Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Rick DellaRatta Quintet: Jazz at Christmas Time
Rick DellaRatta Quintet: Jazz at Christmas Time
...a bit of Holiday verse...
Pianist and vocalist Rick DellaRatta provides the Christmas season with a breezy collection of holiday favorites delivered with sincere urbanity. The highlight of the disc is the solo piano version of the Mahalia Jackson classic "Go Tell It On The Mountain." Here, better than anywhere else, does DellaRatta display his considerable talent. He digs deep into the blues of the song, uncovering its core of struggle and victory. "Greensleeves [What Child is This]" is taken at a quick clip with Jimmy Madison providing very Elvin Jones-like percussion. "Sleighride" is perfectly accented with Cecilia Tenconi’s flute and DellaRatta’s spare comping.
Rick DellaRatta’s vocals are a bit of an acquired taste, sometimes being stretched too thin across some of the songs. That said, though, his vocals are very effective on "I’ll Be Home for Christmas" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and make this disc a warm and inviting offering for this festive season.
Visit Rick Dellaratta for more details on ordering this recording.
Track Listing
Winter Wonderland; Christmas Song; Santa Claus is Coming to Town; The Little Drummer Boy; Greensleeves; Christmas Waltz; Go Tell it in The Mountain; Sleighride; I'll Be Home for Christmas; Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. (Total Time: 60:00).
Personnel
Rick DellaRatta
pianoCecilia Tenconi
Album information
Title: Jazz at Christmas Time | Year Released: 2002 | Record Label: Stella Records
About Rick DellaRatta
Tags
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Become a Sustaining Member
Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.
Help Build the Future of All About Jazz
Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.
Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.
Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.
