Every year in December, or for some of us even in November, we dig out our trusty and traditional Christmas tunes. Many of us will even add to our collection by purchasing the latest Christmas album from Harry Connick, Jr. or Michael Buble. But let’s be honest, while Connick, Buble, and others are certainly fantastic musicians and arrangers who put a bit of their own spin on the classic medleys, they never stray too far from the beaten path. Many of us though…well, at least some of us…okay, okay, one or two of us certainly, would like something different. Show us the versatility of the Christmas carol! Right!?
Right! So, for the one or two of you who would like to add some excitement to your Christmas listening repertoire, I have three albums for you that will certainly spice up your holidays!
Jingle All the Way by Bela Fleck & The Flecktones
If you’ve not heard of Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, the best description I can give of them is they play a unique blend of jazz, bluegrass, and fusion music. The group consists of world class musicians who play banjo (Bela Fleck), bass guitar (Victor Wooten), Saxophone (Jeff Coffin), and drums/percussion (Future Man). Future Man really deserves more space to be explained, but frankly he and his unique method of musicianship defies description. Check it out for yourself…
Jingle All the Way is mainly an instrumental album, except of course where the Mongolian throat singer joins in. Yeah, you read that right, Mongolian throat singer (watch this video on YouTube for an example). It’s amazing. But, in addition to the oddity of including a Mongolian throat singer on the album, the Flecktones provide fun, unique arrangements of Christmas classics ranging from Jingle Bells to Linus and Lucy to Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies.
Sounds Like Christmas by The December People
If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “I wonder what Carry on My Wayward Son by Kansas would sound like as a Christmas tune?”, then this album is definitely for you. The December People answer this question definitively. It would sound a lot like Up on the Housetop.
Sounds Like Christmas moves through songs that kinda sound like, but aren’t quite, your favorite classic rock tunes by Yes, Genesis, Kansas and more. Some of my favorites include Carol of the Bells (Hey, that guitar solo sounded really similar to the one in Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody!) and ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (Really!? Set to Zeppelin’s Kashmir? I love it!).
A New Century Christmas by New Century Saxophone Quartet
My last recommendation for off-beat Christmas music is New Century Saxophone Quartet’s, A New Century Christmas. The folks in New Century are serious classical musicians and set out to create a seriously high quality Christmas album for saxophone lovers (yes, apparently there is a niche of people out there who love saxophone music). Luckily, as I’m sure most of their albums are, this collection is not just for saxophone lovers. These are some really great performances of Christmas classics.
Each of the 19 songs recorded were arranged specially for the quartet by composers the group hand-picked for the task. Some of the pieces are fun and quirky while others are possibly the most beautiful arrangements I’ve heard. Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming is lovely, as is In the bleak midwinter. Some of the most fun pieces include Funkin’ with the Bells, a version of We Three Kings set to a samba groove, and a song you might not think of as a Christmas tune, My Favorite Things from the musical, The Sound of Music.
