Frank Pellico - A Spirited Christmas

Okay... you're probably saying to yourself "Self, that cover looks awfully familiar. Have I seen that somewhere before or have I just drank too much eggnog???"

Before you dial up the EggNog Anonymous hotline, this identical cover was used as an alternate of The Murk Family's Christmas album. It later appeared as an alternate cover for Mickey Rooney's Christmas album (but if you saw the other cover, you'd understand why this one was used... you've been warned!).

When I saw this album at a thrift store in Chicago, I was half tempted to pass it up - who needs yet another Christmas organ album and I don't need a THIRD album with the same cover in my collection. Or did I? I read the back and kept asking myself "Why does the name Frank Pellico ring a bell?"

I added the album to the pile and continued on my merry way (you can never beat 25 cents for an LP). Only after I left the city limits of my former hometown and got back to my current hometown of Fort Wayne did I discover the treasure that made the 150+ mile trek east.

Frank Pellico grew up in Chicago during a time when roller rinks regularly featured live organists playing skating music. In high school, Frank studied the organ under the tutelage of Al Melgrand, the legendary organist of the massive Barton organ installed in Chicago Stadium during Chicago Blackhawks hockey games.

Pellico began playing at roller rinks throughout Chicago and played nightly at the Matterhorn Supper Club in Palos Hills, IL. His reputation as a top-notch organist was secured when in 1970, he was hired by the Chicago Cubs to play the Lowrey organ at all of their home games at Beautiful Wrigley Field.

It was around this time that Frank recorded an album entitled "Touching" that featured his amazing organ skills on the Hammond X-66 organ:



In 1976, Pellico and the Cubs parted ways (the new organist was Vance Fothergill - real Cub fans know this stuff). Frank continued to play all over Chicago as well as continue his recording career. That takes us up to 1978 - the year of the Christmas album you're looking at.



Disco was ruling the airwaves at the time and Frank wanted to stay current. Click on the back album cover to read what you're about to listen to.

When you hear the very first notes of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel", images of "Hill Street Blues" will immediately come to mind. Then the cool organ kicks in and transforms the experience to a whole new level.

It's a unique album - a true testament to its times. Any sports bar in Chicago would be proud to have this album in their collection and would gladly play it on their speakers during happy hour.


Frank Pellico - A Spirited Christmas


As the 1980s began, Frank still recorded his music and played the organ wherever and whenever he could. It was around this time that amazing things were happening for the occupants of Chicago Stadium.

The Blackhawks sported a new look with youngsters like Jeremy Roenick, Ed Belfour, and Chris Chelios. The Bulls were putting a nucleus of talent together around a kid from North Carolina... some guy who wore #23... name of Jordan...

In the early 1990s, the Blackhawks and Bulls were packing them in at the Stadium as a vacancy opened up for an organist on the old Barton organ. They needed someone who understood the massive organ, someone who had experience, someone who could rile up the crowds.



One last note: as many sports arenas around the country move toward the school of "ESPN Rock Jams" and phase out organists altogether, Chicago stands alone as one of the few sports towns that openly embrace their organists.

Nancy Faust has been playing for the White Sox since the mid-1970s and is credited with introducing the "Na Na Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye" song to sports. Gary Pressy has had the Chicago Cubs job since 1987 and played with Harry Caray all those 7th inning stretches. He now plays with tone-deaf celebs during the stretch (GROAN!!)

Frank Pellico's been with the Blackhawks since 1991 and the ownership recently tried to cut into his playing time. The fans quickly rallied to his side and he's still a fixture above the home ice.

You've got the last word Frank:




Happy listening...


Capt

Frank Pellico - A Spirited Christmas

Okay... you're probably saying to yourself "Self, that cover looks awfully familiar. Have I seen that somewhere before or have I just drank too much eggnog???"

Before you dial up the EggNog Anonymous hotline, this identical cover was used as an alternate of The Murk Family's Christmas album. It later appeared as an alternate cover for Mickey Rooney's Christmas album (but if you saw the other cover, you'd understand why this one was used... you've been warned!).

When I saw this album at a thrift store in Chicago, I was half tempted to pass it up - who needs yet another Christmas organ album and I don't need a THIRD album with the same cover in my collection. Or did I? I read the back and kept asking myself "Why does the name Frank Pellico ring a bell?"

