Ah the Christmas & Holiday Season. There has been so much incredible music put out over the years, yet every year more new Christmas albums are released.
Honestly, most tend to be retreads of a small group of songs and they add nothing to your music collection.
Yet, this year we are in receipt of two albums that will make it to our mix for wonderful Holiday Cheer.
What do you get when you put a great vocalist together with a group of musicians who know how to jam and hand them some classic Christmas tuneage? You get Tony Bennett and The Count Basie Big Band and some fine music.
Singing and playing classics such as "I'll Be Home For Christmas", "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town","O Christmas Tree" and 8 other selections, Mr. Bennett and the Band keep your feet taping the entire time.
The Count Basie Orchestra has kept the classic sound developed by Mr. Basie, you can almost hear him at the keys, the quick finger taps, the flowing notes. The piano is handled by Mr. Monty Alexander on this album and as is noted in the liner notes, he plays in the true Basie style.
As I sat and listened, I could smell the eggnog and hot cider and imagine the silence of the falling snow outside my window, while the tree lights sparkled on the tree.
On "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm", we are introduced to Mr. Bennett's daughter Antonia whose voice is just wonderful. She has inherited her dad's jazzy stylings indeed.
Want this album under the tree on Christmas morning, playing on your CD? Just let me know in the comments.
Let me start by saying, I am a Harry Connick, Jr. fan...I have always enjoyed his music. The way he has the ability to mix classic jazz with a modern style. The man has a ton of talent.
This new Christmas album is entitled What A Night is another classic Connick, Jr. work. Fifteen songs of the season and on some you sit back and wonder where the arrangement came from. So different from any other version of the song then you have ever heard.
his version of "O Come All Ye Faithful" is one of a kind. He takes the hymn and makes it a whole new song as only he can do.
Whimsical tunes such as "Zat You Santa Claus" makes you smile as his orchestra comes in slowly and the song builds and builds on the strength of Mr. Connick, Jr's. vocals. The trumpet wah-wah'ing with the use of a trumpet mute answering Mr. Connick, Jr's. call of "Zat You Santa Claus"? each time. A truly fun song.
Mr Connick, Jr. puts a true Naw'leans twist on the classic "We Three Kings". His piano intro is truly special.
As a point of fact, this is the way you would expect to hear all of these songs if you were in the French Quarter on Christmas Eve.
An album that will put a smile on your face during this season, but I could listen to it year round.
Like Mr. Bennett, Mr. Connick, Jr. includes his daughter, Kate, on one song. I love what she does when dad asks her to sing. The holidays are truly a family affair!
Have a hankering for a truly different Christmas treat? Let me know in the comments.
Let's share with y'all the same song from both albums to give you a taste and show the difference, while both are performed by jazz-influenced artists.
The song, "Winter Wonderland"...
ENJOY.....
This new Christmas album is entitled What A Night is another classic Connick, Jr. work. Fifteen songs of the season and on some you sit back and wonder where the arrangement came from. So different from any other version of the song then you have ever heard.
his version of "O Come All Ye Faithful" is one of a kind. He takes the hymn and makes it a whole new song as only he can do.
Whimsical tunes such as "Zat You Santa Claus" makes you smile as his orchestra comes in slowly and the song builds and builds on the strength of Mr. Connick, Jr's. vocals. The trumpet wah-wah'ing with the use of a trumpet mute answering Mr. Connick, Jr's. call of "Zat You Santa Claus"? each time. A truly fun song.
Mr Connick, Jr. puts a true Naw'leans twist on the classic "We Three Kings". His piano intro is truly special.
As a point of fact, this is the way you would expect to hear all of these songs if you were in the French Quarter on Christmas Eve.
An album that will put a smile on your face during this season, but I could listen to it year round.
Like Mr. Bennett, Mr. Connick, Jr. includes his daughter, Kate, on one song. I love what she does when dad asks her to sing. The holidays are truly a family affair!
Have a hankering for a truly different Christmas treat? Let me know in the comments.
Let's share with y'all the same song from both albums to give you a taste and show the difference, while both are performed by jazz-influenced artists.
The song, "Winter Wonderland"...
ENJOY.....
Coming up this week on DR. BLOGSTEIN’S RADIO HAPPY HOUR:
(Live on Tuesday December 9 at 9PM ET and forever archived at BlogTalkRadio.)
Radio Jesus and Dangerous Lee welcome actor Tim Reid and comedian Tom Dreesen.Alone, Reid, best remembered as Venus Flytrap, the overnight disc jockey on WKRP in Cincinnati, became one of the busiest actors in television as well as a director and producer with his own production studio in Virginia while Dreesen became a stand-up comedian who has appeared scores of times on The Tonight Show and Late Show with David Letterman and who was Frank Sinatra’s opening act for the last 14 years of the singer’s career.
But it was together where the duo made history as the first (and the last) black and white comedy team in the history of show business. They document their less than successful five year run as a duo in Tim and Tom: An American Comedy in Black and White and will share their stories with the #1 black and white comedy team on internet radio.
Also, musician Derick Thompson will visit the Radio Happy Hour.Thompson is the front man of Strive, a piano-rock band that fuses soaring, meaningful bands like U2 and Switchfoot with the sweeping piano-pop of Billy Joel and Bruce Hornsby.
We’ll find out what life is like for a Christian band on the road, whether the band has an agenda with their music and why Thompson says the album’s title cut, “Fire,” is probably the most controversial song he’s ever written.
All that, plus, rapper Hassahn Phenomenon drops by to celebrate the release of his long awaited album, a sneak preview of Dr. Blogstein’s December 23rd interview of Hollywood legend Ernest Borgnine, Vinny Bond sits on his Big Leather Couch to chat live with the listeners, Shawn Amos returns with another GetBack.com Pop Quiz, Justin the Weatherman and we’ll take your calls at 646-652-4804.
Join us live every Tuesday night at 9PM ET. The Radio Happy Hour Lounge-a live, interactive chat room during show time! It’s the show within the show!
