Customer Reviews

Sound Of Christmas

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It was never offically Christmas until my mother hooked up the Jingle Bells door chime and my father put Ramsey Lewis " Sound of Christmas" on our HiFi. This is a fantastic holiday treat. I have loads of Christmas music, but I place this recording very high in my December rotation. The strings that play on" What Are You Doing New Years Eve?" and the bouncy "Sleigh Ride" take me back to the Wonder Years of my youth. I believe it will become an evergreen in your collection. Happy Holidays or as Ramsey puts it...Merry Christmas Baby !

This 1961 re-issue is timeless. If you appreciate Wes Montgomery's period with orchestration, you will enjoy this instrumental jazz masterpiece. For the purist, the first half of the CD is sans strings.

I bought a previously released version of this CD at a used CD store. I fell in love with it then, but it had some obvious physical defects. So when it was re-released, I had to have a new copy. The previously released CD had 11 reviews on Amazon, all 5 stars. This is the second review on the re-release, and both are 5 stars. That ought to tell you something. This is simply one of the BEST Christmas Jazz CDs ever. If you are looking for some great jazzy Christmas music, you have found it!

This is the one Xmas CD you have to get. Ramsey swings through all the Xmas standards at his toe tapping best. Xmas Blues has been my favorite since I first heard it. This recording was made when the trio was at it's best, and happy to be playing together. For fourty three years no other jazz Xmas album has ever been better.

I'm a person that doesn't try to blow things out of proportion....That said, if you are a jazz fan, this album is the "real deal." The second you put it on, you're hooked. Mr. Lewis, along with Eldee Young and Redd Holt, blend their talents beautifully throughout the album.

The use of strings on some songs adds to the intrigue of the album. Check out The Sound of Christmas (track #6). It begins with the sound of strings that would remind you of something you'd hear walking through a shopping mall....Then Lewis kicks in on the piano and turns the song into a kicked up, swingin' tune.

My dad has had this album in his record collection for years. When I saw that it was on CD, I immediately ordered it. Now, I hope his other Christmas CD, More Sounds Of Christmas, also gets re-released on CD....An equally impressive album.

The Ramsey Lewis Trio consisted of piano, bass and drums. They played instrumental jazz in an accessible style that was popular even with people who generally didn't like jazz. This Christmas album was released in 1961. The first side of the album featured just the trio, while the second side featured the trio plus a string section. The material consists of jazzy versions of well known Christmas songs, plus two very good originals ("Christmas Blues" and "The Sound of Christmas"). It's a very enjoyable album that even jazz haters will like.

Shame on you if you don't already have this album in your holiday collection. Buy it on record or buy it on CD. This is the perfect, classy backdrop for a holiday party (tried and true). By the way, Ramsey Lewis makes stellar "non-holiday" music, too, so check out "Finest Hour" which is a greatest hits collection by Lewis.

Ok, it's not true improv jazz, but hey, it's a Christmas album, so what can you expect? I don't object to the full orchestra since there is enough jazz to keep me happy. I still have the album and it was nice to see it on disk.

This is the classic jazz Christmas Album--from before there were dozens of copy-cat collections. I nearly wore out the vinyl, and its yet to be CD'd companion, "More Sounds of Christmas". 'Merry Chirstmas Baby' is sooo cool jazz. If you love jazz and dig the Christmas sounds, then this is a MUST.

Of course, I grew up listening to this Ramsey Lewis collection through my open bedroom door as my parents decorated the house to make way for the magic of Christmas that was to come~so these Sounds of Christmas are intimately woven into those fondest memories of childhood. But don't take my word for it! Have a listen, and experience how in each piece Lewis wasn't just recreating old stand-bys, he was striving to make them an expression of his own experience of Christmas, and that's the thrill. I can listen to this over and over, long after the season has past, and still get excited.