Here's a sampling of holiday sounds from the current issue of Dirty Linen.

Various artists
Hungry for Music -
A Holiday Feast Featuring DC-Area Musicians
Hungry for Music
For this holiday release, a diverse assemblage of 22 Washington, D.C. area musicians and groups each contributed one track to a project benefiting the homeless. The result is a wildly diverse collection including rock and roll novelties (Jumpin Jupiter’s goofy “Santa’s Comin’ in a Whirly Bird,” the Graverobbers’ “Come On Santa”), a good dose of rockabilly (Bill Kirchen’s “Santa Don’t Pass Me By,” and Out Behind the Barn’s “New Year’s Resolution”), zydeco (Squeeze Bayou’s “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”), solo electric guitar (Mark Nickens’ “Little Drummer Boy”), and big-band R&B (the Silvertones’ swinging “Mary Had a Baby”). Folkier contributions include Tom Prasada Rao’s jazzy take on “Joy to the World,” Eddie From Ohio’s dulcet, unaccompanied “Silent Night,” Susan Graham White’s compelling original “Child of Mary,” the New St. George’s sparkling, almost orchestral, arrangement of “Time to Remember the Poor,” and Grace Griffith’s bittersweet version of “Drive the Cold Winter Away.” A Holiday Feast offers a wonderfully diverse set of holiday music by a top-drawer slate of musicians — and it’s for a good cause.
—         Michael Parrish (St. Charles, IL)

David Grisman’s
Acoustic Christmas
Rounder 0190 (1996), reissue
Vassar Clements, Norman & Nancy Blake, Roy Huskey Jr.
An Americana Christmas
Winter Harvest WH 3306 (1995)
Tony Trischka
Glory Shone Around
Rounder CD 0354 (1995)
These three CDs feature some of today’s best acoustic pickers performing mostly instrumental versions of (mostly) classic Christmas carols. David Grisman’s Acoustic Christmas, originally released on vinyl back in 1986, features an expanded version of the Marshall/ Anger/Wasserman quartet he was fronting at the time, incorporating woodwinds, piano, and Béla Fleck’s banjo. This bright, occasionally irreverent, recording features eleven holiday standards like “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and “White Christmas.”
An American Christmas could be called chamber folk, because it features what amounts to a string sextet featuring Norman Blake on guitar, Nancy Blake on cello, Vassar Clements and James Bryan on fiddles, Ronnie McCoury on mandolin, and Roy Huskey, Jr. on standup bass. The CD includes eight instrumental versions of traditional Christmas hymns, along with six originals, like McCoury’s bright “Blissful Meadows” and Nancy Blake’s elegant, slow “Trim the Tree Waltz.”
Tony Trischka’s Glory Shone Around is an adventurous recording featuring the banjo master playing 16 Christmas tunes with a diverse bunch of accompanists ranging from (on different tracks) Pete and Mike Seeger to shape note quartet Northampton Harmony to the Turtle Island String Quartet.
—         Michael Parrish (St. Charles, IL)

Various artists
Joy of Angels: Shaker Spirituals for Christmas &the New Year
Sampler 9528 (1995)
This recording contains 38 pieces of Shaker music totalling 71 minutes in length. Most of the tunes are unaccompanied unison singing, though several (most particularly the lovely “Awake for the Angels are Gathering Near” and “Give good gifts one to another”) have lush harmonies, sung a capella. Included is the most famous Shaker piece, “Tis the gift to be simple.” Notable performances by Randy Folger (the Music and Workshop Coordinator for Shakertown at Pleasant Hill, Kentucky), The Eastman Bach Children’s Chorus (the breathtaking “Sweetest music softly stealing”), and the members of The Sampler Chorus (in various combinations) make this a must-have recording for fans of American folk music and those interested in the history of the Shaker sect. Each piece is attributed to a composer and identifies the community that he/she was part of; a companion book is available which contains music and texts for the songs.
—         Susan Hartman (Baltimore, MD)

