This music was inspired by my album “That Time of Year,” which I recorded — true to the Mel Tormé tradition — in six hours on a hot July day in Los Angeles in 2011. Most of it was freely improvised, but I did do a couple of takes on “Carol of the Bells.

These arrangements are pretty much exactly what I played on nine of the selections from that album. You'll hear a multitude of influences, from bebop and swing to baroque music and impressionism to modern jazz. I have always found as a pianist that if you keep the melody, you can do almost anything with the arrangement, and it will be effective if done well. 

I think you’ll have fun with the different approaches I’ve taken to these very loved and familiar tunes.