Vol. 2 - Festival of Light

While the first Festival of Light compilation focused on putting an eclectic and young spin on music for Hanukkah, this follow-up is slightly more mellow (but no less diverse). Danny Heines's "Singing Flames" gives his mesmerizing guitar work a hint of Middle Eastern rhythms; Dave Koz's "Memories of a Winter's Night" features the musician's smooth saxophone work; and the Klezmatics--joined by Israeli vocalist Chava Alberstein--perform the soulful klezmer number "I'm Going to Take Off My Shoes." There's a ton of great, genre-blurring music here, but the real gems come from jazz trumpeter Frank London. His big band composition "Oh Hanukkah Groove" is spiritual yet swinging, while his atmospheric "Song of Praise"--featuring London, keyboardist Wayne Horvitz, and oud player Michael Kashou--is simply mesmerizing. --Jason Verlinde