Cool Yule

Chicago Gay Men's Chorus | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 16, 2001)
• Original Release Date: November 16, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• ASIN: B00006L7PS
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #505,614 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Cool Yule

2. The Man with the Bag

3. I Want You for Christmas

4. Christmas Kisses

5. I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

6. Boogie Woogie Santa Claus

7. Winter Weather/Let It Snow

8. Little Jack Frost

9. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm

10. Jing-a-Ling

11. Sleigh Ride

12. Love Turns Winter to Spring

13. Winter Wonderland

14. Hot Hanukkah

15. The Merriest

16. Cool Yule (reprise)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

The Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus is known as one of the leading gay choruses in the world and one of Chicago’s top performing arts organizations. In 2001, CGMC was named to the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame, performed with the Joffrey Ballet, the Goodman Theater, Hubbard Street Dance 2 and others. CGMC was chosen to open the program at the international conference of the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses, held in July of 2000 in San Jose, California.

Product Description

A first for CGMC, we are celebrating the release of our very first CD - "Cool Yule," a collection of jazzy and contemporary holiday tunes that's sure to get your feet tappin' and your heart into the holiday spirit!

For this recording, Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus Artistic Director Patrick Sinozich researched the archives of swing and unearthed a number of seasonal tunes that were once signatures of some of jazz’ greatest names. The recording’s title song, Cool Yule, was written by Steve Allen and first performed by Louis Armstrong, but is rarely heard these days. All of the big names in jazz and swing had their holiday standards and most of the songs are forgotten now.

Cool Yule revives many of them, like the Andrews Sisters’ "Jing-a-Ling," Bing Crosby’s "Little Jack Frost Get Lost," Patti Page’s "Boogie Woogie Santa Claus," and "Love Turns Winter to Spring," originally performed by The Four Freshmen. The disc also includes many of the swing standards that have remained popular over the years, like "Let It Snow," and "I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm." A new jazz/swing arrangement of "O Hanukkah" is even included. Again accompanying CGMC is the ten-piece swing orchestra Patrick Sinozich and his Snowmen of Swing.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Swingin' Good Time, October 30, 2002

By 

"chicchas" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cool Yule (Audio CD)

Usually choral holiday recordings are standard, run-of-the-mill fare. This chorus really swings with great harmonies, excellent diction and rhythm, and a sense of humor.

If you like swing music, buy this CD. Although there a few standard tunes, most of the selections are obscure and rarely heard. The band is top notch.

Great holiday party music!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An original, October 22, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Cool Yule (Audio CD)

The song listing gives you your first clue as to how unique this recording is. Most of these songs were only recorded once by the artists who briefly made them famous in the swing era. This is not anouther collection of the same holiday favorites that other choral groups have done and re-done endlessly. But more than that, this doesn't sound like what most people think of when they think "gay chorus": It's not that "big choral" style. The vocal performance has a laid-back jazzy feel, almost like a jazz vocal quartet, despite the large number of singers involved. And the swing band accompaniment. well, it really swings.

This is the perfect holiday disc to pop in when you're still in the holiday spirit but think you'll scream if you hear "Hark the Herald Angels" one more time. It's the one holiday CD that stays in my CD changer, comfortable in shuffle mode with both classical and jazzy holiday CDs.