4 comments about Christmas Pan Pipes.

1. ANYTHING DAVID ARKENSTONE HAS HIS HANDS ON TO GOING TO BE GREAT!!
   THIS IS NO EXCEPTION. THIS IS A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS CD FOR ANY-
   ONE WHO LOVES CHRISTMAS MUSIC. THE ARRANGEMENTS ARE GREAT. THIS
   IS A MUST FOR ANYONE WHO LOVES GOOD CHRISTMAS MUSIC.....



2. David Arkenstone does it again with these enchanting melodies. This is a must get for any Arkenstone fan



3. Despite the emphasis on pan pipes in the title, this disc is characteristic Arkenstone -- at least on a par with, and perhaps better than, his other Christmas albums. The arrangements are well rounded out with guitar and keyboards. Those who already have a David Arkenstone Christmas disc do not need to worry about duplication. Even when the songs are the same, the arrangements are different.



4. There are time when I want to hear some Christmas music that is in a softer vein. When I'm in a little more mellow mood, this collection hits the spot. Great CD.

4 comments about Mob Hits Christmas.

1. While there are a couple of gems from classic Italian swingers like Vic Damone, Al Martino and Jerry Vale, the rest of the album is full of second- rate singers and horrible versions of Christmas songs (Dion especially!). And how can you have a definitive Mob Hits Christmas Collection without the big paesans like Perry Como, Sinatra, Dean Martin or Tony Bennett???? This is one offer you can refuse!



2. No this cd doesn't have Como, Sinatra, Martin or Bennett but none of the artists included are second rate losers. So if you're looking for a solid collection of Christmas classics with an Italian flare then this is the perfect disc. Of course it reminds me so much of my favorite little restaurant, perhaps I'm biased!

   Highlights include "We Wish You A Merry Christmas/Silver Bells", "Shake Hands With Santa Claus", and "Jingle Bells". The lesser of the tracks would have to be "The First Noel" and "Merry Christmas Baby" though neither are bad.

   If you're like me and just outright love Christmas music then you have to add this one. But if you're more a fan of "mob" music I'd maybe go for a Sinatra or Como holiday disc.




3. This CD was a quick release in 2000 to go along with the popularity of the TV show "The Sopranos". The main disappointment with it is the lack of discography in the liner notes. There at least could have been the release dates listed for all the songs.



4. It is just OK. Not GREAT like Mob Hits. Not long enough to be worth it.

5 comments about Los Villancicos Tradicionales, Vol. 1.

1. For those who do not know anything about Latin American Christmas celebration, the best thing to do is to remain quiet. It will be a time wasting for someone who even does not have any Hispanic heritage to find the meaning of the words of the songs on this CD, that reveal all the sentiment we were taught in our childhood to REALLY celebrate and feel the spirit of Christmas. Please do not think about to listen to it if you have not made any effort to learn our precious language at least. If you do not want to listen to a "tacky" and "disappointing" CD, you maybe need to stick just with opera or be smart enough to create your own music. This is definitely not for you!



2. Some of the songs are very touching, and make me cry when I hear them, because they take me back to my childhood.
   
   Some are pretty tacky MIDI arrangements that don't work for me, and sometimes the children really do sing badly.
   
   What I did was buy both albums and then make my own collection from them, keeping the songs I like, and getting rid of the ones that I don't. For me it was well worth it.
   
   And of course, in Vol 2 -- Mama, Donde estan los juguetes -- is wonderful, worth the price of the CD for that song alone, especially if you like to make yourself melancholy at Christmastime.



3. Hola! The people who posted that this album was not good and it was tacky, they really do not know what they are talking about. This is how we Latinos celebrate our Christmas and that songs basically reflect what Christmas is all about! I mean sure, these children arente the Indiana childrens choir whatsoever but I think they sing good. People who do not know about our precious heritage and language should abstain from saying anything as they do no understand our customs and traditions.
   
   In Latin America, during Christmas...it is usually Children who sing Christmas choirs ans I believe it reflects the birth of baby Jesus. These children here sing beautifully and crystal clear.
   
   So yeah...this album is definitely not for those who do not know about our Lation traditions...you are better off sticking to opera and your English music. Please dont hate..but appreciate.



4. Realmente al que crecio oyendo estos villancicos Navidad tras Navidad le va a encantar. Which in English means: In reality, those who grew up hearing these tunes on the Christmas generations, they will like this.
   
   So please, if you dont understand our traditions, pelase refrain from ignorant comments. Im not being biased here, but this album is really beautiful especially to Hispanic ears. I believe that we Latinos are one of the people who show what the spirit of Christmas is all about, unlike the materialistic society of the US.



