Midnight in Moscow

In 1962 Benny Goodman had a historic visit to the Soviet Union, touring with a big band full of young all-stars. After the orchestra returned to the U.S., tenor saxophonist Al Cohn (who had not made the trip but did write some of Goodman's charts) put together an album (also released by Colpix) using many of the sidemen and paying tribute to the event. Strangely enough none of the six numbers are Cohn originals and he does not play on the record although he arranged all of the music. Of the six songs, "Mission to Moscow," "Let's Dance" and "Russian Lullaby" were part of Goodman's repertoire. Altoist Phil Woods effectively doubles on clarinet and other soloists include tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims, trumpeter Marky Markowitz and trombonist Willie Dennis. An interesting set of modern swing.

Christmastime in Vienna is a Christmas music collaboration between vocalists Placido Domingo, Patricia Kaas, and Alejandro Fernandez. The incredible amount of vocal talent found on the disc can be a bit overwhelming, especially on the numbers sung by opera star Domingo. But what results is a decent album of holiday songs given the royal treatment by the three singers. Especially impressive is Kaas, who stands out as the most charismatic vocalist of the trio.