A Dozen Non-Holiday Albums For The Season

‘Tis the season for gathering with friends and family, sharing the spirit of the holiday, and enjoying some good cheer. Unfortunately, it’s also the season for excessive replaying of the same tired batch of Christmas carols and holiday tunes that you’ve been hearing since you were knee-high to Santa Claus.

Here are a dozen albums that evoke the spirit and sound of the holidays, without a ‘Jingle Bells’ ‘Deck The Halls’ or ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’ among them…

John Coltrane | A Love Supreme – Coltrane’s ode to the man upstairs is an intense spiritual journey that sounds like a Harlem hipster’s idea of holiday music.

Listen: Acknowledgement

Bach | The Brandenburg Concertos – Classical music as a whole works as a wonderful substitute for holiday music. The Brandenburg Concertos capture the spirit of the season without all the treacle.

Listen: Brandenburg Concerto #1 in F – BMV 1046-2 adagio

Handel | Messiah – This is probably considered holiday music in some circles, what with its chorus of “Hallelujah”s, but it’s still a welcome substitute for the standard fare.

Listen: Messiah, HWV 56: Part II, No. 44 Chorus: “Hallelujah”

Ray Charles | Standards – Speaking of standards, Brother Ray knocks 17 of them out of the park on this outstanding collection. I’m pretty confident that if God started singing, he’d sound quite a bit like Ray Charles.

Listen: Oh, What A Beautiful Morning

The Stanley Brothers | Good Old Camp Meeting Songs – The Bluegrass legends go Gospel. Songs like ‘I’ll Fly Away’ and ‘Hand In Hand With Jesus’ are in keeping with the religious root of the holiday season.

Leo Kottke | Greenhouse – ‘Cradle To The Grave’ sounds like a 12-string, folkie version of the story of Jesus, and Kottke’s mild-mannered vocals are filled with the peace and calm of the season.

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong | Ella & Louis – Christmas carols are about peace and love, harmony and goodwill, family and friends. Ella and Louis don’t sing about those topics exclusively, but the warmth of their voices and the brilliance of their harmonies convey all of the above.

Listen: I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm

Willie Nelson | Stardust – Willie lends his distinctive voice to a batch of time-tested chestnuts. His rendition of ‘Moonlight In Vermont’ is music to decorate your tree by, and the rest of Stardust plays like an ode to December.

Listen: Moonlight In Vermont

Shorty Baker & Doc Cheatham | Shorty & Doc – Swinging and relaxed, but with plenty of energy – just like any good holiday party.

Listen: Baker’s Dozen

Fleet Foxes | Fleet Foxes – Combining the southern-fried rock of My Morning Jacket with the ethereal beauty of Handel’s Messiah, Fleet Foxes’ 2008 self-titled debut is a breath of fresh air, and a spiritually uplifting album that projects the timeless, traditional essence of the holidays.

Listen: Blue Ridge Mountains

Peter Gabriel | Passion: Music For The Last Temptation Of Christ – Definitely not your typical holiday album. Passion thematically touches on the life of Christ, but it features some of the best world musicians creating exotic, swirling sounds that could be the soundtrack for wisemen on camels, making their way across the desert, toward a manger…

Listen: Of These, Hope

Jeff Buckley | Grace – Singing angels never made music so sweet…

Listen: Hallelujah

*****

Special thanks to Rebecca R for suggesting this post, and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

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Tags: Bach, Doc Cheatham, Ella Fitzgerald, Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong, Fleet Foxes, Handel, holiday music, Jeff Buckley, John Coltrane, Leo Kottke, Louis Armstrong, non-holiday music, Peter Gabriel, Ray Charles, Shorty Baker, The Stanley Brothers, Willie Nelson