christmas

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    David Sanborn – “Winter Wonderland”

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    I don’t know of David Sanborn covering any Christmas songs before, though I know he composed a song titled “Rain on Christmas.” Decca has a new, expanded recording of Sanborn’s latest Here & Gone exclusively on Amazon. It has three live songs recorded for XM Radio – “Full House,” “Brother Ray,” and “Winter Wonderland.” Give…

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    Holiday Music Roundup: Remixes

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    I’ve been a fan of jazz remixes since I first heard the original Verve//Remixed. I guess it was a fad. I don’t see many anymore. I thought it was a good way to introduce younger generations to some classic jazz. However, some remixers completely destroyed any jazz element of some of the songs I heard….

  • cover art to A Night Before Christmas by contemporary jazz band Spyro Gyra
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    Spyro Gyra – A Night Before Christmas

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    “We’ve always had a yearning to do a record that was kind of a straightahead record – or at least something closer to a straightahead record than what we normally do,” says Spyro Gyra’s Jay Beckenstein. “But it’s always been very difficult to make that work in the context of what we do on most…

  • cover art to Jingle All the Way from Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
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    Bela Fleck & the Flecktones Holiday Recording

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    Christmas music from Santa Bela Fleck and the Flecktones is coming on September 30. Jingle All the Way is the first collection of holiday music from the long-standing band. It features everything from banjo-harmonic arrangements of “Christmas Time Is Here” and “River,” to a Tuvan-inspired, worldbeat rendition of “What Child Is This / Dyngyldai.” “We…

  • cover art to Christmas Present by smooth jazz artist Boney James
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    Boney James – Christmas Present

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    Boney James is now two for two for excellent holiday recordings. Almost a decade ago, I reviewed the saxman’s first seasonal CD, Boney’s Funky Christmas, and was impressed. I love the Christmas season and have a larger-than-average number of related discs. The fact that this is one of them that I put on first each…