I added the album to the pile and continued on my merry way (you can never beat 25 cents for an LP). Only after I left the city limits of my former hometown and got back to my current hometown of Fort Wayne did I discover the treasure that made the 150+ mile trek east.

Frank Pellico grew up in Chicago during a time when roller rinks regularly featured live organists playing skating music. In high school, Frank studied the organ under the tutelage of Al Melgrand, the legendary organist of the massive Barton organ installed in Chicago Stadium during Chicago Blackhawks hockey games.

Pellico began playing at roller rinks throughout Chicago and played nightly at the Matterhorn Supper Club in Palos Hills, IL. His reputation as a top-notch organist was secured when in 1970, he was hired by the Chicago Cubs to play the Lowrey organ at all of their home games at Beautiful Wrigley Field.

It was around this time that Frank recorded an album entitled "Touching" that featured his amazing organ skills on the Hammond X-66 organ:



In 1976, Pellico and the Cubs parted ways (the new organist was Vance Fothergill - real Cub fans know this stuff). Frank continued to play all over Chicago as well as continue his recording career. That takes us up to 1978 - the year of the Christmas album you're looking at.



Disco was ruling the airwaves at the time and Frank wanted to stay current. Click on the back album cover to read what you're about to listen to.

When you hear the very first notes of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel", images of "Hill Street Blues" will immediately come to mind. Then the cool organ kicks in and transforms the experience to a whole new level.

It's a unique album - a true testament to its times. Any sports bar in Chicago would be proud to have this album in their collection and would gladly play it on their speakers during happy hour.


Frank Pellico - A Spirited Christmas


As the 1980s began, Frank still recorded his music and played the organ wherever and whenever he could. It was around this time that amazing things were happening for the occupants of Chicago Stadium.

The Blackhawks sported a new look with youngsters like Jeremy Roenick, Ed Belfour, and Chris Chelios. The Bulls were putting a nucleus of talent together around a kid from North Carolina... some guy who wore #23... name of Jordan...

In the early 1990s, the Blackhawks and Bulls were packing them in at the Stadium as a vacancy opened up for an organist on the old Barton organ. They needed someone who understood the massive organ, someone who had experience, someone who could rile up the crowds.



One last note: as many sports arenas around the country move toward the school of "ESPN Rock Jams" and phase out organists altogether, Chicago stands alone as one of the few sports towns that openly embrace their organists.

Nancy Faust has been playing for the White Sox since the mid-1970s and is credited with introducing the "Na Na Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye" song to sports. Gary Pressy has had the Chicago Cubs job since 1987 and played with Harry Caray all those 7th inning stretches. He now plays with tone-deaf celebs during the stretch (GROAN!!)

Frank Pellico's been with the Blackhawks since 1991 and the ownership recently tried to cut into his playing time. The fans quickly rallied to his side and he's still a fixture above the home ice.

You've got the last word Frank:




Happy listening...


Capt

Patricia Wilde - Christmas Carols In Percussion

This was found at a local garage sale several years ago and the cover totally hooked me. It looked promising (lots of titles listed - in hi-fi!) and I gladly paid my 50 cents. Then I dropped the needle... A pretty standard Christmas organ album.

There was a serious glut of Christmas organ albums between then and now along the sharity network and I couldn't bring myself to share this one out. One track was shared last year as a part of the 2007 Yuleblog Sampler and I decided to share the rest this year.

I wish I had more on Patricia Wilde (Google turned up nothing) but it did yield some info on Acorn Records thanks to the folks at Both Sides Now. It seems Acorn Records had problems with its grammar and spelling - I urge you to check out the Acorn link; it's a hoot!


Patricia Wilde - Christmas Carols In Percussion


Happy listening...


Capt

Patricia Wilde - Christmas Carols In Percussion

This was found at a local garage sale several years ago and the cover totally hooked me. It looked promising (lots of titles listed - in hi-fi!) and I gladly paid my 50 cents. Then I dropped the needle... A pretty standard Christmas organ album.

There was a serious glut of Christmas organ albums between then and now along the sharity network and I couldn't bring myself to share this one out. One track was shared last year as a part of the 2007 Yuleblog Sampler and I decided to share the rest this year.

