The Rev. George Yandell, Rector
Advent and Christmastide fill me with music. One of my favorite hymns for these seasons is Hymn 67, “Comfort Ye My People.” Another is “In the Bleak Mid-winter” Hymn 112. (Palmer Temple also claims it as a favorite.) Another is Hymn 60- “Creator of the Stars of Night.”
In addition are all the season’s CD’s and vinyl albums I just stacked in the stereo bookcase Saturday afternoon. I intend to hear them all multiple times over the coming weeks. (There are lots of others I no longer listen to, or did once, and retired- a sampling of those are at the bottom.) I’ll happily receive suggestions about your favorites.
George Winston – “December”- classic piano solos Tony Bennett – “Snowfall: The Christmas Album” Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Perry Como’s Christmas albums on vinyl and CD’s.
Fred Waring’s “12 Songs of Christmas” and the Philadelphia Orchestra’s “The Glorious Sounds of Christmas” with Gene Ormandy conducting, both on vinyl
Nat King Cole – “The Christmas Song”- Susan’s favorite
Paul Horn’s “The Peace Album” and James Galway’s “Christmas Carol”- Two brilliant flutists with excellent accompanying musicians.
Windham Hill – almost all the Winter Solstice albums, along with the Celtic Christmas albums
Paul Winter – “Celtic Solstice”
Tommy Emmanuel – “All I Want for Christmas” (Australian guitar wizard- picks with all five fingers on both hands) Traditional songs with great side players.
The Chieftains – “Bells of Dublin” with Elvis Costello, Marianne Faithful, Nancy Griffith, Jackson Browne, Rickie Lee Jones and Burgess Meredith (!)
Tingstad and Rumble – “Star of Wonder” Jon Anderson (of Yes fame} “Three Ships” on vinyl
Rick Wakeman (also of Yes fame) – “Christmas Portraits” and “Christmas Variations” – two new fmds on of solo piano that Susan and I both like
Vince Guaraldi Trio- “A Charlie Brown Christmas” on vinyl
Two marginal albums: Harry Connick – “When My Heart Finds Christmas” (great band but no improvement on Bennett, Crosby, Sinatra or Como)
Sting’s “On a Winter’s Night- Traditional Songs from the British Isles” (if you like bleak winter music, this covers the bases).
And the stinkers – why did I buy these? Moody Blues – “Christmas”
Brian Wilson – “What I Really Want for Christmas” George Yandel!