Various artists
Even Santa Gets the Blues
Pointblank Classic 7243 8 40654 (1995)
Various artists
Bullseye Blues Christmas
Bullseye Blues CD BB 9567 (1995)
These two compilations feature blues artists in the Christmas spirit (or, in some cases, in a Christmas funk). The Pointblank compilation emphasizes classic tracks by blues and R&B artists including Charles Brown (the inevitable “Merry Christmas Baby”), B.B. King ("Christmas Celebration"), Isaac Hayes, and (represented by four tracks), jazz-blues vocalist Hadda Brooks.
Bullseye Blues Christmas is a more down-and-dirty holiday bluesfest, comprised of eleven tracks by artists from the label’s roster, including two versions of “Merry Christmas Baby,” by Brown and Luther “Guitar Junior” Johnson, who rocks the usually sedate tune. Other high-energy contributions include Smokin’ Joe Kubek’s “Poor Man’s X-Mas,” and Larry Davis’ funky version of “Help the Poor.”
—         Michael Parrish (St. Charles, IL)

Jorma Kaukonen
Christmas
Relix RRCD2078 (1996)
Admittedly, anyone would be skeptical of one of rock and blues premier guitar innovators making a Christmas album. But just as his work in both the Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna has always been hallmarked by surprises, so, too, is this solo holiday treat by Jorma Kaukonen. While the album may open and close with the sound of sleigh bells, this not your usual Christmas album of uninspired versions of overly worn chestnuts. Instrumentals abound, including an inspired fingerstyle country blues called “Down Hill Sleigh Ride” and a sweeping and graceful electric blues version of “What Child is This/Greensleeves,” dedicated to the memory of Bill Graham. “Journey of Three Wise Men” is another instrumental which is positively majestic in its playing, while “Silent Night” is performed acoustic and traditional. “Baby Boy” combines a Joseph Spence-styled arrangement with an almost gospel sounding vocal. A few clunkers can be found but they are still head and shoulders above the usual list of holiday time offenders. “Christmas Rule” is a catchy little tune that chronicles Kaukonen’s late night run-in with Santa, entertaining for a listen or two, but that’s about it. “You’re Still Standing” is a classic, Hot Tuna style, boozie rave up in the vein of their old concert closer, “We’re Going to Party Tonight.” The only tune that is truly mindless is “Christmas Blues,” which endless repeats the refrain of “I’ve got the Christmas Blues, Oh I’ve got the Christmas Blues,” till you want to shoot either the guitarist or the CD player. Still, the beauty of most of the more heartfelt material readily makes up for the duds, not to mention the album closes with Kaukonen and long time collaborator Michael Falzarno performing a lengthy and wonderfully fiery, Hot Tuna style jam on “Holiday Marmalade.”
—         Lahri Bond (Easthampton, MA)

Various artists
The 12 Steps of Christmas and Other Holiday Fare
Providence Music Works PMW 10002 (1996)
If you’re tired of the gushing sentimentality of most commercial holiday music and looking for something that acknowledges the loneliness and hard times that some people feel amid the Christmas cheer, you’ll like the alternative views expressed in this singer/songwriter collection from a new Rhode Island label. While a couple of the 20 tracks are a little too earnest, there’s some evocative music here, like Ratsy’s “If You’re Not Dead,” a charmingly sad account of romantic disappointment at holiday time, and Bob Franke’s quietly spiritual “Straw Against The Chill.” It’s not all serious, either — there’s a sly country blues called “Jesus Don’t ’Kleck No Tax, Wassail” by the Folk Support Group, and the title track by Jon Campbell should bring a knowing laugh from anyone familiar with 12-step recovery programs.
—         Tom Nelligan (Waltham, MA)

