Christmas with George Shearing Quintet

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
George Shearing's quintet work is instantly recognizable. His use of guitar (Reg Schwager) and vibes (Don Thompson) closely following the gently swinging lead of his piano work has become a signature. On Christmas, the Shearing Quintet (here rounded out by the bass of Neil Swainson and the drums of Dennis Mackrel) slip effortlessly over the likes of "White Christmas," "Winter Wonderland," and "Let It Snow" with a breezy, light touch. With tasteful solos that extend off the main melody and into more heady waters, Christmas is an entirely enjoyable release and perfect party music. For serious listening, this disc also boasts a fantastic recording. --S. Duda

Tracks:

Ding Dong! Merrily On High
White Christmas
Winter Wonderland
The Christmas Waltz
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Noel Nouvelet
Donkey Carol
I'll Be Home For Christmas
Snowfall
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
The Christmas Song
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
Balulalow
Away In A Manger
It's Christmas Time

Amazon.com

George Shearing's quintet work is instantly recognizable. His use of guitar (Reg Schwager) and vibes (Don Thompson) closely following the gently swinging lead of his piano work has become a signature. On Christmas, the Shearing Quintet (here rounded out by the bass of Neil Swainson and the drums of Dennis Mackrel) slip effortlessly over the likes of "White Christmas," "Winter Wonderland," and "Let It Snow" with a breezy, light touch. With tasteful solos that extend off the main melody and into more heady waters, Christmas is an entirely enjoyable release and perfect party music. For serious listening, this disc also boasts a fantastic recording. --S. Duda

Customer Reviews:

Not uniformly great, but several nice tracks........2002-04-27

I particularly enjoyed the Latin rhythms in "Ding Dong Merrily on High", the 5/4 "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" (although I'm very surprised Shearing's liner notes don't acknowledge the debt to Brubeck's "Take Five"), the reflective "Away in a Manger", and the casually swinging "Winter Wonderland". It's just good, solid jazz -- despite the seasonal tunes, it's worth listening to year round.

Slightly Sour.......2001-12-27

It seems off key in many places. Not what one wants in Christmas
music. Not one of Shearing's better recordings in my opinion.

A very good holiday CD........2001-12-04

This holiday CD showcases Shearing's light touch. These songs definitely put you in a nice, mellow holiday mood. I really enjoyed the first track, " . . . Merrily on High," as well as "Donkey Carol" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (which smoothly incorporates Brubeck's famous "Take Five" intro). "Noel Nouvelet" is a serene, but melancholy tune, a la Guaraldi's take on "Greensleeves." If you like holiday music and nice jazz, you'll get both from this LP.

Yuletide winner from Shearing.......2000-04-12

This album is a delight. Especially suitable for background music a Christmas dinner party. It's a nice departure from the tired yule favorites in that Shearing delightfully reintroduces us to the holiday chestnuts but does so with new arrangements and wonderful pairings of instruments. This is a must for your holiday music collection.

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