Christmas Cedar & Spruce
Joel Brown (guitar), Chuck D' Aloia (guitar), Peter Ruth (harmonica), Chris Brubeck (piano), Andrew Brown (cello), Kristin Bacchiocchi-Stewart (flute), Frank Brown (clarinet), Jason Brown (double bass), Chris Brubeck (fretless bass)
You'll remember Joel Brown from all those wonderful discs with the late Bill Crofut from Albany's "early years." Now he's back with a delightful Christmas disc with his celebrated friends and family. This album was inspired by a concert and TV show featuring Brown's arrangements of Christmas tunes for a student guitar ensemble. It was such a success that he was encouraged to create this recording. All right, it took more than a decade but it was worth the wait! As with those great Crofut albums, the arrangements are jazzy, folksy and often times plain-old traditional. Of course you've heard these tunes a lot of times in the past, but they've never sounded so fresh as they do here. As Joel writes, "Christmas music has always been my favorite part of the holiday season. I still feel a flood of excitement and joy when I think of standing in our little hometown church singing in unison with family and friends. I hope the music on this recording will bring some of that same feeling to you. Merry Christmas!"
Track Listing
| Title | Composer | Performer |
|---|---|---|
| Angels We Have Heard on High | Traditional, arr. J. Brown | Joel Brown, guitar, Chuck D'Aloia, guitar |
| We Wish You a Merry Christmas | Traditional, arr. J. Brown | Joel Brown, guitar, Chuck D'Aloia, guitar |
| What Child is This | Traditional, arr. J. Brown/C. Brubeck | Joel Brown, guitar, Peter Madcat Ruth, harmonica, Chris Brubeck, piano |
| Silent Night | Franz Gruber, arr. J. Brown | Joel Brown, guitar |
| Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring | J.S. Bach, arr. J. Brown | Joel Brown, guitar, Andrew Brown, cello |
| Joy to the World | Lowell Mason, arr. J. Brown | Joel Brown, guitar, Andrew Brown, cello, Kristin Bacchiocchi-Stewart, flute |
| In the Bleak Mid-Winter | Traditional, arr. J. Brown | Joel Brown, guitar |
| Santa Claus is Coming to Town | J.F. Coots/H. Gillespie, arr J. Brown | Joel Brown, guitar, Frank Brown, clarinet, Jason Brown, bass |
| We Three Kings | John Hopkins, arr J. Brown | Joel Brown, guitar |
| Jolly Old Saint Nicholas | B. Hardy, arr. J. Brown | Joel Brown, guitar |
| Good King Wenceslas | J.M. Neale, arr. J. Brown | Joel Brown, guitar, Peter Madcat Ruth, harmonica, Chris Brubeck, fretless bass |
Reviews
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"...I am truly happy with this recording. It makes me smile."
*Album cover provided for Editorial use only. ©Albany Records. The Albany Imprint is a registered trademark of PARMA Recordings LLC. The views and opinions expressed in this media are those of the artist and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views and opinions held by PARMA Recordings LLC and its label imprints, subsidiaries, and affiliates.