Violincellos are not the deepest of instruments, but they get cinematic representation as in ‘Hilary and Jackie’, ‘Truly Madly Deeply’, and ‘The Soloist’.
Neighborhoods and instruments become “Blocks and Strings” from Winter Reverie. Jazz band insouciance that features cellos well.
Even jazzier, Ella Blocker’s Christmas wishes include all “Four Seasons” with you. The final one is you playing cello and her singing. Sexy.
“Little Drummer Boy” will get his day later, but when Panda Corner takes us to the toy instrument factory cars and clocks and trains go by. But then we see a xylophone and a piano and fa la goes the cello bow. Kidsong on drugs.
You want silly??!! Joey Slater looks to the midyear and avers that Christmas can still be felt. “JULY or Just Put some Bells on It” is indie rock with a point. But weird.
Okay, we’re avoiding actual ‘Jingle Bells’ melodies, but i have to hear Rick Moyer’s Star Trek fun “Klaxon Bells” one more time.
Kidtime! Disney creatures share in “From All of Us to All of You,” originally a Jimminy Cricket Christmas greeting from the ’50s. This jazz band number revels in the bells. A lot of bells.
Jeff Dunham’s Christmas special finale “When Santa Comes to Town” is not the usual acerbic wit he cuts with. Instead it reeks of 1980s Looney Toons reconstructed TV, slick but hollow. Bells in the chorus, but yawn.
More merry, The Christmas Jug Band do what they do to celebrate Santa’s arrival. Bells will ring, they declare, “When the Red Sled Comes.” Hep-some.
The Skivvies (who perform in their underwear) mashup mod pop and carols in the odd “Bells Bells Bells.” Give it a tinkle.
The Benefit try out “Sleigh Bells” in a different context… doesn’t work. Still the Winter Holidays. Funny.
Oddly evocative, “The Sleighbell Museum” from The Non Traditionals paints a picture of a fantasy place we will never see with bossa nova soft pop.
The Boy Least Likely To indies sl-o-o-w pop into the form of “It Will Still be Christmas.” The bells liven the festivities considerably.
Ponderously slow bluesrock marks Waylan St. Palan & The Magic Elves’ “Bells of St. Ignatius.” The sax saves it.
Les Fradken’s “Jangle Bells” makes a rock pop party out of the instrumentality of those fabricated metal pieces. Boss.
Party rock from Sam Scola utilizes the “The Christmas Bells are Ringing” as message and lyrics over and over. You’ll get it.
Watered down rock (for elder Boomers?) from Ginger Cat (feat. Eric Mullins) dampens “Sleigh Bells.” When they say Go, Cat, Go–i think they mean some intrusive tabby wandering through the rehearsal.
Reverb punk and distortion from Song Boys destroy the joy of when “Slay Bells Ring.” Ouch.
Robert Blake (not that one, the ‘Dr. Bob’ one) wants to “Make Those Jingle Bells Rock.” He may not make them rock, but he makes them roll under the couch where you can’t reach.
Just a bit rap, “Jingle Jangle” is Yarou (feat. Sydney Smithmartin) classing up the joint with funk.
Sean Cole the Outlaw raps that merry monotone about suffering in “Ringing Like Bells.” That’s his phone, dawg. BLUE ALERT
Millennial musings from Lorena Leigh include Southwestern climes, hence “Navidad Bells.” The voice is strong in this one indie.
Indie folk from Krisp and the Kringles warbles out the message of “Bells of Peace.” Get to it, wudja?
A Fine Frenzy can’t make sense of a distant family reuniting for the holidays. They recommend ringing bells to “Wish You Well.” Pretty indie pop.
Make Like Monkeys declare “I Love You Jingle Bells” with the coolest of retro rock. A bit obsessive.
Reaching for both rock and kids, Freddy Cannon plays it safe and slow with “Santa’s Here to Stay.” It’s all about his bells: Let me hear you now!
Slower swing from The Tractors swear “The Bells are Ringing” to let you know it’s Christmas time. Like that flashing blue light lets you know there’s a sale in Walmart.
Just as jazzy come A Harris and Hart Holiday with their big band-ish “Christmas Bells.” Hey, is this mockery??
Heavens, a whole month has come and gone dedicated to Christmas Bells. But that rings hollow compared to the cornucopia available. So, a few more that jingle, peal, and clatter. Part one’s Jesus and other old fashioned stuff.
Nativity feting allows for bells, despite the silence of the night. “A Maid Bore a Babe” from Alan.s.Robinson is dandy medieval folking about joyful noise making.
Mark Hand goes faux medieval with “Fortune Bell.” It’s gravely fun.
This paradox is explained in “All the Bells in Bethlehem” from Janice Kapp Perry ()feat. Steven Kapp Perry, Lynne Perry Christofferson). This Xian pop tells us how bells weren’t there then, but shoulda been.
“The Joy Bells are Ringing,” according to Slim Whitman, sweetly tell of Jesus’ birth. Easy listening western.
Alan.s.robinson puts the “Sweet Bells” in the hands of the shepherds back then. Sprightly folk.
Stan Davis & Friends retort the cool with community glee in their “Christmas Bells.” Everyone join in.
“Gringo Bells” is Nicholas Marcos with a bossa nova beat reaching across borders.
An old Celtic drinking song rewritten for us is “Bells Chime” by The Uh Ohs. I don’t know whether to tipple or tinkle.
Mark Hand tortures easy listening with the slowdown of “Ring Those Bells,” a celebration of hard candy in a dish.