Freeway Philharmonic
Road to Joy
Sheffield Lab 10059-2-F (1995)
Fresh interpretations of classic carols — Freeway Philharmonic plays musical games with familiar tunes, making them engaging and fun while still respecting the musical integrity of each piece. Recorded live at Sheffield Studios, it’s hard to believe that so much sound can be made by just four performers with no overdubs. “Joy to the World” contains a “Name that Tune” series that would do P.D.Q. Bach proud. Larry Tuttle’s Chapman stick soloes on “Silent Night” and “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” giving a very different feel to each piece. Indicative of the versatility of the group, the final piece starts out as a quiet guitar solo version of “What Child is This” that seamlessly develops into the jazzier “Carol of the Bells” and is pulled back again to the gentler initial tune. Liner notes give the musicians an opportunity to comment on each piece, providing insight to their creative process. An absolutely delightful recording.
—         Susan Hartman (Baltimore, MD)

Various artists
Must Be Santa! The Rounder Christmas Album
Rounder CD 3118 (1995)
With Must Be Santa!, Rounder offers a far-flung holiday celebration that mirrors the label’s own diversity. The 19 tracks run the gamut from Bill Keith’s twangy solo banjo rendition of “Auld Lang Zyne” to Brave Combo’s title tune (a polka), to NRBQ’s rockin’ “Christmas Wish” to Irma Thomas’ gospel-tinged “Oh Holy Night.” Highlights include Mary McCaslin’s elegantly fingerpicked “Good King Wenseslas,” a pair from the Louvin Brothers, and Joseph Spence’s loopy improvisation on “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”
—         Michael Parrish (St. Charles, IL)
Brave Combo
It’s Christmas Man
Rounder 9033 (1992)
Veteran Tex-Mex polkameisters Brave Combo apply their accordions, saxophones, and sense of humor to a collection of classic and not-so-classic holiday songs, arranged in styles ranging from polka and samba to cha-cha and waltz. Originally released in Japan to what must have been utter audience confusion, this is the disk to play when that holiday party has started to go comatose. “The Little Drummer Boy” trades his snare drum for a line of congas, “Frosty the Snowman” approximates jazz swing, Santa polkas to a bouncing accordion, and chestnuts roast to a ska beat. There’s even a Hanukkah hora, and a straight, pretty arrangement of “Ave Maria.” Strange, eclectic, and definitely fun.
—         Tom Nelligan (Waltham, MA)

Various artists
Chanukah at Home
Rounder 8017 (1988)
In less than a decade, this 1988 release has become one of the standards of sing-a-long Hanukkah songs. Steeped in folk music traditions and sensibilities, the disc features Dan Crow, Marcia Berman, Uncle Ruthie Buell, Fred Sokolow and J.P. Nightingale performing a dozen familiar melodies that are part of the eight-day celebration of religious freedom. From “Rock of Ages” and “Oh Chanukah” to “Sevivon” and “Eight Candles” — plus a plaintive version of the Hanukkah brachol, or blessing — the selection is a warm and wonderful way to keep the holiday flame burning brightly all winter long.
—         Ed Silverman (Millburn, NJ)

Gregg Miner
A Christmas Collection Vol. 1
Miner Music/Delos DE 2101 (1995)
Gregg Miner
A Christmas Collection Vol. 2
Miner Music/Delos DE 2102 (1995)
Gregg Miner is a collector and player of an extraordinary variety of old, rare, and unusual acoustic instruments, and this two-disk set of mostly familiar European and American holiday tunes offers a tour of his personal museum. Miner plays over a hundred different instruments on the 27 tracks, usually overdubbing numerous parts, and given their diversity — harps, zithers, tipples, octophones, sitars, and ouds, assorted medieval, Latin America, and Eastern instruments, as well as various guitars, banjos, and mandolins — his versatility and virtuosity is nothing short of amazing. The history of each instrument is detailed in the well-illustrated accompanying booklets, which could be read alone as mini-textbooks. This project will be of greatest interest to fellow instrument collectors and music historians, but the graceful and diverse instrumental arrangements stand on their own as well.
—         Tom Nelligan (Waltham, MA)