I wish I had more on Patricia Wilde (Google turned up nothing) but it did yield some info on Acorn Records thanks to the folks at Both Sides Now. It seems Acorn Records had problems with its grammar and spelling - I urge you to check out the Acorn link; it's a hoot!


Patricia Wilde - Christmas Carols In Percussion


Happy listening...


Capt

Bill Doggett - 12 Songs Of Christmas

William Ballard Doggett was born February 16, 1916 in Philadelphia. At age nine, Doggett wanted to play the trumpet but since his family could not afford one, his mother introduced him to the organ. Four years later, Bill was being hailed as a child prodigy.

When he was fifteen, Bill formed his first combo called "The Five Majors". While attending high school, he found work playing in the pit orchestra at the Nixon Grand theater with the Jimmy Gorman Band. He eventually inherited Gorman's fifteen-piece orchestra at the height of the Big Band Era

After he sold the band to Lucky Millender, he stayed in contact with Millender - writing arrangements and playing piano. Then in late 1942, Doggett joined the Ink Spots and became the group's arranger and pianist. He recorded five singles with them during a two year period before heading out on his own again.

Bill toured and recorded with several of the nation's top singer and bands. Among these were Johnny Otis, Wynonie Harris, Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton, and Louis Jordan, who became a mentor to Doggett.

In 1949, Bill was a featured performer on piano and many of Jordan's classic Decca recordings including "Saturday Night Fish Fry" and "Blue Light Boogie." Doggett credited his time with Jordan for educating him to the finer points of pleasing an audience.

When Doggett decided to form another combo on his own, he made the most crucial decision of his life. Most musicians of the time felt that the sound of the organ was sacred and should be reserved for a church setting. Bill decided that he needed a fresh sound to set him apart from other piano combos.

This decision led to a recording contract with Cincinnati's King Records. During his first years at King, he released over a dozen singles - most moderate successes not only on the R&B charts but the jazz charts as well.

In 1955, he decided to record a 10" Christmas album called "All-Time Christmas Favorites" (King 295-89). Many people consider this to be the very first R&B Christmas album (anyone got a copy?). Three years later, King expanded to 12" albums and its very first release was a repackage of Doggett's 10" Christmas album - the very album you're looking at.


There are some of the best Christmas tracks anywhere on this album. Doggett alternates between instrumentals and even sings on a few of the songs, adding to its charm.

Judge for yourself:


Bill Doggett - 12 Songs Of Christmas


Doggett remained with King Records until 1960, scoring HUGE hits with "Honky Tonk Pt. 1 & 2" and "Ram-Bunk-Shush" in 1956 and 1957 respectively. He later recorded for Warner Brothers, Columbia, ABC-Paramount and Sue Records throughout the 1960s and 1970s on sporadic singles and albums.

Bill settled into retirement on Long Island, New York in the 1980s and died of a heart attack in 1996.

Happy listening...


Capt

Bill Doggett - 12 Songs Of Christmas

William Ballard Doggett was born February 16, 1916 in Philadelphia. At age nine, Doggett wanted to play the trumpet but since his family could not afford one, his mother introduced him to the organ. Four years later, Bill was being hailed as a child prodigy.

When he was fifteen, Bill formed his first combo called "The Five Majors". While attending high school, he found work playing in the pit orchestra at the Nixon Grand theater with the Jimmy Gorman Band. He eventually inherited Gorman's fifteen-piece orchestra at the height of the Big Band Era

After he sold the band to Lucky Millender, he stayed in contact with Millender - writing arrangements and playing piano. Then in late 1942, Doggett joined the Ink Spots and became the group's arranger and pianist. He recorded five singles with them during a two year period before heading out on his own again.

Bill toured and recorded with several of the nation's top singer and bands. Among these were Johnny Otis, Wynonie Harris, Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton, and Louis Jordan, who became a mentor to Doggett.

In 1949, Bill was a featured performer on piano and many of Jordan's classic Decca recordings including "Saturday Night Fish Fry" and "Blue Light Boogie." Doggett credited his time with Jordan for educating him to the finer points of pleasing an audience.

When Doggett decided to form another combo on his own, he made the most crucial decision of his life. Most musicians of the time felt that the sound of the organ was sacred and should be reserved for a church setting. Bill decided that he needed a fresh sound to set him apart from other piano combos.

