We were out car shopping today and ended up liking the Toyota Sienna 2011 for its slick spaciousness, not its wack-ass swagger wagon video. We’re aiming for the SE Preferred Package. If anyone knows a good deal, let us know.

Jasmine, a beautiful, intimate collaboration between pianist Keith Jarrett and bassist Charlie Haden, is perfect for the holiday season. Haden’s deep, meditative approach provides Jarrett the spacious, relaxing template to stretch out his ballad playing. From the sentimental “For All We Know” to the soulful “Where Can I Go Without You” to the sensational “Body and Soul” to the serenading “Don’t Ever Leave Me,” Jasmine is, in Jarrett’s own words, “a night-blooming flower with a beautiful fragrance.” I actually started listening to this album a couple months ago and now the holiday spirit brings me even closer to it. Can’t wait to play it on Christmas Eve with my love ones and with a glass of Merlot.

Cuban pianist Chucho Valdés pays homage to jazz legends on his latest release Chucho’s Steps. The title track, which built on a strong Latin percussive rhythm, is a reference to John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps.” The rollicking “Zawinul’s Mambo” is a nod to Dizzy Gillespie and Zawinul. The Dixieland-flavor on “New Orleans” is a tribute to the Marsalis family. The soulful blues “Julián” pays respect to Cannonball Adderley. The real treat though is the Cuban-jazz “Danzón.” The ballad starts off with Carlos Miyares Hernández’s sentimental saxophone solo, but the tempo kicks up a notch when Mr. Valdés enters with sweeping, fleeting solo. His compelling improvisations show that the 69-year-old man still have great chops and his playing attests that age ain’t nothing but a number.

Simplexpression gets a new winter theme. The background photo belongs to a former colleague at Vassar. I always love that shot and very glad that she gave me the position to use it. Thanks Tamar!

Simplexpression is currently my favorite project. The site not only showcases Dana’s work, but also gives me an opportunity to play around with design. I also changed the logo’s typeface and styled it using CSS. No more image, ma.

Some video to watch on Friday:

A fun Christmas flash mob at the food court. I wonder if they do that in the mall around here.

An eigh-year-old Angelo “Lil Demon” Baligad kicked his adult opponent ass in a b-boy battle. This kid is just unbelievable.

Charles Lloyd Quartet’s tasteful, elegant Mirror kicks off with a lush, tender ballad “I Fall in Love Too Easily.” Charles Lloyd begins with a soulful solo on the saxophone with the subtle supportive of Reuben Rogers’s bass and Jason Moran’s piano. Moran’s solo is compact and filled with angularities. In the follow-up “Go Down Moses,” Eric Harland’s drums provide Mr. Lloyd a pulsating, energizing rhythm to lay down his spiritual sound. Whether covering the Beach Boys’ “Caroline, No.” or revisiting Thelonious Monk standards (“Monk’s Mood” and “Ruby, My Dear”) or playing his own originals ( “Desolation Sound”, “Mirror”, “Tagi” and “Being and Becoming”), Mr. Lloyd sounds rejuvenating with his young stars. Mirror shows the beauty of understatement as well as the power in restraint.

Ao Trang 2011 Calendar is now available on its new web site. The new HTML site is much better than the previous Flash version. Congrats to the AT’s staff.

Hot rice with Cava’s Harissa has been my favorite lunch whenever I don’t feel like packing meat. The spicy, tangy table condiment made of tomatoes and peppers is like the Greek version of Vietnamese fermented tofu. Thanks to Dana for introducing to me such a killer dip.

Nicki Minaj’s debut, Pink Friday, opens with the impressive “I’m The Best.” Then she proves to be a bitch of a rapper immediately on the second track, “Roman’s Revenge,” in which she rhymes like dungeon dragon matching Slim Shady flow by flow. On the third track,”Did It On ‘Em,” she continues to grind hard: “All these bitches is my sons / and I’ma go and get some bibs for ’em / a couple formulas, little pretty lids on ’em / If i had a dick, I would pull it out and piss on ’em.” Unfortunately, the album turns toward mainstream radio like the Rihanna-assisted “Fly” and heads straight to the club with the support of Auto-Tune and Will.i.am on “Check It Out.” With her rhyming skill and swag, she could have been the best female rapper in the game if she didn’t go pop.

Tierney Sutton’s concert at the 20th Annual Rosslyn Jazz Festival could be viewed in full on YouTube.

You might already noticed, I have been writing short reviews for albums that I really enjoyed. These albums will make great holiday gifts. I have a few more to listen to so more blurbs to come.

NPR lists its Top 10 Jazz Albums Of 2010.