Golden Bough
Christmas in a Celtic Land
Golden Bough GB213 (1996)
Mitzie Collins
White Dulcimer Christmas
Sampler 9629 (1996)
Roxanne Ziegler
Christmas Favorites for Harp
Sampler 9427 (1994)
Here are three different ways to bring a Celtic flair to your holiday listening. San Francisco Bay Area based trio Golden Bough’s second Christmas recording, Christmas in a Celtic Land, is a lush, lively acoustic recording combining traditional Celtic melodies (no “Silent Night” here) with traditional-sounding originals by Bough guitarist Paul Espinoza and/or harpist Maggie Butler. Highlights include a sprightly medley, “Drive the Cold Winter Away/Kid on the Mountain,” and a medley of the a capella “Green Grow the Holly” and the minor-key “The Holly and Ivy Girl.”
The subtitle of hammer dulcimer player Mitzie Collins’ White Dulcimer Favorites is “Christmas Music for Solo Dulcimer,” and it’s a classic case of truth in advertising. The 17 tracks include a hefty dose of the standards, but also include three traditional Polish Carols, a medley of Russian carols, and the Hebridean “Christ Child’s Lullaby.”
Roxanne Ziegler’s album consists of ethereal harp versions of 16 tracks, mostly from classical and traditional sources, performed solo or with the elegant accompaniment of Michinobu Iimori’s oboe. Perfect for quiet listening during a late night present wrapping session.
—         Michael Parrish (St. Charles, IL)

Various artists
Festival of Light
Six Degrees/Island (1996)
Over the last several years, a new generation of Jewish artists have emerged, both squarely in the middle — but also on the fringes — of pop music. And in many cases, they have let their Jewish sensibilities guide them. From the downtown avant garde playing of John Zorn’s Masada and the funky klezmer of The Klezmatics to Peter Himmelman’s spacey folk tales and David Broza’s poetically hip anthems, adding a Jewish view of the world is a vital part of not only who they are, but how they play. So it’s not surprising to find this compilation offers selections from each of the above-named artists in celebration of Hanukkah, the eight-day celebration of religious freedom. Nor is it surprising to find a wide variety of styles. Zorn’s “Bikkurim” blurs the line between traditional and improvisational, while Rebbe Soul, Bruce Berger’s new age ensemble, manages to sound both ancient and futuristic on “Avinu.” Marc Cohn belts out “Ma’oz Tsur,” also known as “Rock of Ages.” And John Leventhal adds a pretty instrumental called “1902” that, if you close your eyes, leaves you feeling as if you’re traipsing through the crowded pushcarts of the Lower East Side. Of course, you don’t have to be Jewish to get in the swing. John McCutcheon does a beautiful version of “Ereve Shel Shoshanim,” a favorite Israeli love song, and Don Byron, who garnered a great deal of attention by releasing a complete album of Mickey Katz tunes, does the traditional “Oi Tata,” a Yiddish standard. There’s also some very clever sampling from “The Covenant,” a studio project masterminded by Wally Brill. Here, he adds a mind-blowing combination of keyboards, electric violin, tablas, and didgeridoo to the voice of Cantor Ben Zion Kapov-Kagen, which comes off several old 78 rpms. Like most Jewish music over the centuries, this disc incorporates and embellishes a host of melodies and sounds from all corners of the earth, but makes it very much its own sound. Festival of Light combines both the best of Hanukkah and Jewish themes with the wildly inventive and varied styles that can be found in the newest and most adventurous pop music.
—         Ed Silverman (Millburn, NJ)

Madeline MacNeil
The Crowning of the Year
Roots & Branches Music RM510 (1996)
This is a collection of traditional carols and acoustically adapted classical music for Advent, Christmas, and the New Year, performed in an Appalachian heritage style that’s based around MacNeil’s elegant but unpretentious singing, frequently joined by a chorus of friends, and her hammered and fretted dulcimers. It’s simply produced and heartfelt, with a quiet, church-music feel. The rich hammered dulcimer sound featured on eight of the 14 tracks, including “I Wonder As I Wander” and “Coventry Carol,” is the disk’s highlight.
—         Tom Nelligan (Waltham, MA)

