December 24, 2010: Christmas presents, including some CDs, ready to be distributed.
Christmas music highlights heard this morning and early afternoon:
WSIE 88.7 FM
- Silent Night-Gerry T. Wiggins (This is the fastest, most upbeat & swingin' piano rendition of "Silent Night" I've ever heard.)
- The Christmas Song-Gene Ammons (Shimmering tenor sax with elegant piano backing.)
- The Christmas Waltz-The Carpenters (One of the three best sung pop versions of "The Christmas Waltz;" The Lettermen and Nancy Wilson recorded the other two.)
KCFV 89.5 FM
- Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree-The Smithereens (The Brenda Lee song, recast with rockin' guitar. The Smithereens stay true to the melody while playing a rhythm that suggests "I Saw Her Standing There" by The Beatles will start at any moment.)
KSD 93.7 FM
- The First Noel-Carrie Underwood (This version has grown on me. Underwood's vocals strike a reasonable midpoint between sensitivity and assertiveness.)
KEZK 102.5 FM
- Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!-Martina McBride (Speaking of reasonable midpoints, McBride captures the right balance of sounding cozy and inviting here, without sounding precious. Not every singer achieves that with "Let It Snow...")
K297BI 107.3 FM, a.k.a. WFUN-HD2
- O Tannenbaum (Robert Shaw Chamber Singers) (Sung with the same reverential gravitas and enunciation I'd expect in the most solemn hymn.)
- Or Vous Tremoussez, Pasteurs De Judee (The Boston Camerata/Joel Cohen, conductor) (For a carol whose English title is "Now You Are Trembling, Shepherds Of Judea," this is surprisingly whimsical. Rhythmically, it sounds like a prototype of "Deck The Halls." Classic 107.3 got even further into my good graces by also playing this ensemble's "Nouvelles, Nouvelles" this morning. While singing along in my pidgin French, I picked up my cat, Collette, and danced her around the living room. She bit my feet multiple times after this, but I think she appreciated at least the first 15 seconds of the melody.)
- Christmas Time Is Here (Cally Banham featuring Adam Maness Trio) (I enjoyed hearing Banham carry the melody of this favorite from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" on the English horn, which gave Maness the chance to embellish the tune on the piano. Also recommended: "Bring A Torch, Jeanette Isabella," which features St. Louis Symphony trombonists.)
- Es ist ein Ros entsprungen (Chanticleer) (Sung with just enough resonance and delicacy. Also recommended: "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear.")