This decision led to a recording contract with Cincinnati's King Records. During his first years at King, he released over a dozen singles - most moderate successes not only on the R&B charts but the jazz charts as well.

In 1955, he decided to record a 10" Christmas album called "All-Time Christmas Favorites" (King 295-89). Many people consider this to be the very first R&B Christmas album (anyone got a copy?). Three years later, King expanded to 12" albums and its very first release was a repackage of Doggett's 10" Christmas album - the very album you're looking at.


There are some of the best Christmas tracks anywhere on this album. Doggett alternates between instrumentals and even sings on a few of the songs, adding to its charm.

Judge for yourself:


Bill Doggett - 12 Songs Of Christmas


Doggett remained with King Records until 1960, scoring HUGE hits with "Honky Tonk Pt. 1 & 2" and "Ram-Bunk-Shush" in 1956 and 1957 respectively. He later recorded for Warner Brothers, Columbia, ABC-Paramount and Sue Records throughout the 1960s and 1970s on sporadic singles and albums.

Bill settled into retirement on Long Island, New York in the 1980s and died of a heart attack in 1996.

Happy listening...


Capt

Bob Ralston - Christmas Hymns & Carols (UPDATE)

Back in 2006, this was one of the first albums I ever shared out - posted this over at FaLaLaLaLa.com. Then last year, I posted it here at the yuleblog.

I ended each post with the same comment: "This is the MONO copy... I'd love to find this in STEREO". As you can tell by the picture above, I indeed found the STEREO copy I'd been searching for.

Read more about Bob Ralston and find both copies for your listening pleasure...


Capt

Bob Ralston - Christmas Hymns & Carols (UPDATE)

Back in 2006, this was one of the first albums I ever shared out - posted this over at FaLaLaLaLa.com. Then last year, I posted it here at the yuleblog.

I ended each post with the same comment: "This is the MONO copy... I'd love to find this in STEREO". As you can tell by the picture above, I indeed found the STEREO copy I'd been searching for.

Read more about Bob Ralston and find both copies for your listening pleasure...


Capt

Dick Leibert - A Merry WurliTzer Christmas

At first glance, this may seem to be "just another Christmas organ LP". However, if you know your Christmas organ music like our friend Ernie (not Bert), then you know how totally wrong that statement is.

First, let us travel back to an earlier time - December 9, 2005 to be precise. It was on this date that Ernie posted his first Dick Liebert Christmas LP - a great album entitled "The Happy Hits Of Christmas" showcasing Liebert's virtuoso on the organ he called home for many years at the Radio City Music Hall in NYC.

If Ernie never posted another Liebert album ever again, this would have been more than sufficient. But come onnnn... this is Ernie we're talking about! Back on December 3, 2006 (scroll down to the very bottom and work your way up), Ernie had himself a field day with Dick Liebert.

Starting with a great album I reviewed called "A Christmas Sampler (Westminster Records)" (which featured several tracks from Liebert), Ernie then posted in quick succession:

Sing and Rejoice! Christmas Carols Played by Dick Liebert (RCA Victor, 1951)

The Sound of Christmas On The Radio City Music Hall Organ (RCA Victor, 1962)

Christmas At Radio City Music Hall (RCA Camden, 1973)
This was a reissue of the two albums listed above - Ernie posted the way groovy gatefold sleeve to look at.

Christmas Holidays At Radio City Music Hall (RCA Victor, 1958)
Ernie posted the Rockettes-red-glare album cover... wiping up drool here... is this one still available on CD?

Two stray Dick Liebert songs compiled by Ernie


I probably lost about 50% of my readers who are clicking on all those links. Which is why I'm hesitant to post this next link. However, it's for the album I'm reviewing at this very moment so I'm forced to post the link (and watch more readers head for Ernie).

Want further proof that all roads lead to Ernie? Try a Google search on Dick Liebert and look at the second link provided.

There's not much out there on Dick Liebert which is a pity. This is a man who was hired by Radio City Music Hall to be one of its main organists shortly after they installed the famous WurliTzer organ - a job he held from the 1930s well into the 1960s.

