Past Reviews Sound Advice Reviews The usual suspects of the season and some surprises |
|
|
It becomes a cool, jazzy season when artists associated with Songbook Ink are singing and Swinging in the Holidays in fine form and in different formats. The vinyl version has 12 songs, the CD version has 16, the digital set has 18. Sold separately is a 12"x12" Advent calendar with each of its individual little windows opening up to reveal a QR code to let you download and save a total of 25 musical treats. All formats have the benefit of the talents of Champian Fulton (vocals and piano), cheery duets by Vanessa Perea and Rob Edwards, a couple of musical spotlights on Santa Claus, and songs by Irving Berlin. His classic of classics, "White Christmas," is given to vocalist Angela Gray for a lightly swinging rendition with a quartet and the strings of the Norwegian Jazz Orchestra. The Konrad Paszkudzki Trio accompanies many of the singers and the pianist and his colleagues have some purely instrumental contributions filling out the Advent-only offering. That version also has the edge when it comes to songs infrequently covered on holiday albums: Gretje Angell's performance of "Warm in December" and two novelty numbers "Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney" aced by The Hot Sardines and the cute "My Girlfriend Is an Elf" written and performed by the playful Benny Benack III. Songbook Ink's website also sells other music-related items, such as wine glasses, mugs suitable for soup or coffee, and Christmas tree ornaments with designs based on beloved song titles, including some on Swinging in the Holidays, so music fans get eat, drink and be merry all year.
The honeyed timbre of Maud Hixson's singing voice and her taste in choosing songs and tasteful treatments of them is always cause for celebration and appreciation. Rewardingly non-showy and unfussy, the lady's look at cold weather is a hot-off-the-press gem. The digital version is available now and the official release date of the physical CD of When Winter Comes comes this weekend. Among its pleasures are "The Christmas Feeling" (written by Mel Tormé), "A Christmas Love Song" (Johnny Mandel/ Marilyn & Alan Bergman), and a special highlight written by Nancy Winston and Roger Schore–a nostalgic and affectionate salute to a legendary singer who was also the star of the film White Christmas, "Winter Rose" is about Rosemary Clooney and her annual winter engagement in midtown Manhattan. The lyric describes her show ("singing Rodgers and Porter and Mercer and more/ And, of course, George and Ira, her neighbor next door/ She'd throw open her arms as if giving a hug") and has a bittersweet surprise ending. Accompaniment is piano, drums, and bass (the instrument taking a spotlight to set the pace for her "Sleigh Ride"). A bit of saxophone is present elsewhere. This easygoing approach to Christmas is so easy to like that it seems callous to cavil, especially since 'tis the season to be jolly, but it's disappointing that eight of the 12 tracks clock in at under three minutes. Then again, there's something to be said for "short and sweet" rather than risk overstaying one's welcome. The recording is named for one of Irving Berlin's less often covered reflections on this season. It was introduced by Rudy Vallee in the 1939 movie Second Fiddle, partially set in Minnesota, home base of Maud Hixson and her husband Rick Carlson, who's also her perfect match as her pianist. Another likeable Berlin inclusion comes at the conclusion of the sublime set, "Let's Start the New Year Right." May I suggest that adding When Winter Comes to your collection would be a happy way to start the new year on the right foot?
Whether in serious mode or putting the merry in Christmas, soprano Ann Kittredge, her arrangers and musicians are impressive on the eight tracks that make up You Sleigh Me, the New York City cabaret singer's third album. It's tempting to describe it with the adjective "wonderful"–and not just because that word appears in the titles of two numbers, one of which is done in two versions. That's the cheery "Wonderful Christmastime." I prefer the longer version that has vocal and instrumental bits of familiar carols and secular holiday songs charmingly sprinkled throughout this Paul McCartney hit, starting and ending with "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." The other number with the word "wonderful" is one that is usually gushed with glee at a brisk pace, but "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" is slowed down significantly here and unrushed and the lyric is allowed to reveal its deeper potential for thoughtful appreciation of the cherished activities named. More traditionally peppy are "Snow" (Irving Berlin) and "Sleigh Ride," requiring its Leroy Anderson melody to be at least a medium-tempo glide. (One little correction on the song list's credit for the lyricist, Mitchell Parish, whose first and last names are accidentally reversed on the back cover.) An inspired and unexpected inclusion, plucked from the score of the children's theatre production Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas, is "Every Ornament Tells a Story." Its scenario is about Christmas tree decorations being handled with care, and the show tune is similarly treated. Not eschewing the religious meaning of Christmas, a medley of two awe-filled songs concerning the baby Jesus and the Virgin Mary are elegantly combined (a pair of pieces posing questions: "Mary, Did You Know?" and "What Child Is This?," the latter set to the traditional "Greensleeves" melody). Contributing arrangers are Christopher Denny, Alex Rybeck, and Randy Klein (all of whom are also pianists on You Sleigh Me, Mr. Klein on the keys for "Every Ornament..," which he co-wrote with Matthew Hardy), as well as Barry Kleinbort (consultant/ director Ann Kittredge's cabaret shows). Kudos to all.
