Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Marriott/Anschell/Johnson/Bishop: The Cool Season: An Or...

379

Marriott/Anschell/Johnson/Bishop: The Cool Season: An Origin Holiday Collection, Vol. 2

By

View read count
Marriott/Anschell/Johnson/Bishop: The Cool Season: An Origin Holiday Collection, Vol. 2
With no shortage of holiday music blasting through shopping malls and restaurants this time of year, it's easy to understand why some might want to escape the incessant bombardment of the overdone and out-of-date. If one looks hard enough, however, hope for Christmas music burnout can be found. One place to look is Origin Records' The Cool Season: An Origin Holiday Collection, Vol. 2. With fresh and swinging vitality, trumpeter Thomas Marriott, pianist Bill Anschell, bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop provide an invigorating alternative to the average holiday fare.

The disc's selections range from familiar, to somewhat obscure, to brand new—Johnson contributes two original pieces. The strength of the session lies in the creative arranging of household melodies. The Vince Guaraldi classic "Christmas Time Is Here moves along at a brisk 6/8 pulse, contrasting, yet maintaining the spirit of the original. "The Christmas Song is re-shaped into a dark-tinged, modal frame for Marriott and Anschell to explore patiently.

"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas swings along nicely, anchored by Johnson's solid walking bass and Bishop's in-the-pocket groove. With a laid-back samba feel and a clever reference to "Poinciana, "Winter Wonderland lets Marriott stretch out over a dynamic rhythmic flow. Willie Nelson's "Pretty Paper has a soothing Sunday morning church service vibe, emphasized by Johnson's blues-inflected bass testifying.

Johnson's lyrical ballad "Winter Solace gleans soulful offerings from Marriott's muted trumpet. "Skating, the bassist's up-tempo composition, cooks up a little winter warmth with inspired solos by Johnson, Marriott and Anschell.

Amongst the bevy of holiday music choices, The Cool Season stands out as a winner. Yes, the music will work as good-time holiday background for your hipster party guests to enjoy, but it also makes for a satisfying, intent listen—full of top-notch performances and creative arranging. You'll want to put your feet up and enjoy that second cup of eggnog.

Track Listing

Christmas Time Is Here; The Christmas Song; Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas; Winter Wonderland; Winter Solace; Pretty Paper; Skating; Sing We Now Of Christmas; Blackberry Winter.

Personnel

Thomas Marriott: trumpet, flugelhorn; Bill Anschell: piano; Jeff Johnson: bass; John Bishop: drums.

Album information

Title: The Cool Season: An Origin Holiday Collection, Vol. 2 | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: Origin Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT



Thomas Marriott Concerts


Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.