Music Review: Holiday songs abound, from classics to Creole

Amoeba Records shifts its layout each November to accommodate a huge backlog of holiday-themed CDs, and the new issues. The sheer volume and variety is overwhelming. Here are a few to consider from this year’s crop.

Big bands are big. The Count Basie Orchestra’s “A Very Swingin’ Basie Christmas!” (ConcordJazz) does indeed swing, but a little too neatly. With unimpeachable personnel, including pianist Ellis Marsalis in the catbird seat, one nevertheless wishes for some of the unruly grit of the old Basie band.

Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band strikes a balance between innovation and tradition, precision and spirit, the familiar and the novel. The tunes are all well known, but in his capable hands, they transform into something new: “Take 6” has probably never sounded so sleek as on the bright “Do You Hear What I Hear?” His charts may have a kitchen-sink aspect but Goodwin and his superlative outfit continually surprise.

The new CD “Big Band Holidays” features the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and vocalists René Marie, Cécile McLorin Salvant and Gregory Porter.

(Courtesy of Shore Fire Media)

The new CD "Big Band Holidays" features the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and vocalists René Marie, Cécile McLorin Salvant and Gregory Porter. (Courtesy of Shore Fire Media)

Trumpeter Dr. Bobby Rodriguez serves up “The Magic of Christmas” (LatinJazz) in many flavors. He tapped three fine local singers — Barbara Morrison, Tierney Sutton and Yvonne De Bourbon — to ornament the orchestra of local heavies on repertory and a few new originals.

No big band has the polish of Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, led by Wynton Marsalis. “Big Band Holidays” (Blue Engine) roars with swing, élan and high-profile jazz soloists. Old chestnuts comprise the menu, though Cécile McLorin Salvant’s vocal on “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” has the potential to be a perennial favorite.

It’s no surprise that “Believe” (Concord), by pianist David Benoit’s trio and vocalist Jane Monheit, leans on the “Charlie Brown Christmas” soundtrack. The Vince Guaraldi medley contains the most incisive playing to an album that too often sounds light as a snowflake.

Sublime singing of the Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, under the direction of Stephen Layton, marks the a cappella collection “Yulefest!” (Hyperion). There’s much poignancy in these winter anthems, though their sprightly “Jingle Bells” nods to the Swingle Singers. If you’re not touched by mezzo-soprano Anna Cavaliero and tenor Cameron Richardson-Eames on Holst’s “In the Bleak Midwinter,” you have Grinch in your soul.

New Orleans trumpeter Etienne Charles channels the Caribbean component of Crescent City music on the album “Creole Christmas.”

(Courtesy of Laura Ferreira)

New Orleans trumpeter Etienne Charles channels the Caribbean component of Crescent City music on the album "Creole Christmas." (Courtesy of Laura Ferreira)

It wouldn’t be December without innumerable productions of Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker,” so why not another recording? The London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Stephen Simon, is framed by Jim Weiss’ kid-friendly narration for Maestro Classics. An informative booklet with short pieces on the composer, the story and the instrumentation makes this a good introduction for young ’uns.

The retro outfit Chaise Lounge found nine forgotten winter ditties and two war horses on the fun “A Very Chaise Lounge Christmas” (Modern Songbook). They swing lightly and Marilyn Older’s honey vocal tones take the chill off the weather. It’s nothing terribly deep but the execution indicates this band is capable of much more.

Jazz organist Barbara Dennerlein is back with “Christmas Soul” (MPS), an uneven clutch of seasonal tunes that briefly touch the great Blue Note B3 albums (especially on Bob Dorough’s “Blue Christmas”) but too often sound like so much sonic wallpaper.

Sony’s Legacy imprint has four new “Classic Christmas” collections. Studio-padding swaddle Sarah McLachlan and Celtic Fire to make up for musical deficiencies, but Earth Wind & Fire’s pungent funk runs a tightly arranged gamut from “Get Your Hump On This Christmas” to “What Child Is This?” Other than Whitney Houston’s soaring “Do You Hear What I Hear,” “Classic Christmas ’80s Album” sinks from the weight of the Waitresses, Fishbone and the Hooters.

Nothing beats the festive mood of “Creole Christmas” (Culture Shock) by New Orleans trumpeter Etienne Charles. He channels the Caribbean component of Crescent City music, with a rollicking septet and no less than 20 musical guests. Wycliffe Gordon’s gregarious trombone gets any party started, and the calypso tunes have tang and topicality. Add hip treatments of a couple of “Nutcracker” themes, a funk version of Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas” and you’ve got a very well-considered collection that would make for a worthwhile live show.

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KIRK SILSBEE writes about jazz and culture for Marquee.