Music For The 2009 Holiday Season

Welcome back Dear Readers.

I hope you are enjoying

the start of Winter.

Here we're experiencing

the first snow of the year

and it is really quite lovely.

It has gotten me thinking about what music best accompanies it.

Earlier I enjoyed a cup of Lapsang Souchong with Cherry Preserves

along with Ivan Moravec performing the Chopin Nocturnes.

Very nice.

Robert Shaw and his Festival Singers

performing Rachmaninoff's Vespers seemed

appropriate as well.

Oh yes, and I just picked up

a copy of

what is probably

the hippest recording of this Holiday Season -

Carla Bley's - Carla's Christmas Carols.

Don't miss it.

Following you'll find 10 listings from my Library

that I think are great for this time of year.

I hope you'll enjoy them .

1. First up I think you'll love hearing Claude Debussy

playing Claude Debussy. Revel in this special recording and

Snowflakes Are Dancing.

2. Here's Fleet Foxes great rock recording.

You will not want to miss their amazing vocals.

Check out

White Winter Hymnal.

3. Many of you out there know that I think the world of Norma Winstone.

Her ethereal vocals have colored my world.

On the recording Distances you won't want to miss

Snowflakes.

And you will no doubt be thrilled to know that

on December 17th Norma, Glauco, & Klaus

are going back into the studio to record their second ECM release.

Something to look forward to there!

4. Here we have the ever talented Fred Hersch

performing a tune that Norma has sung beautifully on many occasions.

You may have heard Kenny Wheeler perform it as well.

Another great tune for this kind of weather -

Wintersweet.

5. For a breezy wisp of a pop gem you can turn to

Pizzicato 5 and

Snowflakes.

6. From their compatriot Ryuichi Sakamoto

there's Winter

from his

Alexei And The Spring

recording.

7. Another fine soundtrack recording brings us Rachel Portman's

Snow Story

from the Paul Auster movie Smoke.

8. And here we find a super group made up of

Ralph Towner, Jan Garbarek, Eberhard Weber

& Jon Christensen

performing

Winter Solstice.

9. Jarrett's American Quartet was brilliant

as well and here's their warming version of

Blackberry Winter

for those cold nights.

10. Lastly, no list of wintry delights would be complete

without a tune my Uncle Alan

brought to my attention years ago.

A tune you will want to seek out

when that delicate white stuff starts

a blowin' round in that sky.

Claude Thornhill's

Snowfall

is a real gem from

an earlier time.

Treat yourself.