What fun! The melodies from Tchaikovsky's famous ballet get a fresh new coat of musical paint and The Nutcracker Suite, a staple at Christmastime, is reborn as sparkling, sprightly jazz. Caffeinated and crisp, the instrumentals snap, crackle, and pop throughout The Nutcracker Remix, played by The Cincinnati Contemporary Jazz Orchestra. Thanks are due to the creative arrangers: Dominic Marino and the 17-piece ensemble's conductor, Eric Lechliter. The endeavor, from the zippy overture through the different tempo marches and dances, is a fully satisfying and invigorating listening experience. But wait–there's more! The final three tracks are unrelated songs, all with the word "Christmas" in their titles with vocals by the rich-voiced Mandy Gaines. Most of the Tchaikovsky melodies are retitled in a humorous way. For example, the iconic "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies" is called "Sugar Rush" (note the mini-quote of "My Favorite Things" at its ending) while "Waltz of the Flowers" gets a hip replacement name to become "Everybody Digs Flowers." "Chinese Dance," now evoking a New Orleans Mardi Gras parade, is rechristened as "General Tso's Gumbo." The post-Nutcracker vocal lagniappes find Mandy Gaines relatively relaxed on "Christmas Time Is Here," all-stops-out intensely gutsy for "Merry Christmas Baby," and mournful on the bluesy "Christmas This Year," a lament she co-wrote with Dan Karlsberg. She can be as brassy as the instruments accompanying her, but mighty emotional, too. Her three numbers and the reupholstery of the 132-year-old ballet music make for dazzling listening.
Projecting a comforting presence and musically at ease in her comfort zones, vocalist Vicki Burns has a smile in her voice on her five-track digital release. Like well-chosen ornaments and bright lights on a Christmas tree, the melodies are attractively decorated by the deft jazz trio's work in accompanying the singer and in generous-length instrumental breaks (arranger/pianist Art Hirahara, bassist Steve Wood, and drummer Jay Sawyer). A ruminative "I'll Be Home for Christmas" captures sentiment and yearning without getting sticky, while "The Christmas Waltz" is suitably merry. The mellow "Christmas Time Is Here" is here, too, nestled within the welcome piece that gives the Almost Christmas EP its title. The tiptoe-y melody by Eddie Higgins smartly suggests happy anticipation, matching Roger Schore's neatly rhymed lines, addressed to a child, about the imminent arrival of you-know-who ("Just hear that reindeer's hoof/ So if you wanted further proof/ I'd say that Santa Claus is just a roof away"). The set is bookended by numbers that aren't holiday-centric, invoking the specific spirit of Christmas celebrations but definitely "in season" as they're both about how love can make cold weather feel like the opposite. The theory is presented in the breezy (in both senses of the word) "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" and the ballad "Violets for Your Furs." In the latter, the pensive performer lovingly lingers over the lyric's details of a couple's romantic night, from the scene-setting opening ("It was winter in Manhattan/ Falling snowflakes filled the air/ The streets were covered with a film of ice") and through the descriptions of that reality feeling more like spring. And Vicki Burns, likewise, definitely has a warm way about her. In fact, if you look up reviews she's received for her earlier albums and performances, you'll frequently see the word "warm."
And now for something completely different. If you want a break from hearing another avalanche of the same old/same old Christmas standbys, stand by for your chance to check out a set of six new numbers. While a mix of funky organ playing, R&B, soul, blues, and gospel may not be everybody's cup of egg nog, Cory Henry's A Wonderful Holiday brings undeniable variety. He focuses on such aspects as the celebrational mood of a party, the parting that is such sweet sorrow after the family reunion ("Goodbye Christmas"), a stop at church to earnestly acknowledge the "Supernatural" elements of the birth of Jesus, and even grousing about Mr. Claus not delivering on his promise to deliver presents ("Santa Blues"). The EP is a collaborative affair, with keyboardist/smooth-voiced singer Cory Henry sharing the vocals and instrumentals (and some songwriting credits for material created in the studio). He's joined by some of his fellow members of Stevie Wonder's touring band. Big swaths of instrumentals peppered with the sounds of revelry dominate "It's Christmas" and the nine-and-a-half minute "Holiday JamGood Time." Elsewhere, the encouragement to "Live in Love" brings a serious message about human kindness and caring to "make the world a better place." And you can dance to it.
