It's that twilight time of the year just before the holidays, so here are two recommended Thanksgiving tracks, two Christmas tunes, and two commendable tracks from 2025 that I've heard today:
KOSI (Denver, CO)
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing-Percy Faith & His Orchestra (Appropriately, this rendition begins with a trumpet fanfare. The clanging bells and stately strings make this a regal arrangement. Also recommended: "Joy To The World," in which the word Joy could be underlined accurately multiple times.)
- Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas-The Pretenders (A laid-back rendition at an unhurried pace.)
KWNK (Reno, NV)
- B61-The Westerlies (I never expected to hear Aoife O'Donovan's thoughtfully written song about isolation transformed into a brassy jazz instrumental, but it translates more successfully than I would have expected.)
WHCL (Clinton, NY)
- Thanksgiving Song-Mary Chapin Carpenter (Heartwarming lyrics about the necessity for gratitude.)
- Thanksgiving Interlude-Vince Guaraldi Quintet (Kudos to DJ Abby for playing three songs from the soundtrack to "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving," which was finally released in 2023. In just 30 seconds, Guaraldi and company make an ascending three-note keyboard pattern sound like an essential part of an inviting Thanksgiving.)
WKDU (Philadelphia, PA)
- Hymn-Nicholas Krolak (Krolak sustains a catchy bass riff for over nine minutes while the trumpeter and guitarist take off on flights of fancy.)
