Tune in to a variety of holiday music
This used to be a difficult time of year for me. Decades of working retail had me jaded by the consumerism and commercialism of Christmas. As I’ve aged and changed careers, I’ve found more time for myself to reflect on what this time of year can be for me rather than what it has been. Music helps me do that by hearing others’ thoughtfulness and contemplation, no matter the interest.
The best part about holiday music is that there is so much to choose from. There’s a holiday album that fits almost every mood. Whether that is pop music, orchestral, religious, or international, it’s there for you. There are even heavy metal covers of Christmas songs, if that’s your preference! I’m going to talk about three albums you can check out at the library that would be great for any holiday get-togethers or just for you to reflect on the upcoming season.
Vince Guaraldi – A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
In 1963 Lee Mendelson was searching for music for the Peanuts documentary A Boy Named Charlie Brown. A fan of jazz, Mendelson he heard the song “Cast Your Fate to the Wind” by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi on the radio. Mendelson asked Guaraldi to compose for the documentary and he enthusiastically agreed. Guaraldi composed the now famous theme “Linus and Lucy” for the documentary. From then on it’s been one of the most recognizable animated themes. Guaraldi went on to compose and perform music for 12 Charlie Brown specials, as well as the feature film A Boy named Charlie Brown and the documentary Charlie Brown and Charles Schulz.
This is probably my favorite Christmas album. I remember growing up watching A Charlie Brown Christmas every year. I’m also a musician, and this was a bonding point for me and my grandfather. He was a drummer and loved jazz music. This was one of his favorite albums of all time. During subsequent reissues in 2006 and 2012 the album was credited to the Vince Guaraldi trio with Fred Marshall on bass and Jerry Granelli on drums.
“Skating” is a lovely song that can be played from November all the way through January. It’s not an overtly Christmas sounding song. It’s just a nice, relaxing jazz song. It reminds me of falling snow rather than skating, but it’s a very graceful, flowing song, which characterizes ice skating rather well.
“Christmas is Coming” Is a great introduction for the Christmas season. It’s upbeat and has a distinct Peanuts sound. It reminds me of the other songs Guaraldi composed for his various Peanuts projects. Guaraldi has a nice driving left hand on the piano for most of the song, and it has a great little true jazz break in the middle. This song brings back memories of my mom making breakfast the day after Thanksgiving,and us getting Christmas decorations out ready for the tree we would have later that night.
The instrumental version of “Christmas Time is Here” is one of my favorite Christmas songs of all time. When I was struggling as a younger person with this time of year, I would listen to this on repeat when I had to go Christmas shopping. It helped me remain grounded in a sea of people rushing around to get just that right gift for someone. It also is what made me realize that at the time, I felt very lonely for some reason. However, it also helped me to slow down and remember I could also learn to enjoy doing things around the busiest time of year by myself. Even though I have my husband to share life with, I still make it a point to have some time to myself to enjoy the season.
You can enjoy this album, as well as the Binge Box set of A Charlie Brown Holiday, at the library this season.
The Brian Setzer Orchestra – Christmas Rocks! The Best of Collection (2008)
Brian Setzer is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter, best known for his stint as the lead singer and guitarist for the rockabilly band the Stray Cats. Setzer started his foray into music by playing the euphonium in jazz bands. As he got older, he moved on to the guitar, rock, punk and rockabilly. The Stray Cats formed in 1979, and broke up in 1984. After a solo career and side man in other bands, Brian Setzer formed the Brian Setzer Orchestra in 1992. As he had in the 1980s with rockabilly, he resurrected swing music in the 1990s leaning on his love for 1950s music, primarily the jump blues of Louis Prima. As you can guess, they were a hit with the mid to late 1990s swing revival. The Orchestra released two Christmas themed albums in 2002 and 2005, respectively. This album is a collection of songs from both. This would be an awesome album for a holiday party!
“Gettin’ in the Mood (For Christmas)” is such a fun take on the big band hit “In the Mood” by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra. It sounds just like the original, except with a dash of rockabilly and Christmas lyrics sung by Setzer. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t heard such a danceable Christmas song. I think my favorite part is that it isn’t a Christmas song specifically, but a well-known song with a Christmas twist, which makes it a lot different than most covers.
“The Nutcracker Suite” is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a big band version, with traditional orchestral and little rockabilly moments. His arrangement for the orchestra is amazing and I can only imagine what it would be like to see this performance live. The Orchestra sounds like they’re having the time of their lives playing this. This song fascinated me as I don’t normally hear a lot of Christmas music like this. It's something just different enough that it merits checking it out.
“Take a Break Guys” is an adaptation of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” I love adaptations of traditional Christmas songs. This is both swing and a little rock with Setzer’s guitar. They also managed to make an up-tempo take on this traditional song. One of the ways you know a musician is talented at what they do is when they take a traditional song like this and turn it into something modern, recognizable and a showcase of talent of the band. If you want to hear more of the Brian Setzer Orchestra’s take on holiday music, the library also has Christmas Comes Alive! from 2010.
The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist - Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring: Christmas with the Dominican Sisters of Mary (2017)
The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, were founded in 1997 in response to a call from Pope John Paul II for a spiritual renewal. Founded in Ann Arbor, Michigan, their first three recordings, including this album, were explicitly for evangelization. The first two had themes of the Eucharist and the Rosary. Not only were there chants and spoken prayers, but there were newly composed hymns as well. This third album, with a focus on Christmas, was released on the Sony Classical label. The same year this album was released they were establishing a new community in Austin, Texas, as they had outgrown their previous community in Michigan.
I grew up Catholic, and while I’m not practicing, I enjoy the meditative state the prayers have brought me. That’s what drew me to give this album a chance. When I was a kid I enjoyed singing Christmas songs at church. It made me feel a sense of community with the parish.
“Christmas Proclamation,” the first track on the album, reminds me a lot of going to Mass. A Capella in both English and Latin it is a soothing chant that helps bring me to a meditative space and can be especially calming during the upcoming hectic season. The booklet included with the CD even has the lyrics if you want to follow along.
“Snowflakes” is a lovely song accompanied by organ and a flute. It speaks of the falling snow and birth of Jesus in a lyrical way. This is an original composition by the Sisters that they sing in their chapel every Christmas.
“Gabriel’s Message” is a song I first heard by the musician Sting. It’s a beautiful Basque Christmas folk carol written in the 13th century, so it’s been around for a long time. This is another of my favorite traditional Christmas songs. Since A Capella music has been around for so long, I feel it’s fitting for this to be sung as such.
This is a holiday album that truly helps me stay grounded and at peace during the holiday frenzy. If you need a bit of that peace, I highly recommend this album.
