- Exciting!
5
By Walter.B
An exciting Christmas album... a fun re-visit to the Kenton sound. Fantastic players and classic arrangements.
To clear up any confusion, it appears that track 12 and 13 are new arrangements created especially for this project... (CDs can be longer than the orginal Kenton LP was, so they have a few bonus tunes... excellent!)
- Awesome Album!!!!
5
By redsoxfan1
This album is great!!!! I myself am a Clarinet player but I like Big Band songs. Motown Jingle Bells is a great song with a great beat. Greensleeves has a great Latin-Jazz rhythm and makes it sound cool. This a am album that you can't forget!! Buy this Album today!!!!
- An outstanding, unusual take on conventional Christmas music.
5
By BGnATC
As a brass musician myself, this album is pure gold. The incredible talent and skill involved here is clearly evident, and the entire album is a real joy to listen to. A must-have.
- these are great arrangements but ...
4
By JoeMedford1
These arrangements are credited to Ralph Carmichael, who released his own album of them a few years ago. This is not to say that Stan Kenton did not have creative supervision. Haven't heard the album so can't comment further; snippets seem fine. Have always felt the signature cut on the Kenton album was Once in Royal David's City, which outside of the Kenton-Carmichael arrangement is known as the first song in the annual BBC broadcast of the Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College each year.
- not all bad
4
By cohen
Yes, you're right, the motown jingle bells really isn't all that hot. However, this arrangement of Greensleeves shows what a creative genius Stan Kenton was. The classical greensleeves is a beautiful piece by itself, but Stan Kenton manages to take a 16th century Rennasaince piece and turn it into a up tempo latin-jazz groove. That track is highly reccomended
- ...NOT to get...
3
By ndbrad02
Just have to disagree with the review by Mik. If there's one song on this album you SHOULDN'T get, it's "Motown Jingle Bells" - insipid, shallow, empty pablum with an overwraught attempt at achieving a feel the musicians clearly don't understand. In fact, never buy ANYTHING that a supporter describes as "jazzy" - that's a recipe for disaster.
I wish the original Kenton Christmas album was available. I remember it as a superb album, played by musicians who know and understand jazz - much better than this thing, judging by the samples. (And I don't remember "Motown Jingle Bells" being on that album, at all).
- One Song
5
By MikeyTH
Buy "Motown Jingle Bells"! It's fun with a good, jazzy, sort-of-60s beat the breathes much needed new life into a Christmas song you've heard a million times before. Merry Christmas!
