Christmas Special- 2024
Christmas with the George Shearing Quntet
Simon's Notes
2020
https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/973312/episodes/9725253-2-5-1-christmas-special-2021
2021
https://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/973312/episodes/11878740-2-5-1-christmas-2022
2022
- Vibraphone – Don Thompson
- Guitar – Reg Schwager
- Piano – George Shearing
- Bass – Neil Swainson
- Drums – Dennis Mackrel
- Producer – John Snyder
1-Ding Dong! Merrily On High
Jehan Tabourot (1519–1593 )
Bit of a St Thomas vibe-Calypso
Goes into swing
Don Thomson solo vibes- multi instrumentalist- Bass on Paul Desmond Quartet
Guitar solo Reg Schwager
2-White Christmas
Irving Berlin
An inventive arrangement
Many Reharms
3-Winter Wonderland
1934 by Felix Bernard and lyricist Richard Bernhard Smith
Classic Shearing intro riff.
the solos are good
A blowing vehicle
changes interesting
4-The Christmas Waltz
written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne for Frank Sinatra, who recorded it in 1954 as the B-side of a new recording of "White Christmas"
A sort bossa waltz
not sure if i like the ralls or not
Reference to Strauss waltz style
Viennese Swing long beat 2
5-Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
written in 1943[2][3][4] by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane and introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical Meet Me in St. Louis
Peel of bells double time vibe melting into swing at regular time
Quote of Birdland. 1977 Zowinul
Fuguatto
no solos
Back to bells vibe
6-Noel Nouvelet
Solo piano
A very inventive classical music style set of variations on a French folk melody
Theme over a mysterious pedal
V1 dissonant " modern" style - Stravinsky Neo Classical?
V2 Ravel/ French style
V3 counterpoint version tierce de picardy
V4 a waltz again french ref chopin?
Return to Theme over a rumbling bass
Bell like end
7-Donkey Carol
John Rutter
5/4 straight eighths version of a John Rutter carol
love the bass line in the intro and outro
8-I'll Be Home For Christmas
written by the lyricist Kim Gannon and composer Walter Kent and recorded in 1943 by Bing Crosby
A lot of reharms
Shearing solo quite swing era
Calling all workers! Quote? War time ref?
9-Snowfall
Claude Thornhill
Bass ostinato Nelson riddle style " cowboy" into swing.
Nice tune
Latin-> Swing
GS Solo
Then out in the Latin vibe-
10-Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It The
written by lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Jule Styne in July 1945
Bebop intro
Mobile 2 feel
I like the extensions of the sections like the continuing down the let it snow scale.
Some classic block chords solo moments in GS solo including quote from Birth of the cool Boplicity.
11- The Christmas Song
Tormé Wells
1945
Quite a traditional start a lot of reharms
Solo starts on bridge
And arranged turnaround to out A
an interrupted cadence feel to end
12-God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
take 5 vamp start goes to 4 on bar 12
(7 bars in 4)
vibes solo on form 2 choruses
guitar/ piano solo on same
once through major slower ending
13-Balulalow
Peter Warlock
AKA Philip Hesletine
solo piano nice changes of register
very soft touch
Another Carols for Choirs tune-Rutter connection
14-Away In A Manger
Trad
starts similar to Balulalow
band come in and there are many substitutions
a modestly dissonant out chorus which goes into famous lullaby ( oft quoted in cartoons)
15-It's Christmas Time
Jack Sweeney
vocal - pleasant voice
quotes a carol at the end. - Here we come a Wassailing
John Rutter arranged it for Clare College choir
Simon transcribed the intro
Nick transcribed the tune.
Comments & Upvotes