As an encore of sorts to his past presentations of Christmas music (an initial EP, then a TV special that spawned a CD/DVD set), adept and lively singer Chris Mann is back with a five-track offering called Santa, We're Ready. And he's definitely ready, willing, and able to bring the goods. The title track is brisk, frisky fun–boisterous in the best way–a sassy secular romp that cheekily borrows a musical phrase from Handel's Messiah ("The Hallelujah Chorus"). The entertainer, who developed a fan base as a finalist in 2012 on TV's singing competition show "The Voice," played the title role in a tour of The Phantom of the Opera, among other adventures. The other selections on the EP consist of traditional seasonal fare, but show vocal versatility, from a sleek glide through "The Christmas Song" (aka "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire") that becomes a showcase for his range in the latter section with a couple of stratospheric leaps to a grand and reverent "O Christmas Tree" with a choir.
Here's the endearing musical tale of "One Little Christmas Tree." Christmas is, of course, a time for families and there's also a family tree to consider here. The singer with the gorgeous voice here is the magnetic Lisa Dawn Miller, whose father, lyricist Ron Miller, wrote the charming words, with music by Bryan Wells. The late Mr. Miller, with this composer and others, contributed this and other songs first heard on Stevie Wonder's Christmas album back in 1967. (Another branch of this family tree, the singer's son, Oliver Richman, has also very impressively recorded it.) Co-arrangers Chris Hardin and Mark Matson have created an adroit setting for this new version that lets the singer and story shine and soar, with unabashed emotion radiating through the lines about an angel, a star, and how "one little Christmas tree can light up the world so those who are lost may find their way." It's a beautiful idea and a beautiful performance of a beautiful song. Yes, like other quality enduring songs about the holiday, "One Little Christmas Tree" is truly an evergreen.
Sweetly singing his own "I Can't Wait for Christmas" in a pleasingly unaffected and laid-back manner, Marcus Goldhaber instantly creates a sense of intimacy. The melody is lovely. The lyric mentions mistletoe, kids, snowflakes, and casually references items that bring to mind earlier Yuletide classics: those two turtle doves among the gifts in "The 12 Days of Christmas" and the titular items of "Silver Bells." But, beyond that, it's about picturing a long-awaited romantic reunion ("with you by the fire... mistletoe for two"). Quartet accompaniment is aptly gentle and mood-enhancing, with simpatico subtle piano work by Art Hirahara. Sometimes less is more when it comes to the coming of this holiday of joy and the gentle approach can be as rewarding as the jolly one.
Not every December is filled with pure joy and Christmas stockings filled-to-overflowing with gifts and treats. Poet T.S. Elliot wrote that "April is the cruellest month, but cold Decembers can be pretty sad and bleak. With both woe and hope in her attractive singing, Maxine Linehan maximizes the sense of longing and quiet dignity in "If We Make It Through December." Written and first released on record by country star Merle Haggard in 1973, its poignancy feels timeless. The striking, stark mood does not veer into self-pity. Sole accompaniment is piano, played by producer/arranger (and husband) Andrew Koss with grace. And it was their own daughter who recommended that they cover this plaintive portrait of an out-of-work parent with a daughter ("I don't mean to hate December/ It's meant to be the happy time of year/ And my little girl don't understand/ Why daddy can't afford no Christmas here"). The emotions authentically transmitted in this performance feel general enough to provide commiseration with whatever type of tough time one might be experiencing at this time of year.
Well, so much for dreaming of a white Christmas. Bound to be California-bound, to spend "Christmas on the Coast" again, Desi Oakley states her case, liking West best and East perhaps least: "Despite what the movies show, it rarely snows in New York in December./ The twinkling cityscape is pretty, but it ain't the same as home." In real life, the Kansas-raised performer has spent considerable time as an adult in New York City, including treading the boards on Broadway in some performance capacity (ensemble member, swing, understudy, replacement–or some combination) in Wicked, Waitress, Annie, Les Misérables, and Chicago (including four short stints as Roxie). Vocals are strong and Desi Oakley sounds convincingly enamored of the Golden State as she confidently coasts through the lyric: "I crave the smell of chaparral on California mornings./ I'm hearing the echoes of a carol in the canyon late at night." The writers of this diversion accompany her on the recording of this single: Dan Diaz on electric guitar and Martin Storrow on piano. |
|
VARIOUS ARTISTS
MAUD HIXSON
ANN KITTREDGE
THE CINCINNATI CONTEMPORARY JAZZ ORCHESTRA
VICKI BURNS
CORY HENRY
CHRIS MANN
LISA DAWN MILLER
MARCUS GOLDHABER
MAXINE LINEHAN
DESI OAKLEY