Customer Reviews

Stan Kenton Christmas Carols

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is an amazing CD - full Orchestral Brass Section with Rhythmn Section playing with some seriously original and high class arrangements. Anyone who wants a Christmas CD with attitude - this is the one !! Highly recommended.

Wow! What a surprise. Any Kenton entheusiast would recognize the beauty of this. Personally, after hearing some of the more recent Christmas CDs on the radio, regardless of genre, this, I think, should be named Christmas Music CD of the Year.

I share D. Hoppe's disappointment with the Boston Brass rendition of the Ralph Carmichael arrangements for the Kenton Band. It lacks the drive and panache of the brilliant original. However, for anyone who wants this music in richer sound than the original, get the Capitol Bones Big Band "A Stan Kenton Christmas," on their own label (CB). They really nail the arrangements (and the mellophonia are there!). The liner notes include lavish praise from Carmichael himself and there's no stronger endorsement than that.

If Amazon has no more copies available, perhaps their website can be helpful.([])

Very disappointed in this album. I bought both this disc and the original Stan Kenton Christmas album "A Merry Christmas" at the same time. Kenton's release stands head and shoulders above this pale imitation. Not recommended.

Bought this CD and saw a performance live in December. It's really great.
I've heard Boston Brass live four times times, doing various tunes, and they've been terrific each time. For this CD, the group brought in some of the best brass players (including former members of Empire Brass and Canadian Brass among others) in the world to create a Stan Kenton-esque band.
JD Shaw's horn playing blows me away, and I love the sound of Andrew Hitz on tuba.
If you're a brass player (and even if you're not), you should buy this CD.

I bought the digital version of this CD for my Dad. He's an avid Stan Kenton fan. I loved the arrangements of all these songs; a definite must-have for any jazz, brass, or Christmas-music fan. The perfect trifecta if you're all three.
The only thing I found unsual is the last track (Motown Jingle Bells). The length of this track says 8:39. As I listened to it, the basic song ends after 5 minutes. Then, there's 3 minutes of dead air. The remaining 30 seconds can best be described as the band goofing around, with their own mini rendition of "The Holly and the Ivy". Not sure if that was a mistake in the recording, or if it was intentional. I have made my own edited version of the track, ending it after 5:05 minutes.