Playlist for the Unpopular Music webcast for December 22, 2018

On a grey and drizzly Saturday before Christmas, we bring you a set of Unpopular Christmas music, at least not what they're playing at the mall. It's been a couple of years since I've done a full Christmas program, and now I remember why - Christmas songs are short! There's a lot of pieces to put together.



The program is bit more broken up by genre than is typical. We start with jazz a, as usual, but there's also a sort of Americana set, a bit more jazz followed by an upbeat set, before we bring you, on what is often a busy run-around day for may people, a bit of a chill-out, or contemplative set in the middle of the second hour.

See the playlist after the break...

artist	title	album	comments	label / date
The Qualities	It's Christmas Time	Singles	special guest 1st part of theme “unidentified male vocal group with Sun Ra on harmonium and sparse backing from unknown players of guitar, bells and wood block.” song by Alton Abrahams and Sun Ra	Strut Records 1956, 1960 or 1961
The Three Suns	Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!	A Ding Dong Dandy Christmas	special guest 2nd part of theme	RCA/Victor 1959
The Ramsey Lewis Trio	Merry Christmas Baby	Sound of Christmas	Ramsey Lewis (p) Eldee Young (b) Redd Holt (d) song by Lou Baxter and Johnny Moore	Argo Records 1961
Duke Ellington	Arabesque Cookie (Arabian Dance)	Three Suites	Johnny Hodges, Jimmy Hamilton, Paul Gonsalves, Russell Procope, Harry Carney (saxes) Ray Nance, Willie Cook, Andres Meringuito, Eddie Mullins (trp) Lawrence Brown, “Booty” Wood, Britt Woodman, Juan Tizol (tbn) Duke Ellington (p) Aaron Bell (b) Sam Woodyard (d) music by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, arr. Duke Ellington	Columbia Jazz Masterpieces 1960
Bill Evans	Santa Claus is coming to town	Solo Sessions, Vol. 2	song by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie	Milestone 1963
The Incredible Jimmy Smith	God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen	Christmas '64	Jimmy Smith (org) Bernie Glow, Ernie Royal, Danny Stiles, Joe Wilder (trp) Joe Newman (flg) Jimmy Cleveland, Chauncey Welsh (tbn) Paul Faulise, Tommy Mitchell (b tbn) Jimmy Buffington, Earl Chapin, Don Corrado, Morris Secon (hrn) Harvey Phillips (tba) Margaret Ross (hrp) Kenny Burrell (g) Art Davis (b) George Devens (prc) Grady Tate (d) Billy Byers (arr, cnd)	Verve 1964
The Border Brass	Silent Night	Tijuana Christmas	music behind DJ	Design Records 1968
Buck Owens & His Buckaroos	The Jolly Christmas Polka	Christmas Shopping	Buck Owens (g) Earl Ball (clst, p) Tom Brumley, Doyle Holly (g) Bob Morris (b) Don Rich (g) Jelly Sanders (g) Jerry Wiggins (blls, d)	Sundazed 1968
Bruce Cockburn	Riu Riu Chiu	Christmas	Bruce Cockburn (voc, g, prc, dlc) Dick Smith (prc) Hugh Marsh (vln) Alberto Mirabal, Candi Sosa (voc) traditional arr. Bruce Cockburn song No. 40 from the Cancionero de Upsala	True North / Columbia 1992
Tony Trischka	Remember the Poor	Of a Winter's Night	Tony Trischka (bnj) Jared Engel (b) Tim Eriksen (Baja Sexto, voc) Zoe Darrow, John Mailander (fdl) Sean Trischka (d) Molly Tuttle (g)	self released 2014
Johnny Adams	Silver Bells	Merry Blue Christmas	originally from from Christmas in New Orleans song by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston	Fuel 2000 1975
Charles Brown	Christmas in Heaven	Merry Blue Christmas	song by Charles Brown and Stan Lewis	Fuel 2000 1961
