Great Christmas Music

[David Ayers]

I feel we started off on the wrong foot with the topic of Christmas music. Lets mention or post good ones here. No negative comments please....

Bereite dich, Zion, mit zärtlichen Trieben,

Den Schönsten, den Liebsten bald bei dir zu sehn!

Deine Wangen

Müssen heut viel schöner prangen,

Eile, den Bräutigam sehnlichst zu lieben!

Edited December 15, 2014 by David Ayers

[Cyril]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7U9S-K-waw

[jazzbo]

Marcus Roberts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypCuPWcA96Q

Edited December 15, 2014 by jazzbo

[mikelz777]

These discs will make it into the player every year.

[jazzbo]

I know this may be a minority opinion. . . but. . . I generally don't like Xmas music at all, but really like this album.

[mikelz777]

Oy! That album should have been titled "World Gone Wrong" vol. 2.

[jazzbo]

It doesn't surprise me that you dislike it as we often have differing opinions on music but I really like this one. (And World Gone Wrong is also excellent!)

Edited December 15, 2014 by jazzbo

[GA Russell]

I picked up the Vince Guaraldi album around '82, and for many years it was my favorite. But suddenly one year I for no apparent reason felt like I had heard it enough, and just don't need to hear it anymore.

I got the Charles Brown King album in '79, and still enjoy it.

[uli]

This I have been enjoying every year for years

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jukC4-A4IM&list=PLEC09CB4C57DFFE6B

Edited December 15, 2014 by uli

[clifford_thornton]

Fahey's The New Possibility is really all I need.

[A Lark Ascending]

Sure we did this before but I've never had any problem repeating myself.

Britten's 'A Boy Was Born', Honegger's Une Cantate de Noel', Messiaen's 'La nativite du Seigneur' and the obvious Bach and Handel always go down well here. Might explain why no one visits me at Xmas.

The three Coope, Boyes and Simpson Xmas records (plus a new one from Coope, Simpson, Fraser and Freya) are my first choice for a folky Xmas.

On the traditional carols front 'O Little Town of Bethlehem' and 'O Come O Come Emmanuel' (even if it does make me think of a 70s riske film).

Though the folksy 'Shepherds Arise' from the Copper Family collection is my all time favourite - tremendous crunchy harmonies and a melody line that seems to change direction every two bars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6vNkUDkRDA

A more polished version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB1wz8F-57Q

I also have a fair few folky Scandinavian Xmas albums which are lovely.

Jazz wise I like that 'Jazz for Joy' record, the Ella album and, of course, Miles' 'Blue Xmas'.

Oh, and 'Blues, Blues Christmas' - a fabulous 2 CD collection of blues and R&B tunes including the immortal 'And Death May Be Your Santa Claus'.

And if you like a bit of Central French hurdy gurdy music...

Edited December 15, 2014 by A Lark Ascending

[mikelz777]

Another option I've been enjoying is Pandora.com. I think I just typed in "Christmas carols" which plays a lot of Christmas choral music. I'm kind of surprised at how refreshing it is to listen to this kind of stuff because it's not played to death on the radio. Beautiful stuff...

Edited December 15, 2014 by mikelz777

[Scott Dolan]

The Spirit Of Christmas - Ray Charles

My desert island Christmas album.

And don't forget the Duke! Sugar, Rum, Cherry, baby!

[Dave Garrett]

[BFrank]

This one is listenable

[T.D.]

Believe it or not, Arnold Schoenberg wrote a very nice Christmas piece:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR94CiqtFLs

[A Lark Ascending]

I've always liked Peter Brotzmann's version of 'Silent Night'.

Webern could have done a wonderful reduction on 'Ding Dong Merrily On High'. I can hear it in my head.

Edited December 15, 2014 by A Lark Ascending

[MomsMobley]

he ain't like no saint nick...

he tried to find religion...

[uli]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0Bn229N7hc

[Michael Weiss]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0Bn229N7hc

Wow

[medjuck]

And the Charles Brown original is pretty great too.

[johnblitweiler]

GeneAmmons-Tom Archia: Swinging for Christmas

[JSngry]

I start dancing when this comes on in the mall or wherever. Seriously. Don't know if it's necessarily "great christmas music" but it sure brings holiday cheer to my heart!

[mikelz777]

Ray Charles - The Spirit Of Christmas

Edited December 16, 2014 by mikelz777

[jeffcrom]

For "straight" Christmas music, I love Robert Shaw's choral arrangements - but I admit that it's in my blood. This was some of my parents' favorite Christmas music, in various incarnations - my mom had the 78 albums by the Robert Shaw Chorale back in the day. That was before my time, but I remember the mono LPs, followed by the stereo versions. Shaw's last version of these arrangements (I think) is from 1994, by what was basically the Atlanta Symphony Chamber Chorus - Songs of Angels on Telarc. It's beautifully recorded, and includes some haunting, unusual repertoire along with the usual stuff. I particularly like this arrangement of "O Come, O Come Emanuel," the English "The Boars Head Carol" and "The Coventry Carol," "The Cherry Tree Carol" from Kentucky, and the odd, medieval "My Dancing Day."