music matters

Song
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas by Wynton Marsalis

Back story
Wynton was a well known classical and jazz musician by the time he recorded a holiday album.  Known for being quite serious, this was his attempt to lighten up, and share some holiday warmth from his hometown of New Orleans.  It’s far from a ‘light’ release, though, and is among the better jazz holiday releases of the past several decades, combining the sacred and secular aspects of the season.  His guests include Jon Hendricks, Kathleen Battle, and Alvin Bastiste.

Why this song
This is the final song on Wynton’s excellent release, Crescent City Christmas Card.

Starting out with a quick melody of Jingle Bells with a competing discordant honking, you wonder where this is going.  Then Wynton begins narrating the story, and the music settles into a slow blues jam that is so good, you forget you are listening to holiday music until the narration resumes.  Throughout the piece, there are clever musical embellishments mimicking the storyline, making it far more compelling than the spoken word alone.  It is also worth noting that Wynton is an excellent narrator, and his musical background makes for wonderful phrasing.

I enjoy this song every Christmas Eve, and I hope you will, too.

Reviews/Liner Notes
All Music
Stanley Crouch Liner Notes

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Roy Hargrove is at Jazz Alley this week in Seattle. I caught his excellent show on December 2.  He is touring with a quintet, and this current lineup is top notch – Justin Robinson (alto sax), Jonathan Batiste (piano), Ameen Saleem (bass), and Montez Coleman (drums).  Most material was from his 2008 release, Earfood, though he also performed some new songs as well.

He was definitely having a good time, often dancing offstage as others performed solos.  I was impressed that he didn’t hog the spotlight, and allowed the other musicians to shine.  In particular, Montez Coleman was on fire, adding rhythmic flourishes and accents at every turn, smiling ear to ear all night.  Also notable was pianist Jonathan Batiste, who added harmonic complexity in the background without overpowering the band.  Justin Robinson was a perfect foil for Roy, playing straight and slightly reserved, while Roy was bouncing around the stage.  Roy’s playing was wonderful.  He brought out his flugelhorn for a few numbers, and his tone was beautiful.  His solos were taught and inventive, and never showy.  He chose to focus on the songs and not himself.  All in all, it was a very enjoyable show, focusing on his acoustic jazz talent.  It’s hard to believe he is equally adept at soul/funk/hip-hop with his RH Factor band, and also is comfortable in a big band setting, as featured on his latest release, Emergence.

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