Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Vinyl of the Month - Diana Krall: "Christmas Songs"

Vinyl LP of the Month
Diana Krall: "Christmas Songs" (Verve/Classic)


Remastered 150 Gram "white color" vinyl LP with 12 tracks.
Extremely limited edition, manufactured by Classic Records.
Mastered from the original half-inch analog masters by Bernie Grundman.
Diana Krall sings like she truly loves the holidays and holiday songs. On this beautiful production by Tommy LiPuma and Al Schmitt, Diana is accompanied by the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra on such holiday standards as "Jingle Bells," "Let It Snow," "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," "White Christmas," "Winter Wonderland" (oh boy, how I love Hank Crawford's version!) and Mel Tormé's "The Christmas Song" (also beautifully recorded by another sax giant, Roland Kirk).
Krall swings like nobody's business on what will likely be the best holiday jazz record of the season. What makes this album (recorded in 2005) truly special is the fact that it holds up as both a Christmas album and as a jazz record. It's perfect for chestnut-roasting weather, but you could also see spinning it in mid-July just for kicks. It's not mere hyperbole to say that this record sounded like an instant classic.

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