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Bozo Mark's Hot Picks In The CD Player
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I start playing Xmas albums the day after Thanksgiving, and stop on New Year's Day. Each year, as I listen to all the great holiday music, I think, "Why don't I listen to any of these CDs any other time of the year? This is fabulous stuff, and I could pop it in the machine in July...why not? Maybe this year I will..." Of course, I never do. Thanksgiving to New Year's, that's it, enjoy it while it lasts.
| 1. Hymns, Carols, And Songs About Snow | Tuck Andress | Windham Hill |
Next to Ted Greene, Tuck is my favorite unaccompanied jazz guitarist. He's got that cool style of chords/basslines/melodies-all-at-once down cold. As half the duo Tuck & Patti, he usually gets one solo number per album, and he has a secular solo album, also highly recommended. Here, though, he turns his talents to songs of the season. No big surprises in terms of repertoire or approach, just great crystalline guitar playing, clean ringing sound, nice solos. A very, very pleasant time.
| 2. Handel's Messiah - A Soulful Celebration | Various artists | Reprise |
When this was first released, there was a lot of noise about Quincy Jones' involvement with the project. Well, Quince only conducted "The Hallelujah Chorus". There are a ton of people involved in this, but as best as I can tell somebody named Mervyn Warren was the main guy behind the project. The idea was simple: Refract The Messiah through the lens of contemporary black music. Very cool. The highlights include the Overture, which goes through a partial history of black music (you know I like that!), Stevie Wonder and Take 6 doing an a cappella version of "O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings To Zion", "For Unto Us A Child Is Born" with Sounds Of Blackness, and Al Jarreau's "Why Do the Nations So Furiously Rage?" Handel never sounded so hip.
| 3. We Three Kings | The Roches | MCA |
Charming. Twenty-four songs, and plenty enough are a cappella to take care of that jones. The liner notes say that they don't even remember where they learned some of these arrangements. Some of the tunes are given respectful, reverent treatment, others get a walloping dose of the famed eccentric Roches humor. (Just try to imagine how Irving Berlin's "Easter Parade" finds its way into "Frosty The Snowman". Just try. Good luck. Hint: It's pretty wacky.) Light the candles, pour the wine, blowup the whoopee cushion, slip this on the CD player - you won't be disappointed.
| 4. Christmas Soul Special | Various Artists | Varrick |
Good luck finding this one. I've got it on vinyl, found it in a cutout rack, with a sticker on the cover that suggests that Varrick may be connected to Rounder Records, but I dunno. None the less, worth searching out. Wilson Pickett, Martha Reeves, Ben E. King, Mary Wells, Sam Moore, all the songs you'd expect, a kickin' horn-drenched band - need I say more? This is the one for your Xmas party.
| 5. A Latin Jazz Christmas | Bobby Rodriguez | JMI |
This is terrific stuff! Christmas carols, like Beatles songs, have such pliant melodies that they can fit just about any musical style. Can you think of a Christmas album that doesn't, at some basic level, work? Jazz, rock, bluegrass, classical, country, blues, heavy metal, whatever - if you like the style, you'll probably like the album. I love Latin music, and Bobby Rodriguez (on trumpet) has gathered some fine West Coast players to give an Hispanic twist to the holiday tunes. Wonderful! Added bonus: all of the songs are labeled for dancing - i.e., cha-cha, salsa, merengue, et alia.
Other "Hot Pix In The CD Player" Lists
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