Category: jazz

Ringers: Marvin

Balderdash & Humbug’s “Marvin the Substitute Reindeer” is another ‘Rudolph’ parody. But it does tell a story. (Have you ever seen Santa Claus mad, boys and girls?) Bit of a giggler. And the little girl digression tries our patience. Bit misogynistic actually.

David Ayers introduces “Marvin the Loud Mouth Laughing Reindeer” with braying guffaws. Not a fully rounded character. Not a chance to help with the sleigh. But the dixieland screeching is full on. Holee cow.

Name Seven, etc.

Donner may have began as Donder or Dunder. It’s a Germanic thing. But who cares–no mentionable songs about this reindeer exist. At this point we lump the last two together.

F’rinstance, “Donner & Blitzen” from The Peter Pan stable of singers flutes its way jazzily through a harrowing adventure through the awful storm.

X-claim: oh (pt. 1)

Mostly European the expression that looks like a Far Side character’s rounded-lips surprise acts as punctuation, or I s’pose these days, emoji to get your attention for the following pronouncement:

“Oh Christmas” by Zefereli is the alt-zen folk lesson in calming down for the holidays. Soporific. So, i need something else.

“Oh Christmas” from Calypso Rose is a cry for whiskey–and the celebration of Christ’s birth. Parang rager.

“Oh Christmas, Oh Navidad” is Mundo Armijo’s order to children to play all day, in the name of God. Sweet salsa.

“Oh Christmas” as Josue Alfredo Ayala tells it is a call to be a bird. Unintentional novelty returns with symphonic jazz tastelessness.

X-claim: huzzah (pt. 1)

Xmas being celebratory in nature, shoutings might include explosive ejacuations of exclamations. Huzza becomes hurray and other variations, it being a clamor populi.

“Hurray Hurrah” is some of the most Carrib fun we can have here on the blog. Singing Francine leaves nothing behind with her hand-clapping, ululating folk synth party.

Whitening up the locale, “Hurray for Christmas” from Steve DeDoes & Don Sebesky (feat. April Tini) recall The Lawrence Welk Show with their carefree jazz simplifications and jolly harmonies.

Greg Helmer gets quietly personal with his 2016 USA woes and the blues in “Hurray Hurray for Christmas.” Mixed message, dude. But mightily talented.

Hooray Heroes change up the spelling and countryfication of the concept with the sassy “Hooray, It’s Christmas Time!” Like you don’t care!

Retro jazz from Janet Seidel continues our new spelling with “Hooray for Christmas.” Heavy on the drums, light on the interjection.

X-claim: hey (pt. 2)

Some exclamatory songs aren’t hollering at Xmas itself, they want the notice of a certain someone. YOU!! (maybe)

RuPaul (feat Markaholic) gathers the girls with “Hey Sis, It’s Christmas.” This dance rap stokes the folks afraid to enter the dance floor. Come on (you can have a refrain, too)!

Just as queer, Randy Rainbow’s “Hey Gurl, It’s Christmas!” smacks the fourth wall show tune style. Those in the know expect the political commentary, but this extravaganza is the whole party start to finish.

“Hey Little Drummer Boy” is rockabilly reverence, believe it or don’t. The original po’ boy wittout no geeft is honored in style by Tiger Room. (Not fur shore ’bout the credit here, several ‘bands’ on several compilations are credited for this hot number–my link is to the earliest i could find.)

Rocking Cosgrove makes pop music out of rocking country in “Hey Baby It’s Christmas.” Seamless and catchy, but i’m trying to lower my sugary intake. Phew.

Oli Patto goes the imperfect pop route with “Hey! Baby It’s Christmas Day!” slamming the lyrics hard and riffing off ’12 Days.’ Ironic pop.

Fing’s “Hey Baby It’s Christmas” is classier with bebop and harmony and gravelly vocals. Not pop much.

Tony Spar and Brett Lashley big band up “Hey Baby It’s Christmas” with more jazz than you can handle. Delightful.

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Still feeling deserted around the holidays? Still?! Sing with brimming eye!

Jim Caliendo soft rocks “Another Blue Christmas” as homage to The King. Stellar effort, decent song.

Steven Acker could take pointers, as his “Another Blue Christmas” is limp rock with empty lyrics. Elvis’s coattails can’t carry this.

Shredding blues guitar stretches “Another Blue Christmas” from Andrew Mellor to the breaking point. How many anothers can a man take?

Sweaty club jazz from David George and The Crooked Christmas Orchestra sneaks “Another Blue Christmas” up on you from expecting Santa to getting shafted.

Carol Told by an Idiot, 9

Let’s restock, or at least take stock (again) in the whole return of the thing. Upbeat music should do it, regardless of the cliches piled on.

Messy but hopeful dance music from Fuselage strings lines of lines together for a garage stomping “(It’s Starting to Look Like Christmas Once Again).” I’m up, but i don’t know why.

“Merry Merry Christmas (Again)” is Tyson Leslie’s way of talking toys and years and–i guess other stuff. Measured pop.

Easy listening strings and piano pretty up the old saw of being happy that “It’s Christmas Once More.” Sherry Allen underplays that overpowering vocal talent she has, but–yawn.

Taking on the War on Christmas Rich DiMare heralds how “It’s Okay to Say Christmas Again.” Make Christmas audible again.

Steven Curtis Chapman hasn’t much to say in “Christmas Time Again” but has great jazzy swing fun doing it.

Carol Told by an Idiot, 1

After Christmas, guess what? There’ll be Christmas coming ’round again. That’s my premise, any ways. A ‘Groundhog Day’ form of insanity Macbeth complained about creeping into this petty pace of life. Sigh. Here we go again. Then again. You get the idea….

This call should be the exhilaration of Backstreet Boys doot-doo-ing “It’s Christmas Time Again.” Every time they announce the title it’s a party of boy-band pop scat.

Watering down R+B, Ashanti smooth-warbles “Christmas Time Again.” Also listing all the features that recur annually, which leads to love, baby. (Stay tuned for a personal memory from her to you.)

Adrain B (feat. Shawn Sounds) gets almost silly with gleefulness in “Christmas Time Again.” It’s that good, at least in soul.

I prefer the Philip-Glass-altered-state i get from My Morning Jacket’s wandering melody “Xmas Time is Here Again.” You never know when this cool club music’ll end, but it is quite the carousel ride.

Star Men (3)

Okay, we can’t have a Christmas Star without those three wise men.

Wendy Webster reduces the concept to nursery rhyme doggerel in “See the Wise Men Follow the Star.” Something to provoke the very young.

JJ Heller returns us to real music with a fresh take on ‘We Three Kings’ as “Star of Wonder.” It descends, musically, into the men. But you know part of it.

The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir R+Bs the gospel with “They Followed His Star.” Righteously cool.

John Burland has a hand-clapping pop singalong with “Christmas Star.” The wise men become we at some point, but you follow after all.

David Dunn has a jazzy interp on the ‘ancient astrologers,’ entitled “Star.” This is a fun bebop journey on the old story.