Jazz/classical guitarist Peter Curtis has performed and recorded with notable jazz and blues musicians such as James Carter, Taj Mahal and James Moody, and he garnered all manner of accolades for his 2005 quartet album Swing State. That said, his new holiday release — Christmas with your Jewish Boyfriend — doesn’t come within shouting distance of jazz.
It’s nonetheless a lovely album that showcases Curtis’ lyrical solo guitar chops. The title is a droll reference to the ironic fact that many (most?) of our “modern” Christmas tunes came from Jewish songwriters.
Curtis opens with sparkling arrangements of “Winter Wonderland” and “White Christmas,” and then shifts to a quieter, contemplative approach on the wistful “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” He takes a sweet, exploratory solo during a lengthy bridge, then returns to the familiar melody as the track concludes.
His up-tempo handling of “Sleigh Ride” is vibrant, perky and fun; “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” benefits from intriguing time signature twists. And he somehow makes his guitar sound “female” and sexy during a droll arrangement of “Santa Baby.”
The album concludes with an original Curtis tune that gives the album its title; he croons the droll lyrics with a heartfelt earnestness that compensates for vocal chops that display more sincerity than range. The song concludes with a brief quote from “Jingle Bells,” at which point you’ll likely want to play the album again.