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David Ricard Big Band: Holiday Swingin'
ByAs noted some twelve months ago, Ricard, best known for film and TV work on such cartoons as Tom and Jerry and The Pink Panther and Friends, is a splendid arranger who leads a first-class ensemble of Los Angeles-area musicians and adds a swinging flavor to everything on the menu, even the hallowed "Auld Lang Syne." With the emphasis for the most part on group dynamics, there aren't many solos but guitarist Matt Hornbeck, alto saxophonist Geoff Nudell, tenor Kyle O'Donnell, trombonist Erik Hughes, pianist Jordan Seigel and drummer Steve Pemberton make the most of their brief moments in the sun.
Woodward does the best she can to be heard above the din, sounding sultry and hip on "Winter Wonderland," "Jingle Jangle Jungle," "White Christmas," "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," "The Christmas Waltz," an updated version of "Auld Lang Syne" ("We'll Wrap It Up on New Year's Eve"), and softening the mood on the album's lone ballad, "Santa's Lullabye." Ricard, meanwhile, loosens the throttle on "The Jingle Bell Cha-Cha," "The Swingin' Drummer Dude," "Swingle Bells," "Skating" and "The Merry Mash-Up" (which includes snippets of everything from "Jingle Bells," "Joy to the World" and "The First Noel" to "Silent Night," "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "The Twelve Days of Christmas").
For those who missed last year's Holidays with a Bang!, this is a bright and colorful preface to the holiday season. For those who didn't, there are some new drawing cards here (including Lucy Woodward) but Holiday Swingin' basically uses the same template mapped out for that earlier album. It's a good one, but in many ways similar to what was produced a year ago. Keep that in mind when considering what path to take.
Track Listing
Winter Wonderland; God Rest Ye Merry Surfers; Jingle Jangle Jungle; White Christmas; The Merry Mash-Up; Santa Claus Is Coming to Town; The Christmas Waltz; The Jingle Bell Cha-Cha; Santa’s Lullabye; We’ll Wrap It Up on New Year’s Eve; The Swingin’ Drummer Dude; Swingle Bells; Skating; Auld Lang Syne.
Personnel
David Ricard: leader, arranger, bass; Javier A. Gonzalez: trumpet; Dave Richards: trumpet; Anne King: trumpet; Blake Martin: trumpet; Chad Willis: trumpet; Jon Bradley: trumpet; Matt Rubin: trumpet; Geoff Nudell, Kyle O’Donnell, Claudio Alcantar, Ashley Jarmack, Max Kaplan: saxophones; James McMillen: trombone; Erik Hughes: trombone; Sean Shackelford: trombone; Juliane Gralle: trombone; Erm Navarro: trombone; Jacob Kraft: trombone; Jordan Seigel: piano; Matt Hornbeck: guitars, banjo; Billy Hulting: vibraphone, percussion; Harry Smallenberg: vibraphone; Steve Pemberton: drums; Satoshi Kirisawa: drums; Lucy Woodward: vocals.
Album information
Title: Holiday Swingin' | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Lesterbeat Records
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