5. Este excelente disco nos trae a la memoria todos aquellos villancicos que oimos de niños frente al pesebre. Las voces infantiles lo hacen aún más auténtico.

5 comments about Christmas with Babyface.

1. As a collector of many Christmas albums and CDs, I was quite disappointed with Babyface's extremely by-the-numbers holiday package. Here we've got one of the world's most talented and romantic songwriters - a man with the potential to write a whole heap of new holiday classics (or at least two or three). (I mean the R & B world could certainly use something new to sing at the holidays other than Donny Hathaway's "This Christmas" again and again.) But the only original song on this CD isn't even a Christmas song - "You Were There" is a schlocky movie feel-good number from the flop, "Simon Birch". Otherwise, do we really need the romantic yearning of Babyface crooning "Rudolph, The Red-nosed Reindeer"? No.

   I'm not going to slam this CD completely. Babyface is a nice, unique singer and these are very straightforward arrangements. If you like his voice, don't have these classics a million times already, and want a professional package - this could fit the bill for you. Otherwise, I'd ignore it and hope that Santa encourages Babyface to make a real effort on a Christmas CD sometime in the future. The potential remains unfulfilled.




2. Babyface is such a brilliant songwriter that it is disappointing there weren't some original Christmas songs on this CD. However, his jazzy version of Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer is the best and most original I've heard. My favorite song on the CD is the only one written by Babyface, "You Were There" from the movie Simon Birch. It seems a bit out of place on this CD, but it is a very touching song.



3. This CD is not just for R&B lovers, but enjoyable for everyone, especially jazz lovers. Babyface showed me a side that I had never seen in him before. He showed his versitility in a major way on this project. The selection of musicians was perfect...The sound quality is superb...It's a must buy!! To me it didn't have to be about writing original Christmas songs...The traditional songs that we all know and love have endured over time far more than any new songs will. However, Babyface created a masterpiece by adding his personal touch to each one. ENJOY!



4. Everything Babyface does has a cheerful affect. This christmas CD is no exception. Throughout the CD, he gives any number of Xmas standards ("White Christmas," "Little Drummer Boy") a suave R&B twist.
   The standout track, however, is the stunningly beautiful "I'll Be Home for Christmas," a pulsating ballad brimming with lush harmonies guaranteed to bring a smile even to the face of the worst scrooge. "You Were There" is also notable for its moving lyrics and fiery gospel choir backing. Whatever your persuasion, this holiday CD is well worth a listen and more!



5. This CD is wonderful. Classic Babyface versions of each song, and his voice is as smooth as butter. I will sneak and listen to this one in July.

5 comments about A Christmas Experiment.

1. The Canadian Brass combine their creative talents with the voices of children's choirs to bring a refreshing new sound to traditional Christmas songs! Five stars from me for a great CD!



2. I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I purchased this CD last year on a whim. Christmas Experiment quickly became one of my favorite Christmas CDs. We know that Christmas is particularly special for children, and that really came through with the singing of the children on this CD. The first track ('Twas the Night Before Christmas) immediately caught my attention with the child's narration backed up by the full, lucious tones of the Canadian Brass. Jingle Bells is high-spirited and lots of fun to listen to. I especially love the young soloist for Drummer Boy. There are a few tracks with just the Canadian Brass--as always, they demonstrate wit and charm with their arrangements. Give yourself a treat and buy this CD.



3. The Canadian Brass is an ensemble known for both its virtuosity and its creativity. Both attributes can be found in its Christmas recording A CHRISTMAS EXPERIMENT. The disc was recorded in conjunction with an A and E television special which is available on DVD.

   This is not a traditional brass choir Christmas album, though certainly there are elements of this in many of the tracks. Most of the tracks involve the vocals of two children's choirs: The Bach Children's Chorus and The Georgian Bay Children's Choir. The voices of these two groups are almost angelic. The pleasing quality of the children's voices makes the recording worthwhile. Most of the arrangements are original, and lovers of the Canadian Brasses antics will enjoy the arrangements of "Jingle Bells" and the original "Sleigh Runners." While a carol such as "O Come All Ye Faithful" is so standard that people are hardly excited by it, the powerful version of this recording will make listeners stand up and take notice. Perhaps one of the most original pieces is the Brass's version of "Jolly Old St. Nick." It begins like the groups prior recording the Pachelbel Canon, but moves into the familiar song.

   I will have to admit, when I first purchased the recording and saw the title A CHRISTMAS EXPERIMENT, I have expected it to fail. I am glad I was wrong. The experiment is definitely a success.