Lawrence Welk and His Orchestra and Chorus throw polka into the middle class with “Ring Those Christmas Bells.” This is the closest we’ll get to rocking today.
Maudlin indie from Bruce Enloe (feat. Ben Mullen) centers us on what’s important with “Northern Bells at Christmas.” Norman Rockwell whitewash.
This is a pretty loose term: stringed, skinned, brass, speaker, deep-throated? (It just means pitched.) Well, we’ll stick mostly with the longneck guitary thing. Electric, at times. At other times–look out.
Donna Singer gets jazzed when she reveals that time “Santa Plays the Bass.” It’s a North Pole jam session of moderate consequences. Unplugged.
DETOUR! Monty Harper (feat: Lisa Harper (tenor ukulele) & Donald Brown (cajon)) reveal in their backroom how “Santa’s Got a U Bass.” That’s a ukulele, kids. No, you can’t borrow mine. I don’t have one. Fine surf rock.
David M. Bax falsettos “Merry Swidmas” about Santa’s visit (where not a bass was playing). This downbeat jazz also wishes you a Merry Bassmas, so there’s that.
DETOUR: Feel the bass, see the lights, quips Kwistone in “The Santa in da Club.” Yeah, it’s club pop–you might wanna card this one for legality. But, it’s all about that sound system. Their “Santa’s Sleigh Drift” EDMs how important the bassline thumping in your ride must be.
Carols played on the bass still get a pass, but comedy about that monotone sound gets a play. So, here’s “Amazing Bass” from the Bob & Tom Show (morning radio from the ’90s, wee ones).
Merle Haggard interrupts his breaking out of county for Christmas when “I Made the Prison Band.” Ol’ C+W what names the players, beginning with the bassist. The power of performance compels him.
A gut bass, too features as well in “My Cajun Christmas” by Gary Strickland. Decorous Zydeco.
J9’s “Island Christmas” also includes this instrument for their Polynesian sound. Is there any ethnic genre the bass can’t anchor?!
“A Caveat Christmas” in which the elves are kicked into gear by music is played by Caveat (feat. Kelsey Minko & Jonny Jed). Trent, the bassist, leads the charge to save the gift dispensation. American R’n’R, and it wails.
The African-descended banjer took the world by storm centuries ago, so we’ll expect more here.
Bob Johns gives us the homegrown folk of “The Christmas Banjo” as a Christmas present, and who give it him, and who made it, and on and on. It may surprise you that this is a short song.
Also a bit off-studio, William Evenhouse admits “I Want a Banjo for Christmas.” Okay, Boomer. Too earnest for bluegrass. But, some solid talent.
Dave Taylor invokes family again for “When Grandpa Played the Banjo.” This folk tune, however, does not behold the stringed whinger as gladly. Some nice strummin’.
Corny country from Ritchie Remo bequeaths unto us “Santa Played the Banjo.” The pop mush gives us a picking and grinning and tutoring Father Cee.
“Santa Gave Me A Banjo” gets us back to traditional bluegrass care of Self Rising Flour. Stately in its back-woodsery.
Box of Books gets more antic with “Banjo for Christmas.” This garage bluegrass can think of nothing better than this gift from Santa. Some silliness.
Also high-speed Spencer Chandler can’t stop gleefully celebrating how “Santa Claus Brought Me a 5-String Banjo.” It’s a bit ’70s gosh, a bit Sing Along with Mitch, a bit breakdown throw down. Whew.
Dan Cloutier takes another approach when he receives the unasked-for instrument. He is told “Yule Love the Banjo” in high speed folk. Apparently this is a family tradition. So it is enforced.
Steve and Bonnie Vetsch duet over a laundry list of wanna for Xmas, including how “I Want A Banjo For Christmas.” This CW grass leads me to believe Jesus played that thing. Huh.
Holy cats, but Bajazzerne rolls out the washboard jazz band–including midwestern scat–for the boggling “Santa Plays the Banjo.”
Buffalo Bill Boycott puts “The Christmas Banjo” in the hands of Daddy this time. Once he brushed off the coal dust. Sparkling bluegrass, with some schmaltz.
The Del McCoury Band featuring Ronnie McCoury revel in a “Bluegrass Christmas.” Guess which instruments get named for a proper holiday band?
Banjos get invoked late in the essential Sufjan Steves “Let’s Boogey to the Elf Dance!” as a means of dance-party celebrating. But this indie boogie is infectious. Some fun.
Jed Marum brings it home with the humbly elegant “Banjos We Have Heard On High.” A share from Pete th’Elf, this bluegrass sways gently in the Christmas breeze.
It’s time to peek behind the musical curtain and see WHAT makes the novelty. Musical instruments are joyous, annoying, celebratory, and obstruction props for the holidays. Keep in mind: these are songs ABOUT the instruments, not simply instrumentals. (Bells will return to the blog.)
That is never more difficult to winnow down than with the ol’ stomach Steinway. So, sit up straight and attend.
You’re a “Christmas Accordion” according to me, belt out Mount Righteous, in perfectly awkward oompah. So cool.
Dennis Polisky & the Maestro’s Men elevate jug band to the Scandihoovian with “Richie’s Christmas Accordion,” a polka-palooza.
Let’s not neglect “Please Buy Me an Accordion for Hanukkah” by Valerie Sassyfras, a bit more klezmer than polka. And it’s a sweet family memory. Isn’t that better? (Until you listen to it.)
Sea shanty does it for me, so let’s twist an ankle to “Pop’s New Accordion” from Rum Ragged. This is a wish list from the family. It’s serious. So should your listening be.
