On the concert ticket stub, it read “Legends of New Orleans,” but If anyone on either side of the Mississippi hasn’t heard the sounds or songs by the venerable PHJB and songwriter/pianist Allen Toussaint, this 2 hour concert did a…
Month: December 2014
Rick Lang: That’s What I Love About Christmas
While the subtitle to this album is “timeless seasonal songs” but the fact is that these tunes were not composed by Irving Berlin or Franz Gruber but by Rick Lang, who is still with us today. Still, his material is…
Blind Boys of Alabama & Taj Mahal: Talkin’ Christmas!
There’s a famous story of a well known skeptic who would sneak into the church of famed preacher Charles Spurgeon to listen to his sermons. People would ask him, “Why do you go there? Do you believe it?” “No,” he…
OLD SCHOOL CHRISTMAS…Perry Como: The Classic Christmas Album, Johnny Mathis: The Classic Christmas Album, Frank Sinatra: The Classic Christmas Album, Barbra Streisand: The Classic Christmas Album
Wanna hear Christmas songs the way they’re supposed to be done, and DON’T want another Michael Buble’ album? Check out these four from Sony Legacy, and get the real deal… Perry Como makes Christmas feel as cozy as wool mittens…
MCCOY TYNER AND PHANTASTIC PHILADELPHIA
When you think of cities rich with a jazz heritage, what comes to your mind? New York, Chicago, New Orleans. Maybe Los Angeles. Well, piano legend McCoy Tyner, having just released “Quartet”, the first of three promised discs on his…
THOUGHT YOU HEARD IT ALL? The Classic Christmas Pop Album, The Classic Christmas Hard Rock Album, The Classic Country Album, Il Divo-The Classic Christmas Album
And now for something completely different… You want a bit of variety on the Christmas playlist? You got it here. The first one is 15 tunes doe by a bunch of 80s and 90s bands. Menudo does “This Christmas,” Los…
Christian McBride, Aaron Diehl, Cecile McLorin Salvant, etc: It’s Christmas on Mack Avenue
Here’s a Christmas album that will get the season swinging away. Artists from Mack Avenue chime in to deliver some special gifts under the Christmas Tree. Stocking stuffers include a big and bold brassy “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”…
Peter Furler: Christmas
It’s a rare Christmas album that sounds like the guy means it. Usually these kinds of deals sound either slick or all about the mistletoe. Vocalist Peter Furler, along with pianist/guitarist David Ian, leads a combo through chestnuts like “God…
Earth, Wind & Fire: Holiday
I know it seems like Earth, Wind and Fire make EVERY day a holiday, but this is their first actual celebration of Christmas on record. They use their patented vocals and air tight horns and rhythm to cover just about…
Marilyn Scott: Get Christmas Started!
Want to celebrate Christmas in Memphis? Here’s a collection of Christmas songs in a concert setting delivered by singer/songwriter Marilyn Scott with a Stax sounding band that belts out Natal themes that swing like a Christmas bell. The band, which…