December 24, 2003: A bright, welcoming backdrop by which to hear Christmas music.
Ear-catching Christmas selections heard this morning:
KLZR (Westcliffe, CO)
- It Came Upon A Midnight Clear-Edward Gerhard (Tasteful acoustic guitar. Also recommended: "Silver Bells," or really anything from Gerhard's CD, "Christmas," which has an easy-on-the-ears consistency.)
- Winter Wonderland-Wynton Marsalis (A vibrant, upbeat trumpet rendition.)
KUSC (Los Angeles, CA)
- I'll Be Home For Christmas (Giovanni De Chiaro, guitar) (Melodic acoustic guitar with just enough embellishments.)
- Good King Wenceslas (Philadelphia Brass Ensemble) (Even if you've never heard this rendition, you probably approximate it accurately. This carol's basic melody lends itself easily to an arrangement of trumpets, trombones, and tuba.)
KWMU-2 (St. Louis, MO)
- What Child Is This?-Ali Ryerson (A jazz fantasia of flute and piano.)
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen-Jim Cullum Jazz Band (Cullum leads this Dixieland-style throwback on clarinet.)
WAPJ (Torrington, CT)
- Light One Candle-Peter, Paul & Mary (A plea for justice and compassion that's needed now.)
- We Three Kings (Sax Winterlude Version)-WordHarmonic (Before the saxophone comes in, I half-expect Crowded House to start singing "Weather With You." This is a decent smooth jazz interpretation.)
WEFT (Champaign, IL)
- White Christmas-Elizabeth Elmore (An unpretentious indie ethos in this voice-and-guitar rendition. I could imagine playing this on KCOU.)
- Silent Night-John Denver & The Muppets (Sung in German and English, with narration from Denver on how this carol came to exist. Denver and the Muppets wishing each other Merry Christmas is a heartwarming touch.)
WSB (Atlanta, GA)
- The First Noel-Karla Bonoff (Bonoff consistently turns out quality work as a singer-songwriter, but her Christmas and non-Christmas releases haven't always gotten the acclaim they deserve.)
- We Need A Little Christmas-The New Christy Minstrels (This is about the only version that doesn't strike me as overly precious.)
WUCF (Orlando, FL)
- Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas-Lou Rawls (Has anyone else ever sounded this self-assured singing this?)
- O Tannenbaum-Ellis Marsalis (A stately, deliberate, and warm piano interpretation.)
- Santa Claus Is Coming To Town-Beegie Adair (Adair's stride piano rendition gives this tune an appropriate sense of fun.)