4. The music on this album works astonishingly well as part of the television special (metioned in other reviews).
   
   However, listening to the music on its own, it doesn't really work. As a fan of experimental, challenging music, I hate to say this, but: this is just too "weird" for a Christmas album. If you do not already have the Canadian Brass' other Christmas album, that is the one to get.



5. If you're a Canadian Brass form, this is christmas music in fine form. They have two Christmas CDs, one more traditional, one more snappy modern carols, they're both pretty good.

No comments about Banjo Christmas.

5 comments about Christmas Present.

1. Mid-December '60. I'm twelve and contentment reigns in my world because the living room is warm and Dad is in his chair-Ward Cleaver come to visit- reading the paper and sipping a brandy and the clanging and clinking coming from the kitchen tells me Mom is wrapping up, the dinner pans and dishes and glasses being directed to their designated spaces. The "Hi-Fi" is playing Christmas records. But wait! That isn't a "Hi-Fi!" That's two hundred pounds of solid cherry, encasing a brand new technological marvel: Separated sound, a sound the developers call "STEREO."

   And so, within the security of this suburban holiday womb, I listen. I listen to Johnny Mathis ( his original Christmas album, the one where he's in that red sweater and holding the skis.) I listen to Bing and to Perry and to Nat and to Percy Faith. And I listen to Andy Williams.

   Andy's first two Christmas albums have received insightful Amazon reviews. They remain classics. My father felt, however, in typical Ward fashion, that the secular side of the first album was too "wild." (His word. Thirty-eight years later, I still remember.) "Kay Thompson's Jingle Bells" was the most egregious transgressor. I loved it. Of course, I eventually drifted away from Andy in the mid 60's and early 70's, inevitably relegating him to the trash heap of irrelevancy. ("Hey You, Get Off Of My Cloud!")

   Despite periodic seasonal listenings granted to the first two albums, I had no intention of EVER buying another Williams recording. How can you do THAT when Meat Loaf and Kansas and Boston and Rush beckon? ("Rush: This Christmas Spent With You?" Gag!) And then one day, in the early 80's, I found "Christmas Present" residing on a truck stop cassette wheel, those shrines to the quick, impulse-driven 2.99 purchase that formerly popular artists abhor, Billy Joel's "If I go cold, I won't get sold, I'll be put in the back on the discount rack" nightmare come true. It is the type of musical purchase that is dropped upside down on the counter next to the coffee and the cupcakes and the dominant thought that, "Gee, I hope she doesn't notice I'm buying Andy Williams!"

   What can I say? That it's the best 2.99 I ever spent? Maybe. The album is Andy's BEST Christmas venture, I believe. What is striking to me is the originality of the arrangements. The first three cuts, "O'Come All Ye Faithful, "Angels We Have Heard On High," and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" surprise. Rather than the usual bombastic, goose-bump seeking arrangement, we get a folk-like, guitar opening to Faithful that builds, ever so slowly, to Andy's familiar soaring climax. "Angels" opens with reserved keyboard and remains lovely and restrained throughout. "Hark" presents us with an opening that renders the hymn unrecognizable until Andy enters. Rather than detract, the arrangement makes us feel as though something we have heard hundreds of times is fresh and new. Each cut successfuly demonstrates that familiarity does not have to be synonymous with boring. Ironically, the least successful effort is the album's one original effort, the title track, "Christmas Present," a quintessential, early 70's, "Jim Webb writes a Christmas tune" mediocrity. A moving, understated, "Joy To The World," and pristine "Little Town of Bethlehem" follow, bringing the album back on course. Several other delights conclude this moving Christmas musical experience.

   Andy is obviously deeply involved in these arrangements (as opposed to some of the perfunctory Christmas exhibitions I've heard recently. Shame, Vince Gill.) On a nostalgic whim I searched the offerings for Andy on Amazon. I anxiously scrolled the multitudinous offerings until finally, on page two, I found this album. The cassette has resided for twenty years in my Christmas case, the one I grabbed unfailingly each First of December and transported to my car for the holiday listening. Now I'm gonna get the CD! And at under ($$$), like the cassette twenty years ago, it may be the best ($$$)(inflation, you know) I've ever spent.




2. This is by far the best CHRISTMAS album I have ever heard. I have an LP and I am looking for it on CD. AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME What else can I say.



3. The title says it all - it is a Christmas Present - Andy is in super-FINE voice - very smooth vocals; wonderful small orchestra arrangements; wonderful guitar, flute and musical quality is top-notch. This album is so much better than Andy's first two Christmas albums, in my opinion. Many of these songs start out very slowly, very softly with just a guitar and Andy's great voice then build into a spectacular song. Two great versions of Ave Maria to choose from. Little Town, O Come all Ye Faithful and Angels We Have Heard on High are really, really grand, and will be your favorites. I cannot say enough good things about this album. This is not your typical Las Vegas crooner LP, but a very classy, peaceful album. This is Andy's best album of all, and if you can only have one Andy Williams Christmas album, this is it. Merry Christmas everyone.



