Music : GRP Christmas Collection, Vol. 2
Price: $18.99 Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0011105965026
Label: Mca Special Products
Manufacturer: Mca Special Products
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Mca Special Products
Release Date: June 01, 1995
Sales Rank: 37802
Studio: Mca Special Products
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I highly recommend this to anyone that likes smooth jazz and wants mood music for Christmas gatherings. Would also make a great stocking stuffer... I have all the GRP Christmas collections and use them every year. They make Christmas parties seem more festive.
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Like the famous Mannheim Steamroller Christmas series, the GRP collections quickly become holiday traditions for all who hear them. The 13 tracks in this second collection demonstrate variety and creativity similar to the original volume. My favorite instrumentals include: "Let It Snow" with Nelson Rangell on piccolo, a great opener for the album; Arturo Sandoval's "O Come All Ye Faithful," which starts out sounding very traditional but then kicks into some of the trumpet master's characteristic bursts of energy; and "I'll Be Home for Christmas" from Spyro Gyra, featuring the band's signature blend of alto sax and vibes. My top picks for vocals: a wonderful rendition of "Christmas Time Is Here" by Patti Austin, Voyceboxing's version of "Let There Be Peace on Earth," and "I Wonder As I Wander" by the New York Voices.
Less impressive are Laima's vocal on "Blue Christmas," which she sings like she's bored with it, and Don Grusin's "Angels We Have Heard on High," which is rather repetitive and uses a children's chorus that makes it reminiscent of some of the music from "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Not that these are bad tracks - they just seem less interesting (to my taste, anyway) than the rest of this great collection.
Overall, highly recommended for your enjoyment across many Christmases.
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I have plenty of Christmas music, more than I can usually play during the season but this one I never can do without. If you like jazz in the smooth jazz vein, soulful renditions of classics, improvised interpretations, than you'll be in heaven with this disc. There are several tracks that wouldn't be Christmas without hearing every year.Don Grusin leads the way with memorable tracks with his choir infused version of "Angels We Have Heard On High." The melodic yet innovative "The First Noel" by George Howard is reminiscent of John Coltrane in his phrasing at times, "I'll Be Home For Christmas" by Spyro Gyra is a rocking jumping good time, Arturo Sandoval sheds his latin jazz image for a brief moment on Bb trumpet and piccolo trumpet for a classical music introduction that soon transcends into blistering jazz solos than back into classical melodies on "O Come All Ye Faithful," the soulful voices of Carl Anderson and Patti Austin respectively on "O Holy Night" and "Christmas Time is Here" give the disc part of it's R&B edge. The absolute most sublime songs you can ever hear during the season are on this disc. You must hear "I Wonder as I Wander" by the New York Voices which mesh so beautifully with jazz arrangements and horns that will knock your socks off. Another soulful track is "Let There Be Peace on Earth" by Voyceboxing which features some remarkable female singing. The disc closes out with an amazing performance on harp by Deborah Henson- Conant who gives a Middle Eastern ... Read More
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No compilation on the market any better than this! I'd buy THIS cd for Spyro Gyra's "I'll Be Home For Christmas" alone!
All 3 GRP CDs are great. And if you can get your hands on it, try a compilation CD titled "Jazzy Wonderland"
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I wrote a general review of the GRP Christmas Collections CD's on the vol. I page. My faves on this one are Blue Christmas , which is a new song to me, and Christmas Time is Here. There's also fresh, jazzy treatments of standards. I Wonder as I Wander really comes alive. Highly recommend this CD and the other two volumes.
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