A Merry Christmas!
1961 studio album by Stan Kenton
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A Merry Christmas! is an album of Christmas music by the Stan Kenton Orchestra recorded in 1961 and released by Capitol Records.[1][2][3] It was reissued as Kenton's Christmas in 1970 by Kenton's own Creative World label.
Released1961
RecordedFebruary 21 and March 14 & 20, 1961
Goldwyn Studios, Hollywood, CA
Goldwyn Studios, Hollywood, CA
GenreJazz
LabelCapitol T/ST 1621
| A Merry Christmas! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1961 | |||
| Recorded | February 21 and March 14 & 20, 1961 Goldwyn Studios, Hollywood, CA | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Label | Capitol T/ST 1621 | |||
| Producer | Lee Gillette | |||
| Stan Kenton chronology | ||||
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Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [4] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings |  [5] |
The Allmusic review by Matt Collar noted A Merry Christmas is a polyphonic masterpiece that is at once progressive and traditional. ...Featuring Kenton's idiosyncratic style of arranging piercing trumpets over a wooly blanket of trombones and mellophones, this is beautiful, forward-thinking and angular music that addresses both complex classical harmony and Basie-style swing".[4]
Track listing
- "O Tannenbaum" - 1:58
- "The Holly and the Ivy" - 1:52
- "We Three Kings of Orient Are" - 2:14
- "Good King Wenceslas" - 1:45
- "The Twelve Days of Christmas" - 4:07
- "Once in Royal David's City" - 2:04
- "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" - 1:46
- "O Come, All Ye Faithful" - 3:17
- "Angels We Have Heard on High" - 2:11
- "O Holy Night" - 2:10
- "Christmas Medley: Joy to the World/Away in a Manger/The First Noel/We Wish You A Merry Christmas/Silent Night/Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" - 8:24
- "What is Santa Claus?" - 2:12
- Recorded at Goldwyn Studios in Hollywood, CA on February 21, 1961 (tracks 7–11), March 14, 1961 (tracks 1, 3, 5 & 11) and March 20, 1961 (tracks 2, 4 & 6).
Personnel
- Stan Kenton - piano, celeste, conductor
- Ernie Bernhardt (tracks 1, 3, 5 & 11), Bud Brisbois, Larry McGuire (tracks 2, 4 & 6), Bob Rolfe, Dalton Smith, Sanford Skinner - trumpet
- Bob Fitzpatrick, Paul Heydorff (tracks 1–6 & 11), Tommy Shepard (tracks 7–11) - trombone
- Jim Amlotte, Bob Knight (tracks 7–11), Dave Wheeler (tracks 1–6 & 11) - bass trombone
- Joe Burnett (tracks 7–11), Dwight Carver, Keith LaMotte (tracks 1–6 & 11), Gene Roland, Gordon Davison - mellophone
- Clive Acker (tracks 1–6 & 11), Albert Pollan (tracks 7–11), - tuba
- Pete Chivily - bass
- Artie Anton (tracks 1–7), Jerry McKenzie (tracks 1–6 & 11) - drums
- Larry Bunker - percussion
- Emil Richards - bells, percussion, vibraphone (tracks 1, 3, 5 & 11)
- Ralph Carmichael (tracks 1–7 & 9–11), Stan Kenton (track 8) - arranger