Bijon Watson, keyboardist Ryan Claunch, and drummer Steve Bankuti.
Layne and Jackson are a prolific pair that create a wide array of music projects – from jazz to R&B and electronic dance music. 2025 will see them issuing a jazz album comprised of standards and originals titled “Every Day I Fall in Love” (release date TBA). Their busy release slate includes an album, “The Art of Love and Poetry,” from their eight-piece R&B band, Penni Layne & The Wonder Boys. They plan to release six singles – one every six weeks – with the first to arrive at a soon-to-be-announced date. Teaming with producer Andrija Gavrilovic to create high-energy remixes under the PLM moniker, Layne eyes dropping six to eight singles from a yet-to-be titled album beginning in February or March.
For more information, visit https://pennilayne.com.
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