Baker fronts an impressive small band featuring pianist Joe Sample and guitarist Larry Carlton as they put the Quiet Storm stamp on Christmas classics like “Christmas Time Is Here” and “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” plus a few oddballs, like a ragtime version of “Frosty the Snowman” (“Frosty’s Rag”). Baker scats her way through the second half of “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” and it’s not going to win her any new fans. But like all of Baker’s work, the hot-buttered grooves work best for when Mr. and Mrs. Santa have some “alone” time.
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