Bobby Medina

Bobby Medina: Holiday Magic

by Jack Bowers
December 1, 2002

Trumpeter Bobby Medina and the Cosmopolitan Pops Orchestra serve up more than fifty minutes of cheerful Holiday Magic, spiced with clever arrangements and bright vocals by Greta Matassa (“Winter Wonderland,” “Merry Christmas,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”) and Gary Lanz (“The Christmas Song”). The music is Jazzy to a point, but more akin to the Boston or Cincinnati Pops than to Basie or Herman. The Latin opener, “Feliz Navidad,” is followed by a winsome reading of “Hark! The Herald ...