Program No. 85 - Month of Christmas Music (The Big One)

Tonight is the culmination of our month of Christmas Music as we present a three hour Extravaganza of Christmas music across a whole range of brass genres, from brass bands and ensembles, to some fantastic solo work, jazz, big band, soul and crossover music.

Here is the play list, in order:

1. Greensleeves (What Child Is This?)
    - Boston Brass and the Brass All-Stars Big Band (Stan Kenton Christmas Album -2006)

2. A Traditional Christmas
   - 13 Etoiles (Santa Claus is Coming to Town)

3. A Christmas Fantasia
   - Virtuosi GUS Band (Christmas Fantasia - 2012)

4. Carol of the Bells
   - Intrada Brass of Oakville (That Holiday Feeling - 2008)

5. Three Kings' Swing
   - Swiss Army Brass Band - Andreas Spörri (Best Of Swiss Army Brass Band - 2006)

6. Silent Night
  - Yorkshire Building Society Band with Trombone Chris Jeans (Simple Gifts - 2003)

7. Do They Know It's Christmas?
   - Grimethorpe Colliery RJB Band & Major Peter Parkes (White Christmas With Grimethorpe - 1997)

8. Do You Hear What I Hear?
9. O Magnum Mysterium
   - Tower Brass of Chicago (A Christmas Celebration - 2000)

10. Gaudete Christus Natus Est
11. Coventry Carol
   - Fine Arts Brass Ensemble (Brass Christmas - 1997)

12. O Come All Ye Faithful
   - London Brass (Christmas With London Brass - 1990)

13. White Christmas
   - Carl Lenthe, Joseph Alessi, M. Dee Stewert & Mark Lawrence (Trombones Under the Tree - 1991)

14. Snofnugg (Snowflakes)
15. O Holy Night
   - Oystein Baadsvik; Torodd Wigum: Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Cantus Chamber Choir (Snowflakes - A Classical Christmas - 2011)

16. O Little Town of Bethlehem
   - Chris Botti (December - 2002)

17.  O Christmas Tree
   - Wynton Marsalis (Christmas Jazz Jam - 2009)

18. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
19. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire)
   - The After Hours Brass (Music & Mistletoe - 2012)

20. Good King Wencelas
21. We Wish You A Merry Christmas
   - Glenn Miller Orchestra (In The Christmas Mood II - 1993)

22. Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
23. Away In A Manger
   - James Morrison Big Band (This Is Christmas - 1993)

24. The Twelve Days of Christmas
    - Boston Brass and the Brass All-Stars Big Band (Stan Kenton Christmas Album -2006)

25. Christmas In Heaven
   - Monty Python (Monty Python Sings - 1989)

26. Another Christmas Song
   - Stephen Colbert (A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! - 2008)

27. Stop The Cavalry
   - Jona Lewie (The All Time Greatest Christmas Songs - 1981)

28. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
29. Frosty the Snowman (feat. The Puppini Sisters)
   - Michael Bublé (December - 2012)

30. (It Must Have Been Ol') Santa Claus
   - Harry Connick, Jr. (When My Heart Finds Christmas - 1993)

31. Silver Bells
   - Harry Connick, Jr. (Harry For the Holidays - 2003)

32. We Three Kings
   - Harry Connick, Jr. (What a Night! A Christmas Album - 2008)

33. Joy to the World
34. Jingle Bells
   - The Tom Kubis Big Band (A Jazz Musician's Christmas - 2002)

35. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
36. Deck the Halls
   - Mannheim Steamroller (Christmas Symphony - 2012)

37. Hallelujah!
   - Quincy Jones, Mervyn Waren, Michael O. Jackson, Various Artists (Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration -1992)

It's a big one. Lots of great music. I hope you enjoy it.

Merry Christmas to you all, and I hope you have a happy, safe and meaningful New Year in 2014.

I am looking forward to having a week off, but will be back in the new year - in a new format, bigger and better.

I look forward to your company then.

Program No. 84 - Month of Christmas Music (Big Bands)

Continuing on in this month of Christmas music, and week 3 sees us venturing into Big Band Christmas music. This genre is much maligned, probably due it being overused in supermarket and shopping centre play lists.  However tonight is a good opportunity to sit back and fully appreciate the skill shown as traditional Christmas tunes are given a big band makeover.

Program List (in no particular order):

What Child Is This? (Greensleeves)
Adeste Fideles
Motown Jingle Bells
   - Boston Brass and the Brass All-Stars Big Band (Stan Kenton Christmas Carols - 2006)

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Winter Wonderland
   - Tony Bennett (A Swingin' Christmas - 2008)

Joy To The World
O Holy Night
God Rest Ye Merry Trombones
   - The Tom Kubis Big Band (A Jazz Musician's Christmas - 2002)

Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
   - James Morrison Big Band (This Is Christmas - 1993)

Boogie Woogie Santa Claus
   - Lionel Hampton Orchestra (The Big Band Swing Christmas - 2008)

Another Christmas Song
   - Stephen Colbert (A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! - 2008)

Good Christian Men Rejoice
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Carol Of The Bells
   - The Cool Yule All-Stars (Big Band Christmas Volumes 1 and 2 - 2001)

Little Drummer Boy
   - Jack Livingston Big Band (Big Band Christmas -2007)

What Will Santa Claus Say (When He Finds Everybody Swingin')?
   - Louis Prima & His New Orleans Gang (The Big Band Swing Christmas - 2008)

White Christmas (duet with Shania Twain)
Frosty The Snowman (featuring the Puppini Sisters)
  - Michael Bublé (Christmas - 2012)

Christmas Night In Harlem
   - Benny Carter Orchestra (The Big Band Swing Christmas - 2008)

The Twelve Days Of Christmas
Silent Night
   - Glenn Miller Orchestra (In The Christmas Mood I - 1988 and II - 1993)

Silver Bells
   - Harry Connick Jr. (Harry For The Holidays - 2003)

(It Must Have Been Ol') Santa Claus
   - Harry Connick Jr. (When My Heart Finds Christmas - 1993)

We Three Kings
   - Harry Connick Jr. (What A Night! A Christmas Album - 2008)

Next week, a special 3 hour Christmas Extravaganza, starting 1/2 hour early at 6:30pm.