Eddie Allen – Trumpet

Mark McGowan – Trumpet

Amie Amis – French Horn

Jerrick Matthews – Trombone

Oscar Perez – Piano

Richie Goods – Bass

Jerome Jennings – Drums

– CRITIC’S REVIEW –

A smart holiday set that might have some fat playing but certainly doesn’t show any schmaltz- CHRIS SPECTOR MIDWEST RECORD

New Yorker Eddie Allen has assembled a sassy brass quartet (plus acoustic bass and some percussion), generating white heat and a slow burn for the holidays. ChristmasReviews.com–Carol Swanson

Trumpeter Allen has conviction in what he’s doing. Refusing to stoop to weak sentiment, he communicates his sense of uplift when refurbishing “We Three Kings”, “O Holy Night” and a dozen more classics. Downbeat MagazineFrank Hadley

Here, Allen has chosen to go the jazzy route from the outset on the pop material. For the carols, he makes use of the brass quartet to state the melody, but then allows the individual horn players to follow their improvisational imagination. It makes for an interesting mix that is a pleasant and lively change of pace from most jazz Christmas albums.Jersey Jazz.Joe Lang