Christmas is our most important holiday, and its literature is correspondingly rich. Yet until now no adequate bundle of Christmas treasures in poetry and prose has found its way onto the Internet for Winter, Christmas, the birth of Christ, Santa Claus, and so much more..Songs in the Key of Celebration
Sometimes, the holiday season you want-the ones where the kids play quietly by the roaring fire, the date lingers under the mistletoe and the stereo plays a cherished holiday classic-is not the holiday season you get.
The kids squabble. The date doesn’t show. The fire goes out. And the one tune that rings in your ears is the antic retail anthem “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.”
We can’t help with the kids, the fire or the mistletoe. There is hope, however, when it comes to the soundtrack. If your willing to venture a bit beyond tried and true holiday standards, you’ll discover a world of new music that can make your holidays infinitely richer.
“I have some serious Grinch-like tendencies when it comes to Christmas music,” says Steve Smith, opera and classical music editor for the Time Out New York magazine, who once worked in a record store. Every shopping day between Thanksgiving and Christmas I could count on hearing those dreadful Mannheim Steamrollers CDs repeatedly during store hours.
Mannheim Steamroller aside, Smith cherishes a few holiday classics that will never wear out their welcome in his home.
“I can’t imagine a Christmas season without Handel’s Messiah, which never, ever grows old for me. And Bach’s Christmas Oratorio is right up there too. And although it’s not strictly seasonal, Tchaikovsky’s Suite seems to have taken on a Christmas connotation,” says Smith.
If you’re ready to try something new, however, and you want to wow your guests with your astute taste, mix it up.
When it comes to holiday music this year, think outside the gift box. Cajun banjoes? Dulcimers and violas via the Middle Ages? 80’s new wave synth? These ten albums are sure to lively up your holidays.
- Hang on Little Tomatoes, by Pink Martini [Heinz Records,2004] — This Portland based 12-pieced band describes themselves as “somewhere between a 1930’s Cuban dance orchestra, a classical chamber music ensemble, a Brazilian marching street band, and Japanese film noir.” China Forbes’ vocals transport you to a Tiki-lounge somewhere in the North Pole, blending the sophistication of sounds overheard at an upscale eatery with the whimsy of a seaside retreat.
- A Feast of Songs: Holiday Music From the Middle Ages by Barry and Beth Hall [Hall, 1997] – This husband and wife duo takes us back to the time of serfs and minstrels on this simple and stunning collection of regal holiday tunes. Using dulcimers, violas, and even African drums this is music that will provide a gentle, celebratory backdrop your seasonal cocktail hour. Perfect for a sit down meal-even if you can’t afford to hire armor-clad waiters.
- On Christmas Night by Cherish the Ladies [Rounder, 2004] — Named the best musical group of the year by the BBC, and the Top North American Celtic Act by National Radio’s wildly popular Thistle and Shamrock show, this is an all female Irish group with a minimalist fiddles and flute soundscape. Their angelic harmonies are ripe for the season, adding a dash of coziness to any fete. “I absolutely adore Joannie Madden and her ‘cherishable ladies.’ They do have a very fine Christmas album , but really I think all of their music evokes a sense of the comforts of home, family and tradition,” says Time Out editor Smith.
- Stille Nacht: A German Christmas by CC Couch [Sound Inventions LLC, 2004] — Whether you sing Oh Tannenbaum or Oh Christmas Tree, there’s no escaping the German influence on holiday music. To get back to some Christmas roots, this compilation showcases traditional German Christmas songs sung in German. It’s familiarity with a twist that will amuse your guests, yet offer the classics they’ll surely demand.
- Christmas With the George Shearing Quintet, by George Shearing Quintet [Telarc,1998] — This jazz disc captures perfectly the “curl up on the couch with a cp of cocoa” feeling. “You’d have to be a much bigger humbug than me to resist this beautiful, elegant jazz disc of jazz versions of Christmas standards,” says Smith. Spin this disc post-dinner to wind down the evening and send your guests off into the cold, dark night with some warm fuzzies.
- La Louisiane Chante Noel by Nancy Tabb Marcantel [Musique Acadienne,2001] — You don’t have to be carving up a Cajun-inspired turkey to enjoy these frisky, yet soothing French tunes from a Louisiana gem. Banjoes, guitars and the one of a kind voice of Nancy Tabb Mercantel will bring a sense of joy to your holiday, from the time you press play until your third piece of pumpkin pie.
- The Singing Nun by Soeur Sourire [Collectors Choice, 1999] — Remember the Debbie Reynold’s movie from 1966, The Singing Nun? The movie was based on Sister Smile, the Dominican nun who became an unlikely pop-star. Her lovely pared-down songs are played on guitar, accompanied by clear-as-a-bell vocals. The fact that her song “Dominique” made it to No. 1 on the Billboard Chart in 1963, is a testament to her likeability. The sing-along quality of this music will please the kids and add a fun feel to any gathering.
- New Wave Christmas: Just Can’t Get Enough [Rhino, 1996] — Charles Grosvenor maintains the popular website, www.inthe80s.com, and recommends this compilation if you’ve got a soft spot in your heart for that very special decade replete with neon and synthesizers. “Most of the performers won’t be recognizable to the casual 80’s music fan but they’ll love this disc,” says Grosvenor. The compilation features such acts as Throwing Muses, Sun-60 and The Pretenders.
- Bach’s Christmas Oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach, John Eliot Gardiner [Archiv Produktion,1990] — Go classical and you can’t go wrong. Marc Geelhoed reviews music for Time Out Chicago and says that this piece is “long but it’s beautiful, and there are some well known hymns buried in there that might make people’s ears perk up.” The version he likes best is conducted by john Eliot Gardiner, with a splendid array of echo arias and alto lullabies. It’s an elegant fare that will sound equally at home during a curry buffet or a roast duck soiree.
- My Morning Jacket Does Christmas Fiasco Style by My Morning Jacket [Darla,2003] — They’re not alt-country and they’re not indie-rock. My morning Jacket does, however, fall into the genre of old fashioned rock n’ roll-southern rock that is- and we guarantee your dad will love this band. Sporting a sound of reminiscent of Crosby, Stills, Nash& Young with a fresh, jangly guitar twist, this sonic treat is a contemporary set to play the hipster crowd. Fronted by silky –voiced Jim James this groups Christmas EP is a rollicking counterpoint to the standard utopian fare populating your holiday music library.
