It’s Christmas on Mack Avenue (Mack Avenue)

Various Artists

Released in 2014

DownBeat Four-Stars Review

YouTube:

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ni3juygeh8kICz9XTpak4Njkdc6RcyN1U

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/album/7D2kv8v1u2ERAAqS6crdMM?si=H63vjP4dQWihdHyGFUPShA

About:

Mack Avenue celebrates the season with its brightest stars and some of modern jazz’s most renowned artists in a collection of familiar and not-so-familiar holiday tunes. While “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”, “Little Drummer Boy” and Vince Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown classic “Christmas Time Is Here” stand tall on the holly bedecked mantle, “Santa Claus, Go Straight to the Ghetto” makes a welcome addition to the repertoire. ‘Tis the season, kids!

Track Listing:

1. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (J. Fred Coots / Haven Gillespie) featuring Sean Jones 06:04

2. Little Drummer Boy (Katherine K. Davis / Henry Oronati / Harry Simeone) feat. Tia Fuller 05:41

3. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne) feat. Cyrille Aimée 03:08

4. Skating (Vince Guaraldi) feat. Hot Club of Detroit 02:38

5. Christmas Time Is Here (Vince Guaraldi / Lee Mendelson) feat. Warren Wolf 05:14

6. Silent Night (Franz Gruber / Joseph Mohr) feat. Christian McBride Trio 06:50

7. Christmas Star (Leslie Bricusse / John T. Williams) feat. Aaron Diehl 02:54

8. Sleigh Ride (Leroy Anderson) feat. Aaron Diehl 05:13

9. Winter Wonderland (Felix Bernard / Richard B. Smith) feat. Sachal Vasandani 03:23

10. Santa Claus, Go Straight to the Ghetto (Hank Ballard / James Brown / Alfred Ellis) feat. Christian McBride Trio 06:35

11. Carol of the Bells (Mykola Leontovych / Peter J. Wilhousky) feat. Warren Wolf 04:27

12. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Ralph Blane / Hugh Martin) feat. Cécile McLorin Salvant 05:41

Personnel:

Tia Fuller: saxophone (1, 2)

Orrin Evans: piano (1)

Luques Curtis: bass (1)

Jerome Jennings: drums (1)

Sean Jones: trumpet (1)

Miriam Sullivan: bass (2)

Kim Thompson: drums (2)

Khalil Kwame Bell: percussion (2)

Shamie Royston: piano (2)

Cyrille Aimée: vocals (3)

Dani Danor: drums (3)

Michael Valeanu: guitars (3)

Linda Oh: bass (3)

Paul Brady: guitar (4)

Carl Cafagna: saxophone (4)

Evan Perri: guitar (4)

Julien Labro: accordion (4)

Shannon Wade: bass (4)

Warren Wolf: vibraphone (5, 11), speaking voice (10)

David Wong: bass (5, 8, 9, 11)

Quincy Davis: drums (5, 8, 9), speaking voice (10)

Aaron Diehl: piano (5, 7, 8, 12), speaking voice (10)

Christian McBride: bass (6, 10), speaking voice (10)

Ulysses Owens, Jr.: drums (6, 10), speaking voice (10)

Christian Sands: piano (6, 10), speaking voice (10)

Jeb Patton: piano (9)

Sachal Vasandani: vocals (9)

Cécile McLorin Salvant: speaking voice (10), vocals (12)

Produced by Maria Ehrenreich, Fab Dupont, Christian McBride, Al Pryor, Will Wakefield

Engineering and Mixing: Fab Dupont, Don Murray, Jay Newland, Todd Whitelock

Editing: Pablo Arraya

Mastering: Mark Wilder

Art Direction: Margi Denton

Executive Producer: Gretchen Valade

Review:

For the third time, the Mack Avenue label takes measure of the holiday, this winter using a dozen tracks by nine roster artists to ornament the latest prime compilation, It’s Christmas On Mack Avenue (Mack Avenue 1090; 57:55 HHHH). Singers Cécile McLorin Salvant and Sachal Vasandani, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, the Christian McBride Trio and all the rest rejuvenate serious and fun favorites with crosscurrents of delight, tender feeling, inquisitiveness and irreverence. Most affecting of all is Salvant’s breathtakingly wonderful appraisal of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” Excellent musicianship throughout the album combines with tradition in shaping today’s jazz holiday sensibility.

Frank-John Hadley (DownBeat)