A Merry Christmas! is an album of Christmas music by the Stan Kenton Orchestra recorded in 1961 and released by Capitol Records. It was reissued as Kenton's Christmas in 1970 by Kenton's own Creative World label.
Reception
The Allmusic review by Matt Collar noted A Merry Christmas is a polyphonic masterpiece that is at once progressive and traditional. ...Featuring Kenton's idiosyncratic style of arranging piercing trumpets over a wooly blanket of trombones and mellophones, this is beautiful, forward-thinking and angular music that addresses both complex classical harmony and Basie-style swing".
Track listing
- "O Tannenbaum" - 1:58
- "The Holly and the Ivy" - 1:52
- "We Three Kings of Orient Are" - 2:14
- "Good King Wenceslas" - 1:45
- "The Twelve Days of Christmas" - 4:07
- "Once in Royal David's City" - 2:04
- "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" - 1:46
- "O Come, All Ye Faithful" - 3:17
- "Angels We Have Heard on High" - 2:11
- "O Holy Night" - 2:10
- "Christmas Medley: Joy to the World/Away in a Manger/The First Noel/We Wish You A Merry Christmas/Silent Night/Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" - 8:24
- "What is Santa Claus?" - 2:12
- Recorded at Goldwyn Studios in Hollywood, CA on February 21, 1961 (tracks 7âÂÂ11), March 14, 1961 (tracks 1, 3, 5 & 11) and March 20, 1961 (tracks 2, 4 & 6).
Personnel
- Stan Kenton - piano, celeste, conductor
- Ernie Bernhardt (tracks 1, 3, 5 & 11), Bud Brisbois, Larry McGuire (tracks 2, 4 & 6), Bob Rolfe, Dalton Smith, Sanford Skinner - trumpet
- Bob Fitzpatrick, Paul Heydorff (tracks 1âÂÂ6 & 11), Tommy Shepard (tracks 7âÂÂ11) - trombone
- Jim Amlotte, Bob Knight (tracks 7âÂÂ11), Dave Wheeler (tracks 1âÂÂ6 & 11) - bass trombone
- Joe Burnett (tracks 7âÂÂ11), Dwight Carver, Keith LaMotte (tracks 1âÂÂ6 & 11), Gene Roland, Gordon Davison - mellophone
- Clive Acker (tracks 1âÂÂ6 & 11), Albert Pollan (tracks 7âÂÂ11), - tuba
- Pete Chivily - bass
- Artie Anton (tracks 1âÂÂ7), Jerry McKenzie (tracks 1âÂÂ6 & 11) - drums
- Larry Bunker - percussion
- Emil Richards - bells, percussion, vibraphone (tracks 1, 3, 5 & 11)
- Ralph Carmichael (tracks 1âÂÂ7 & 9âÂÂ11), Stan Kenton (track 8) - arranger
References