Blue Note, the venerable jazz label, has put together a hip collection of standards that mixes rare old recordings and new material. Gems from the vaults include a swinging live rendition of "Jingle Bells" by Count Basic and a soulful "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by saxophonist Dexter Gordon. Benny Green, one of today's most promising pianists, does a creditable interpretation of a previously unrecorded Thelonious Monk tune, "A Merrier Christmas."
