Fourplay - Snowbound (1999)

Here's some soft jazz for that fireside glow at Christmas. Fourplay is pianist and arranger Bob James with guitarist Larry Carlton, drummer Harvey Mason, and bassist Nathan East (who handles limited vocal chores, as well). Carlton is the tastiest of the foursome (check his blues-tinged work on "Amazing Grace"), never overplaying or indulging his knowing chops. Snowbound's strong group effort shines as the band weaves in and out of each other's lines on "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" or as the rhythm section casts mellow, funky grooves in the path of the title track, under occasional trumpet and sax fills. The quartet delivers one other original piece, James's "The Ivy Variations," plus a naturally fluid reading of Joni Mitchell's often-overlooked song "River," taken from her five-star album Blue. -- Martin Keller