From Lionel Hampton, the legend who discovered Sylvia Bennett raving “Her magic gets to the ears and hearts of the audience,” to later Smooth Jazz collaborators Paul Brown, Rick Braun and Nathan East, jazz cats have been enamored of the multi-talented song stylist for decades. Her warm and wonderful, inspiring and rhythmically festive EP A SMOOTH JAZZ HOLIDAY is the perfect bookend to her equally lovely and joyous 2009 album IT’S CHRISTMASTIME WITH SYLVIA BENNETT – and even features a callback to a sparkling track on that album penned by longtime collaborator and producer Hal Batt. Evenly balanced between urban jazz arrangements of classics and charming, whimsical originals (including a Bennett/Batt tune with a global reggae vibe), the collection features dynamic solo spots by Paul Brown and Ed Calle.
