These Christmas Days (self-released)
Jason Paul Curtis
Released in 2017
DownBeat Four-Stars Review
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_liFxePxCsdnehKqySWkTOttaOO7_2fHm4
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/131wTiGJ8ChBuwvPNnPQMd?si=MDtfIBOzTTepZffxxB_5Lw
About:
Washington, DC singer/songwriter Jason Paul Curtis makes the season brighter this year with the release of his new and very welcome recording THESE CHRISTMAS DAYS. He is a Frank Sinatra-influenced vocalist and a handsome weaver of romantic words and music. His music is perfectly set off by a Count Basie like big band sound from his Swing Shift and the more intimate sound of his Swinglab combo. Jason has stated, ‘This is something completely new and four years in the making. I wanted to re-imagine the entire Christmas season as a dad, a husband, a romantic and a kid at heart.’
Track Listing:
1. (Everybody’s Waitin’ For) The Man With the Bag (Dudley Brooks / Hal Stanley / Irving Taylor) 02:48
2. I’ll Feel Christmas (Jason Paul Curtis) 02:42
3. Christmas Breakfast (Jason Paul Curtis) 02:47
4. December Again 03:04
5. I Want Snow (Jason Paul Curtis) 03:42
6. These Christmas Days (Jason Paul Curtis) 04:33
7. Came Winter (Jason Paul Curtis) 03:56
8. Christmas Clear (Jason Paul Curtis) 03:06
9. New Year’s Vacation (Jason Paul Curtis) 02:22
10. The Way You Look Tonight (Dorothy Fields / Jerome Kern) 05:17
Personnel:
Jason Paul Curtis: vocals
Isabella Curtis: vocals
Swinglab Combo
Ephriam Wolfolk: bass
Woody Hume: drums
John Albertson: guitar
Ray Mabalot: piano
Dave Schiff: clarinet, flute, alto saxophone
Ray Cadell: flugelhorn
The Swing Shift
Rhythm: Ray Mabalot, Dave Marsh, Jeff Johnson, Matt Trimboli
Saxophone: Bob Houts, David Link, Greg Plush, Jonathan Bell, Tom Anderson
Trombone: Chris Callier, Geoff Cox, Jeff Bonk, Paul Hamilton
Trumpet: Billy Brooks, David Jenkins, Jack Seaver, Mike Barber
Recorded June 2017, at Bias Studios in Springfield, VA
Produced by Jason Paul Curtis and Matt Trimboli
Engineers: Bob Dawson, Mike Monseur and Ken Barnum
Mixed by Ken Barnum and Mike Monseur
Mastered by Mike Monseur
Photography: Aljith Curtis, Odette Curtis
Review:
If there’s any justice in Santa’s world, Jason Paul Curtis and These Christmas Days will be appreciated far and wide. A Sinatra-influenced singer-songwriter based in the Washington, D.C., area, he’s got a real feel for the fun or romantic words he’s crafted for eight tuneful originals. Complementing Curtis’ pleasant charisma are a Basie-ish big band called Swing Shift and his combo Swinglab.
Frank-John Hadley (DownBeat)
