Holiday Recordings: Notable and Nearly Missed
Sometimes, one just runs out of a year trying to get things done...
Whoa!
Barely made it out of that one. However, it was not unscathed.
I left a lot of material on the table as the year ran out. But I did not want to neglect the secular holiday recordings I had plans for.
With It’s Christmas, we are a light year away from East Bay Grease (San Francisco/Atlantic, 1970). Tenor saxophonist/vocalist Emilio Castillo and baritone saxophonist Stephen "Doc" Kupka founded the Tower of Power in Oakland, California, in 1968. The band and band members have been a lot of things between then and now, in particular the horn section, who became the first-call section as studio and touring musicians. They have appeared on over 350 recordings in the last 56 years. They show no sign of slowing down. It’s Christmas is the band’s first holiday collection. The band’s characteristic attention to the low register is apparent from the opening “Christmas Song” which is presented nestled in the perfect production of Joe Vannelli and Emilio Castillo. Guitarist Jerry Cortez has free solo space on the song. “This Christmas” and “A Very Special Christmas” appear perfect adult contemporary fare. "Silver Bells" carries the vibe of Bump City (Warner Bros, 1972), while the French carol "O Holy Night" embodies the deep gospel funk of the Bay Area. A powerful, sonically pure performance.
Key Selection: “Mary Did You Know.”
Thinking of Mary Raines, whose brother, Jack, introduced me to the TOP.
This is hands down the finest jazz holiday recording since Wynton Marsalis’ A Crescent City Christmas Card (Columbia Records, 1989). Drummer Matt Wilson cheekily creates the most inventive and clever homage to the holidays. Directing a reeds-forward trio with bassist Paul Sikivie and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Lederer, Wilson doesn’t so much as blow the dust off the old canon as sandblast it clean, starting over. The drummer celebrates the tenth anniversary of his Christmas Tree-o (clever, see). the title, Tree Jazz: The Shape of Christmas to Come, mashes up titles of two famous Ornette Coleman albums in the process hint at what the band does with “Do You “Hear What I Hear” injected with “Under Pressure” and the Hebraic flavored “Good King Wenceslas” that goes full-bore East Europe on “8 Little Candles.” The magic occurs on the Gerry Mulligan’s contrafact, “Rocker,” based on Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride.” Pure magic!
Key Selection: “Rocker.”
Thinking of Chris May, who would have loved this recording. Rave on Chris, wherever you and John Kelman are.
Where Matt Wilson is razor-sharp inventive, Ben Folds plays cooly impressionistic. Folds sets this mood right out of the chute with “Little Drummer Bolero.” Folds then strolls through nine more, mostly original selections that display something near perfect conception. Folds’ voice possesses a sweet innocence that infuses each piece with a warmth and welcome perfect for the season. There is a risk trying to present an alternative sound track for this special season, but Folds meets that challenge, producing a collection that could be considered a 21st century updating of Vince Guaraldi’s canonical Peanuts soundtrack (A Charlie Brown Christmas (Fantasy Records, 1965). There are vocal echoes of Dan Fogelberg, Billy Joel, Kurt Elling, and John Pizzarelli that induce delicious horripilation and happiness. While Mel Torme may have written it and Nat King Cole came to own it, Folds’ performance of “The Christmas Song” sets the new standard of its interpretation.
Key Selection: “Me and Maurice.”
Thinking of Eric Rathman, who introduced me to the Ben Folds Five and the most perfect sense of humor existing.
VOCES8 is a British a cappella octet intent on turning the art of choral singing in its ear. Former choristers of Westminster Abbey, brothers Paul and Barnaby Smith, founded the ensemble in 2003. The choir originally comprised two sopranos, two countertenors, two tenors, a baritone, and a bass that, in 2018, evolved to a female alto replacing one countertenor. The group recorded Christmas (2012, Signum), addressing the typical holiday fare, expanding that seasonal vibe with Eventide (2014, Decca), Winter (2016, Decca), Equinox (2018), the excellent After Silence (2020, Voces8 Records), and now, Nightfall. This collection is the post-crepuscular answer to Eventide, a celebration of the contemplativeness and healing power of stillness. A combination of old and new, the recording features classic and contemporary arrangements of works by Ludovico Einaudi, the Icelandic alternative band Sigur Rós, Koji Kondo, Max Richter, plus world premiere works from British composer Lucy Walker, and Taylor Scott Davis. The group is in splendid form with a tone both crisp and warm, captured at a perfect Decca distance. If the listener is tired of the traditional fare, there is this and the past 20 years of VOCES8 recordings.
Key Selection: “On The Nature of Daylight.”
Thinking of Dave and Rio Binder, lovers of VOCES8.
Bear Family records release a holiday themed collection every year. This year’s edition has a decidedly Jump Blues flavor to it that is sharp as good whiskey in homemade eggnog served in the mud room of a shack in the country off Highway 49, going from Arkansas into Mississippi. With a generous helping of 28 tracks, ranging from Clyde McPhatter & The Drifter’s 1954 recording of “White Christmas” to Big Maybelle and the Ernie Wilkins Orchestra 1958 recording of the same. Organic and granular, this collection contains selections touching on the traditional scent of Moose Jackson’s 1951 “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” the rocking efforts of Huey Piano Smith and the Clown’s 1962 “Rock and Roll Santa Claus,” and the absolutely salacious 1954 “Trim Your Tree” by Jimmy Butler and the Blues Express Orchestra. Jesse Belvin’s “I Want You With Me Xmas (1956) is the cherry added to the aforementioned eggnog. Listen to an entirely different holiday collection in Get Ready for a Groovy and Bluesy Christmas.
Key Selection: The Voices, “Santa Claus Boogie” (1955)
Thinking of my beautiful bride, Dana Shaw-Bailey, bitten by the black snake blues.