Dreamers Christmas (Tzadik)
John Zorn
Released in 2011
AllMusic Four-Star Review
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About:
The biggest surprise of the year is John Zorn’s beautiful Christmas CD. Zorn has hand picked seven of his favorite Christmas songs, penned two lovely originals and they are performed here in classic Dreamers style with plenty of exciting solos, exotic colors and catchy lyricism. Filled with a joyful holiday spirit, innocence, a touch of nostalgia and a charming lyricism, this is music for all ages that will make you smile with delight from the very first notes. As a special treat, vocalist Mike Patton delivers an intimate and heartfelt rendition of Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire, making A Dreamers Christmas an instant classic, and an essential CD for any
contemporary Christmas celebration.
Track Listing:
1. Winter Wonderland (Felix Bernard) 04:13
2. Snowfall (Claude Thornhill) 05:10
3. Christmas Time Is Here (Vince Guaraldi) 04:37
4. Santa’s Workshop (John Zorn) 05:21
5. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Ralph Blane / Hugh Martin) 05:16
6. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Jule Styne) 04:03
7. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (J. Fred Coots / Haven Gillespie) 06:29
8. Magical Sleigh Ride (John Zorn) 06:23
9. The Christmas Song (Mel Tormé / Robert Wells) 06:33
Personnel:
Cyro Baptista: percussion
Joey Baron: drums
Trevor Dunn: acoustic and electric basses
Mike Patton: vocal (9)
Marc Ribot: guitars
Jamie Saft: keyboards
Kenny Wollesen: vibes, chimes, glockenspiel
Recorded March 2011 and mixed April 2011 at Eastside sound, NYC
Producer: John Zorn
Associate Producer: Kazunori Sugiyama
Recorded and Mixed by Marc Urselli
Mastered by Scott Hull
Artwork by: Chippy, Heung-Heung Chin
Review:
Even John Zorn fans have a right to cast a wary eye at the cover of A Dreamer’s Christmas, given the bandleader. That said, the title describes exactly what is in the grooves. Zorn re-recruited the cabal who created the stellar albums The Gift in 2001 and Dreamers in 2008 — and who have worked separately and in various configurations on many of his recordings. In many ways, this set feels like a tribute to Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas classic, though with one exception: it sounds nothing like it. There are seven “traditional” Christmas tunes (pop standards, really) played by Marc Ribot, Cyro Baptista, Jamie Saft, Kenny Wollesen, Trevor Dunn, and Joey Baron. Mike Patton makes a (very straight) guest appearance on “The Christmas Song.” Zorn also wrote a couple of tunes for the set as well — “Santa’s Workshop” and “Magical Sleigh Ride.” The former has a series of Latin rhythms played by Baptista on various kinds of percussion — including bells — with Wollesen’s vibes and Dunn’s bassline creating a kind of gauzy flow of texture and exotica melody until Ribot’s fine guitar solo layers in a surf feel. The latter begins more mysteriously and introspectively, with Ribot’s guitar effects and Dunn’s bass up front while Baptista’s Brazilian percussion highlights their interplay. When Wollesen’s vibes and Saft’s Rhodes enter the picture, it becomes a complex, atmospheric, Caribbean-flavored jazz tune. It’s one of the set’s true highlights. The Guaraldi reference actually makes itself heard on “Christmastime Is Here,” in a piano-driven jazz arrangement, and gorgeous right-hand solos on the melody throughout are accented by Baron’s shimmering brushes and chord voicings by Ribot. A Dreamer’s Christmas is one of those holiday records — once you hear it, you’ll be reaching for it every season.
Thom Jurek (AllMusic)