Penguins	Jingle jangle	Blues, Blues Christmas Vol. 3	song by Curtis Williams	Document 1955
Mantovani & His Orchestra	White Christmas	The Ultimate Relaxation Christmas Album	music behind DJ	Decca 1958
John Zorn	Santa Claus Is Coming To Town	A Dreamers' Christmas	Cyro Baptista (prc) Joey Baron (d) Trevor Dunn (b) Marc Ribot (g) Jamie Saft (keys) Kenny Wollesen (vbs, chm, glk)	Tzadik 2011
Matt Wilson's Christmas Tree-O	We Wish You A Merry Christmas	Matt Wilson's Christmas Tree-O	Matt Wilson (d, tmp, jingle bells) Jeff Lederer (pcc) Paul Sikivie (b)	Palmetto 2010
Wooden Shjips	O Tannenbaum	Holiday Cassingle	music behind DJ	woodenshjips.com 2008
The dB's	Holiday Spirit	Christmas Time Again!	Chris Stamey, Peter Holsapple (g, voc) Gene Holder (b) Jeff Beninato (d) song by Peter Holsapple	Omnivore 1993
Brave Combo	Jingle Bells	Christmas Present	Jeffrey Barnes (ts, flt, clt, slide whistles, Guiro, voc) Carl Finch (g, keys acrd, whistling, voc) Danny O’Brien (trp, tbn, Jaw Harp, voc) Alan Emert (d) Ann Marie Harrop (b) Danny Jerabek (acrd, tbn) Joe Cripps (prc)	Dentone 2007
Louis Armstrong with Benny Carter's Orchestra	Christmas in New Orleans	Jazz Christmas	Louis Armstrong (trp, voc) Benny Carter (arr, cnd) Manny Klein, Pete Candoli, Vito Mangano (tbn) Trummy Young, Si Zentner (tbn) Barney Bigard (clt) Arthur Herfurt, Harry Klee (as) Babe Russin, Donald Ruffell (ts) Billy Kyle (p) Arvell Shaw (b) Barrett Deems (d) song by Dick Sherman and Joe Van Winkle	AV360 1955
Johnny Largo at the Optigan	I'll be home for Christsmas	The Joyous Sounds of Christmas	song by Kim Gannon, Walter Kent, and Buck Ram	Optigan 1971
Los Straitjackets	Close to Christmas (The First Noel)	Yuletide Beat	traditional English Christmas carol	Yep Roc Private Stock 2009
New Century Saxophone Quartet	We Four Kings	A New Century Christmas	Michael Stephenson (ss) Robert Faub (as) Stephen Pollack (ts) Brad Hubard (bs) Panc Daadlder (prc) song by John Henry Hopkins Jr., arr. Benjamin Boone	Channel Classics 2000
Stan Kenton	The Holly And The Ivy	A Merry Christmas!	trad. arr. Ralph Carmichael	Capitol 1961
Eddie Layton	Away in a Manger; Silent Night, Holy Night	Organ Music For Christmas With Chimes And Brass Choir	music behind DJ	Epic 1964
stile antico	Mirabile mysterium	A Wondrous Mystery	music by Jacob Handl (aka Jacobus Gallus)	Harmonia Mundi 2015
Roomful of Teeth	How A Rose	How A Rose	Arranged by Roomful of Teeth tenor Eric Dudley after Michael Praetorius's 1609 setting of "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen," recorded at The TANK Center for Sonic Arts in Rangely, CO more here	New Amsterdam 2017
Phil Kline	From Light	Unsilent Night	Alexandra Montano, Carla Lother, Phil Kline (voc) includes the antiphon “Lux de luce” from a 13th century English manuscript.	Canteloupe 2001
Sufjan Stevens	The Winter Solstice	Peace - Songs for Christmas, Vol. 5		Asthmatic Kitty 2006
The Dumbells	A Christmas Dream	Giddy-Up/A Christmas Dream	Roxy Music with Phil Manzara in charge	EG 1980
Robert Fripp	Silent Night á la Frippertronics	Praxis Magazine, Issue 3	Robert Fripp after Franz X. Gruber find it on Brian Eno's Twitter	1979
John Zorn	Santa's Workshop	A Dreamers Christmas	music behind DJ	Tzadik 2011
Carla Bley	Hell's Bells	Carla's Christmas Carols	Carla Bley (p) Steve Swallow (b) Partyka Brass Quintet (Tobias Weidinger, Axel Schlosser (trp, flg) Christine Chapman (hrn ) Adrian Mears (tbn) Ed Partyka (b tbn, tba)	WATT / ECM 2008