Christmas Kiss (FACTOR)
Diana Panton
Released in 2012
DownBeat Four-Stars Review
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mRnYhs2WQlVOyCyat4nzKjlMOtd9jCRdc
Spotify:
About:
This JUNO-nominated album is a delightful mixture of carefully selected chestnuts, obscure gems and new originals. It was released as part of the Sound of Jazz Concert Series and broadcast live by JAZZ.FM 91. Christmas Kiss has been recommended on numerous “Best of” Christmas lists, including those of Frank-John Hadley’s 2017 Yuletide Roundup (DownBeat Magazine), Alain Brunet (La Presse), Paul Pearce (Cool Jazz Set 90.1), Christian Thibault (FM93 Gilles Parent’s blog), Peter Hum (Ottawa Citizen) and JAZZ.FM91 (Top 25 Songs of the Season). Jazz host John Devenish (JAZZ.FM91) put it on his TOP 3 albums of 2012. In 2013, along with the JUNO nomination, the album won two Hamilton Music Awards, one for “Best Jazz Album” and the other “Best Female Vocalist”. It was the top-selling Christmas album in Taiwan for 2012. Upon its US release in 2017, Christmas Kiss got a 4-star review in DownBeat and made the magazine’s year-end list of the Top Jazz Albums of 2017. This album is well on its way to becoming a seasonal favourite!
Track Listing:
1. Kissing by the Mistletoe (Leslie McFarland) 04:33
2. Baby It’s Cold Outside (Frank Loesser) 04:45
3. Christmas Kiss (Diana Panton / Don Thompson) 04:01
4. Winter Weather (Ted Shapiro) 02:52
5. C’est noel cheri [m’ami] (Jeanne Lacroix / Bernard Michel / Henri Salvador) 03:27
6. Winter Wonderland (Felix Bernard / Richard B. Smith) 03:55
7. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Ralph Blane / Hugh Martin) 05:18
8. December (Floyd Huddleston / Al Rinker) 05:22
9. Snowbound (Dave Frishberg) 03:33
10. Winter Warm (Burt Bacharach / Hal David) 04:47
11. The Christmas Waltz (Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne) 03:53
12. Christmas Time Is Here (Vince Guaraldi / Lee Mendelson) 04:34
13. Let It Snow! (Sammy Cahn / Pierre Nolès / Jule Styne) 03:23
14. Images of Christmas (Guido Basso / Jackie Rae) 04:43
15. Douce nuit (Gilles Brown / Franz Gruber / John Young) 02:50
Personnel:
Diana Panton: vocal
Guido Basso: cornet, trumpet, flugelhorn
Harrison Kennedy: guest vocal (2)
Reg Schwager: guitar
Don Thompson: bass, paino, vibes
“We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Music Fund) and of Canada’s Private Radio Broadcasters.”
Review:
Hailing from Canada is Diana Panton, a sensitive singer with a lovely voice who brings a warm glow to all 15 tracks on Christmas Kiss. She deftly uses gossamer shading and rhythmic subtlety to recondition conservative picks like “Winter Wonderland” and more thoughtfully chosen tunes, such as Ted Shapiro’s 1941 composition “Winter Weather” and John Leslie McFarland’s “Kissing By The Mistletoe.”
Frank-John Hadley (DownBeat)