4. Andy Williams' first two Christmas albums from the 1960's are probably his most successful and best known holiday recordings. However, this excellent 1974 effort is another masterpiece that is up to the level of the finest Christmas albums ever made. Christmas Present is a more mellow Christmas album than his first two recordings, and the 70's era musical arrangments and production sound a little more modern while still retaining the authentic Christmas flavor that made Andy's Christmas recordings of the 60's so great.
   
   The result is one of the most soothing and tranquil Christmas albums of all time.
   
   Andy focuses on a great set of religious carols instead of the often-covered secular Christmas classics. Each one of these songs flows smooth and gentle, including "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and "Joy to the World" which are often bold and dramatic in other versions. "Christmas Bells" is the only song that picks up the tempo at all. "O come all ye Faithful", "O little town of Bethleham", "I heard the bells on Christmas Day", and "It came upon a midnight clear" are some of the best versions of these songs you will hear from anyone.
   
   The soft, angelic voice of Andy Williams only enhances the relaxing mood of the album. If you prefer the easy listening style of Christmas music, this great CD belongs in your collection.



5. I love Andy Williams' Christmas Album. It's my favorite Christmas album ever, so when I spotted a CD version of "Christmas Present," I jumped all over it. Unfortunately, while Andy's singing is still excellent, the album is troubled in spots by really bad 70's music production: "wacka wacka" guitars, heavy-handed basslines, and some hippie-dippie flute solos.
   
   The good thing is that it doesn't persist across all the songs--the way it does with Dean Martin's later albums. Many of the songs have nicer baroquish guitars in them. For my money, I prefer the big beautiful band orchestrations of the 50's and 60's Christmas albums. If Amazon offered a half-point rating scale, I'd give this 3.5.

No comments about Beethoven: Complete Works for Piano & Cello.

2 comments about Simply the Best Christmas Album.

1. The minute I heard Thomas Hampson sing the first few notes of Adeste Fideles, I knew I had to have this album. It is a marvelous compilation of Classical Christmas favorites (excerpts from the Bach, Vivaldi and Corelli Christmas Concertos and The Nutcracker) and standard Christmas favorites, as well as some of the lesser heard Christmas gems.

   The vocal power on this 2 CD set is amazing as well--Broadway star Linda Eder, Thomas Hampson, Kiri Te Kanawa, Jose Carreras, Chanticleer, and numerous others. I usually purchase one Christmas CD a year. This was it for me this year--make it part of your holiday collection.




2. Every once in awhile I run across an album that excells, not because of the shining brilliance of one artist, but because of the collective impact of several. Here, in this album, are some little-known gems from Christmas music literature. I was captivated by the lilting and primitive joy in "Jesus, the Light of the World," which I had never heard before. Then there is Chanticleer and its rendition of Charles Ives' "Christmas Carol," a classic too little known. There are others. If you look for unique renditions of familiar and unfamiliar Christmas music to enhance the joy of the season, this album is a must-buy.

5 comments about American Indian Christmas.

1. I was very pleased with the CD, the music was lovely, familiar Christmas songs sang in the words of the different tribes of Native Americans. Made me really listen to the words and songs that I know so well I usually take them for granted and it was so lovely and calming. Jana has a beautiful voice, very pleasant and relaxing. I have always been interested in the Native Americans, reading and visiting the Museum in Washington, DC, but never had music by them before and I am very glad I purchased this CD and will probably consider buying more in the future. Thank you for helping make my Christmas enjoyable with your lovely version of the Christmas music. Pat Reiber, Reading, PA



2. I heard Jana on N.P.R. last year and went straight to Amazon and ordered her Christmas CD. What a breath of fresh air she is to the Christmas scene. The funny part is you find out that you don't know the lyrics to the Christmas songs like you thought you did. I recommend her to anyone who wants something a bit different to listen to at Christmas.



3. American Indian Christmas is a stunningly beautiful rendition of favorite holiday songs, sung in American indian languages. Jana, the artist, has an amazing voice that is a pleasure to listen to.



4. American Indian Christmas. The production was horrible. In the background you could easily hear popping and cracking sounds. It sounded like it was recorded off an old vinyl record. It was very distracting. I'm very dissappointed.



5. If you like native american music...you will enjoy this Christmas CD. Jana's voice is amazing. Highly recommend any of Jana's music.