Merry Christmas! This thread is for us to make recommendations for Christmas music that might otherwise fly beneath the radar. Please include links to where you can buy the tracks or albums online.
I’m currently listening to the excellent album Christmas Piano & Cello by The London Fox Players.
Christmas With Julie Andrews is not to be missed.
What are some of your recommendations?
Aaron Neville’s Soulful Christmas
Pretty Paper Willie Nelson
Marshmallow World & Other Holiday Favorites Raul Malo
Well, it’s not Christmas music exactly, but our own **brujaja **has some special carols about Cthulhu, using familiar Christmas music
Here’s “Cthulhu the Monster” set to the tune of “Frosty the Snowman”
A Charlie Brown Christmas, by Vince Guaraldi
It’s just a single song, but I really like Billy Paul Williams’ Santa Claus is Coming To Town.
Charles Brown has released 2 albums of bluesy Christmas tunes.
The California Guitar Trio has an album of Christmas tunes.
B.B. King released a Christmas album, as has James Taylor.
Monty Python recorded a Christmas song, also. NSFW
Brian Setzer Orchestra: Boogie Woogie Christmas. Oh yeah.
Jonathan Coulton, Chiron Beta Prime
For peaceful, soothing spiritual music I love Our Heart’s Joy: A Chanticleer Christmas. Their version of Franz Biebl’s “Ave Maria” is stunning.
Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Classics
I will never pass up a chance to recommend Carols For A Cure. Absolutely wonderful songs, sung by Broadway casts, and the money is for a great cause. The standard songs are perfection, the original songs magical, and the novelty songs laugh out loud funny.
I’ve always been partial to the Squirrel Nut Zippers’ Christmas Caravan. A mix of old and new songs, all done to swingin’ perfection!
Did anyone else look forward to the “A Very Special Christmas” albums? My mom usually bought them and we’d listen to them in the car a lot.
I’ve always thought The Band’s Christmas Must Be Tonight was underappreciated.
George Winston, December
The Chieftains, The Bells of Dublin
Vince Guaraldi, A Charlie Brown Christmas
There’s Christmas, right there.
I love the GRP Christmas Collection (3 volumes) put together by Dave Grusin (the G). I recently downloaded them from Amazon Music. They are performed by various guest musicians and are all what I’d term smooth jazz. When I’ve had a hectic day prepping for the holiday (or even at work), nothing is better than turning off the lights, turning on the Christmas tree, grabbing a glass of wine, and decompressing to this music.
Another very old one that I enjoy (it’s so old that my parents owned it) is **Harry Belafonte’s Christmas **(also available on Amazon Music). It’s Caribbean flavored Christmas music, performed simply (often with only a guitar accompanying Harry) and respectfully in an introspective style. For me, it wouldn’t be Christmas without it. (This is a reissue of Harry’s original album “To Wish You a Merry Christmas” with a few extra songs).
Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration. Of course it has the Eastery parts too!
ME!!! Your good friend bienville has written some Christmas songs that might otherwise be flying beneath your radar!
YouTube links:
[ul]
[li]Family Thanksgiving, Family Christmas[/li][li]That Early Winter Sundown[/li][li]Spending The Holidays With People I Love[/li][/ul]
Enjoy!!!
Christmastime, David Benoit
John Fahey’s 1968 classic, The New Possibility.