A Jazz Piano Christmas from NPR

Various Artists - Miscellaneous - Holiday | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 16, 2000)
• Original Release Date: October 16, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• ASIN: B000053VY4
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #231,978 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #25 in Music > Indie Music > Miscellaneous > Holiday

Track Listings

1. Deck the Halls (Dick Hyman)

2. Santa Claus is Coming to Town (Renee Rosnes)

3. Away in the Manger (Mulgrew Miller)

4. Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer(Jacky Terrasson)

5. What Child is This? (Benny Green)

6. O Christmas Tree (Junior Mance)

7. Go Tell it On the Mountain (Ramsey Lewis)

8. England's Carol (John Lewis)

9. Jingle Bells (Carla Bley)

10. It Came Upon A Midnightl Clear (Cedar Walton)

11. The Christmas Song (Danilo Perez)

12. O Come All Ye Faithful (Cyrus Chestnut)

13. O Little Town of Bethlehem (Joanne Brackeen)

14. Christmas Time is Here (Ellis Marsalis)

15. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Loston Harris II)

16. White Christmas (Tommy Flanagan)

17. Feliz Navidad (Michel Camilo)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely stellar Christmas music!, September 21, 2002

By 

Catherine S. Vodrey (East Liverpool, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Jazz Piano Christmas from NPR (Audio CD)

You could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw that there was not even a single review of NPR's "A Jazz Piano Christmas!" Well, I'm here to write one and tell you that this is a MUST-HAVE for anyone who wearies of the overwrought Christmas music that comes out every year. Even people who don't like Christmas--or don't even celebrate it--will get a huge charge out of the stellar stuff on this album.

Various artists go through their paces here. Dick Hyman opens the album with a bang, putting a sparkling ragtime spin on "Deck the Halls"--it sounds for all the world as though he's pouring champagne over the piano keys, so sprightly and bubbly is this piece. Renee Rosnes makes "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" a beautifully toned-down, meditative piece--so unlike the forced cheeriness common to nearly every other version. On "What Child Is This?", Benny Green manages to imbue this solemn hymn with an upbeat, almost 1920s feel. On "Go Tell it on the Mountain," Ramsey Lewis opens slowly, feeling his way along, building the tension and the momentum until it blossoms into the roof-raising gospel piece that it has always been. John Lewis plays his own composition, "England's Carol," which takes elements of "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentleman" and combines them with a solemn underpinning that almost has the tone of a march to it. Cedar Walton makes "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" something you'll want to listen to in the dark, while staring into a roaring fire and counting your blessings--it's captivating. On "O Little Town of Bethlehem," Joanne Brackeen adds something of a Gaelic sparkle to the proceedings, making the song superbly light on its feet. Ellis Marsalis (father of Wynton, Branford, etc.) does Vince Guaraldi's modern classic "Christmastime is Here" proud, just letting the song speak for itself and not getting too overwrought or fancy. It's such a lovely piece, and Marsalis wisely lets it be itself with no showy, unnecessary ornamentation.

Really and truly, this album is a must for anyone who adores jazz piano or who simply longs for something a little different to play during the holidays. It's absolutely wonderful stuff!