I love Christmas. I love trying to find the right gifts for my friends and Family. I love the way people put up lights on their houses, I love finding the right cards to send out; then spending a few hours addressing envelopes and writing short messages in each card before signing. And I love Christmas music. Mostly. Except for a couple of songs. I have a pretty large collection of Christmas Music. Of course, I have the Time/Life Treasury of Christmas (doesn’t everybody?) and I have the three Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s Christmas CDs, two Glen Miller Orchestra’s In the Christmas Mood (Vols. 1&2) I have one CD of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, a Doctor Demento Christmas CD, and this year, I’ve added a CD by Pentatonix and I’m strongly considering buying a second CD by them. I have a few other CDs that I like; and well, you get the picture. My collection is pretty eclectic and diverse, and I enjoy listening to all of it. I’m one of those people who won’t rush the season. I won’t play Christmas music until the day after Thanksgiving. It annoys the shit out of me to hear Christmas music any time between January 6 and late November. (I hate Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving night, too; but that’s a topic for another diatribe) To get back to the point; there are a lot of Christmas tunes that I enjoy a lot. There are however, some that I detest. I’ve never liked cute little Michael Jackson’s version of Santa Clause Is Coming To Town; and I think Paul McCartney should be flogged for his contribution to regurgitation, (We’re Simply Having A) Wonderful Christmastime. My absolute most despised song that gets well overplayed during the season is one that I don’t know the name of and it’s done by a group whose name I don’t know (and don’t want to know); but I’m sure you’ve heard the song. I hate the song enough that I came up with better lyrics after hearing it for (I think) the second time: Last Christmas, I cut a big fart The very next day, the smell went away This year, I’ll drink a few beers And rip out a fart that’s Special. I loathe that piece of mindless, irrelevant drivel. I think that Public Humiliation doesn’t go nearly far enough as a punishment for subjecting the world to such inanity. Castration might not be a bad idea, but I think it may already have been done; the way the song sounds. I think making the group members each drink five gallons of Karo Syrup would be appropriate. Well, enough ranting about totally obnoxious musical insults; I’m going to listen to Pachelbel’s Canon, and start putting up lights in the windows.}
Go to Amazon or wherever you need to to find Cyrus Chestnut's "A Charlie Brown Christmas". He takes a bunch of the Vince Guaraldi tunes and revamps them, absolutely brilliantly! Even has a version of "Fur Elise" that will drop your jaw to the floor...
The kid is a top-tier jazz pianist, one of the young lions of today's jazz scene. This CD is SO good you could listen to it year round. It's out of print, so you'll have to do a little searching to get it- but it'll become your absolute favorite CD. Guaraldi's stuff is great in it's original form, but this is a respectful tribute and really raises the bar.
GET IT!!!
(Message edited by 86129squids on November 30, 2014)
Gregtonn; I've seen TSO something like 8 times. When I was still married, the whole family would go each year, We've seen them in Boston, Worcester, Hartford, CT and Manchester, NH. They put on one hell of a show. If you haven't seen them you're missing an experience.
Tough to beat brass Christmas music. All of our brass group and spouses are going to see Canadian Brass Christmas in a week or so. Should be a good show.
What Child is this who, laid to rest On Mary's lap is sleeping? Whom angels greet with anthems sweet, While shepherds watch are keeping? This, this is Christ the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing; Haste, haste, to bring Him laud, The Babe, the Son of Mary.
Why lies He in such mean estate, Where ox and ass are feeding? Good Christians fear for sinners here, The silent Word is pleading. Nails, spear shall pierce Him through, The cross be borne for me, for you. Hail, hail the Word made flesh, The Babe, the Son of Mary.
So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh, Come peasant, king to own Him; The King of kings salvation brings, Let loving hearts enthrone Him. Raise, raise a song on high, The virgin sings her lullaby. Joy, joy for Christ is born, The Babe, the Son of Mary.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God. And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.
From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him. (John 1: 1-5, 9-14, 16-18 NABRE)
TSO always puts on an amazing show. I never wore earplugs at one of their shows; but then again, I'm half deaf from all the years I worked underground.
Posted on Wednesday, December 10, 2014 - 01:18 am:
Have fun, Vern- I gotta work, already took off Thursday to have my two aunts and an uncle visit, then taking them to dinner at work... looking forward to being on the other side of service for a rare change/treat!
Earplugs: When I used to bartend at a local blues bar, I found that I could hear <better> with earplugs, which cut the excess ambient noise back. Past a certain point, it's just overkill. I'd take a couple of pairs to TSO (one for each person attending), use as needed. The "Earplanes" that Sandy can get from Wallyworld are the best...
I remember going to see Pat Metheny at the Tennessee Theatre a long time ago- his sound guy just went totally berserk, seemed to "turn it up to 11", which was all wrong for the night. A$$-hat.
Of course, my GF gets all torqued out when I crank up the jams on my hi-fi- I DO like it loud lots of the time!
Well TSO did not disappoint! Their new show with new lighting, new story and songs was very well done.
The show for me starts when they hit the second half and break into rocking the stadium with some of their previous work. The lazers, lights, fire cannons, super rockin' tunes and the grand finally of actual fireworks inside the stadium is a sight (and sounds) to behold.
We did it without ear plugs.....that'll heal up as it has in the past.....just wish someone would answer that phone!
Glad you had a great show- for me, I got to work last nite and did very well...
Took my dearly departed dad's two sisters and my uncle, plus my hon to dinner this evening, after hitting the thrift shops and discount stores- a day off well spent.
I've found that this Holiday season has brought me many, many joyful things, thoughts, and hopes for the year to come.