Rachel Buchman
Jewish Holiday Songsfor Children
Rounder 8028 (1993)
More than just another Hanukkah set, this 1993 release actually celebrates each and every Jewish holiday and holy day found on the ancient Hebrew calendar, in fact, Buchman nearly covers it all: Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot (the Festival of Booths), Simchat Torah, Tu Bishvat, Purim, Pesach (Passover), Shavuot, Yom HaShoa (Holocaust Remembrance Day), Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day) and L’ag B’Omer. In the process, Buchman serves up some stirring material, from a trio of standard Pesach tunes to forgotten Hasidic treasures and Yiddish folk songs. Along the way, she offers ideas for dances and had the foresight to ensure that a lively group of children chimed in. The result brings both tears and laughs as it runs the gamut of miracles and wonder.
—         Ed Silverman (Millburn, NJ)

Jessica Harper
Not a Traditional Christmas
Alcazar ALA 2004 (1995)
Vocalist Jessica Harper’s recording may be Not a Traditional Christmas, but it is a soulful, doo-wop, calypso, and rock inflected set of yuletide pop offering updated versions of mostly less familiar traditional Christmas fare. Harper’s voice, smooth and rich as honey, provides harmonies as well as the infectious lead vocals. Highlights include a skanking version of “Don’t You Hear the Lambs a-Crying” and a roots-rock version of “Mary Had a Baby.” Highly recommended for a fresh, tuneful holiday musical alternative.
—         Michael Parrish (St. Charles, IL)

The Bobs
Too Many Santas
Rounder 9060 (1996)
Don’t be alarmed. Those weird pulsing sounds coming from the speakers are only The Bobs, demonstrating as always that the human voice is as versatile as any synthesizer and rhythmic as any drums, and that their collective sense of humor is in fine holiday form. Getting about as far as you can from “Silent Night” and the like, The Bobs bob and bounce their way through a dozen new-wave a capella songs reflecting a season that clearly has been dropped on its head. Between the vocalized electric guitar solo in the title song (which complains about the annual overabundance of red-suited salesmen), the cheerful carol harmonies of “Christmas in Jail,” and the do-wopping tribute to suburban ostentation called “Fifty Kilowatt Tree,” this is music for Christmas in a strange, strange land.
—         Tom Nelligan (Waltham, MA)

Kenny Rogers
The Gift
Magnatone MGT 108 (1996)
The fried chicken magnate serves up an album of mostly original, contemporary Christmas tunes, including a duet with Wynnona, “Mary Did You Know.”
—         Michael Parrish (St. Charles, IL)

Santa P. & the Elves
Santa P. & the Elves
ELF-1(1996)
This is a strange one. Imagine a kosher Elmer Fudd singing rocked-up, ragtime piano-based versions of traditional carols mixed in with non-holiday fare like “Karma Chameleon” and “These Boots Are Made For Walking.” The 15 tracks, strictly tongue-in-cheek, were mostly recorded at performances by the ten-piece group, between 1988 and 1994. Fun, in a goofy sort of way, but I think you had to be there to really get the joke.
—         Michael Parrish (St. Charles, IL)

Dan Keding/Tom & Chris Kastle
That Time of Year: Songs & Stories of Christmas
Sextant Music SXB5991 (1995)
A holiday double feature here. Storyteller Dan Keding spins three traditional tales for the season and leads a pair of songs, while singers and multi-instrumentalists Tom and Chris Kastle intersperse a half-dozen traditional carols that have a Renaissance feel. The tale of “Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnall” has only the barest of seasonal connections but is nevertheless the highlight of Keding’s stories (from England, the U.S., and Holland), all of which convey the right sort of wonderment and warm fuzzy mood for a Christmas disk. The Kastles’ songs, especially a seldom-heard Polish carol called “In a Manger,” are a gently harmonious complement.
—         Tom Nelligan (Waltham, MA)