What's left are these amazing albums - including the Westminster LP pictured above. What's different about this album from all the rest is Liebert wasn't playing with a home field advantage. This album was recorded behind the Mighty WurliTzer at the Byrd Theater in Richmond, VA.

Is everyone back from clicking all those links? Does everyone have this downloaded? Good...

TRACK REVIEWS:

1.) Sleigh Ride
If there was ever a song made for the Mighty WurliTzer, it's this one... amazing sound!

2.) White Christmas
Liebert plays this rather solemnly but the genius of Irving Berlin shines through.

3.) Winter Wonderland
If you don't pick up on the theme from the get go, this one's a little rushed and muddled.

4.) Jingle Bells
Liebert starts this one on a trot, slows down the tempo at the 1/2 mile marker, then finishes fast and strong to the wire.

5.) I'll Be Home for Christmas
I swear I heard a theremin in here - ghostly version that grows on me with repeated listenings!

6.) Parade of the Wooden Soldiers
Whenever I hear orchestral versions of this song, I'm immediately turned off by it. Whenever I hear this song on the organ (especially the WurliTzer), it takes on a whole different quality I tune into. Wonderful stuff.

7.) The Skater's Waltz
Images of roller rinks, ice ponds, Olympic figure skaters, several cartoons, and some bad TV variety magicians come to mind when I hear this song. I want this song played next as a "couples only" skate.

8.) Home for the Holidays
Man, this one had me singing along... follow the bouncing ball, folks!

9.) Santa Claus is Coming to Town
The song has all the feel of Santa's workshop as elves get ready for the big day.

10.) Christmas Fantasy - O Little Town of Bethlehem / Silent Night / Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Three standards linked together. The best part for me is the improvisation Liebert plays as he links "O Little Town" and "Silent Night" - virtuoso stuff!


This is a fine album by Liebert done very early on in his recording career. The Christmas albums he recorded for RCA Victor remain the absolute summit of his days with Nipper and the gang. I'm very partial to "The Happy Hits of Christmas" as Liebert's best work - although I haven't heard the album with all them Rockettes on it so I reserve judgement.

But you can't go wrong with this album. Lots of fresh sounds, wondrous arrangements, and with Liebert at the WurliTzer, you're in for one heck of a ride.

Thanks for keeping the memory of Dick Liebert alive Ernie!


Capt

Dick Leibert - A Merry WurliTzer Christmas

At first glance, this may seem to be "just another Christmas organ LP". However, if you know your Christmas organ music like our friend Ernie (not Bert), then you know how totally wrong that statement is.

First, let us travel back to an earlier time - December 9, 2005 to be precise. It was on this date that Ernie posted his first Dick Liebert Christmas LP - a great album entitled "The Happy Hits Of Christmas" showcasing Liebert's virtuoso on the organ he called home for many years at the Radio City Music Hall in NYC.

If Ernie never posted another Liebert album ever again, this would have been more than sufficient. But come onnnn... this is Ernie we're talking about! Back on December 3, 2006 (scroll down to the very bottom and work your way up), Ernie had himself a field day with Dick Liebert.

Starting with a great album I reviewed called "A Christmas Sampler (Westminster Records)" (which featured several tracks from Liebert), Ernie then posted in quick succession:

Sing and Rejoice! Christmas Carols Played by Dick Liebert (RCA Victor, 1951)

The Sound of Christmas On The Radio City Music Hall Organ (RCA Victor, 1962)

Christmas At Radio City Music Hall (RCA Camden, 1973)
This was a reissue of the two albums listed above - Ernie posted the way groovy gatefold sleeve to look at.

Christmas Holidays At Radio City Music Hall (RCA Victor, 1958)
Ernie posted the Rockettes-red-glare album cover... wiping up drool here... is this one still available on CD?

Two stray Dick Liebert songs compiled by Ernie


I probably lost about 50% of my readers who are clicking on all those links. Which is why I'm hesitant to post this next link. However, it's for the album I'm reviewing at this very moment so I'm forced to post the link (and watch more readers head for Ernie).

Want further proof that all roads lead to Ernie? Try a Google search on Dick Liebert and look at the second link provided.

There's not much out there on Dick Liebert which is a pity. This is a man who was hired by Radio City Music Hall to be one of its main organists shortly after they installed the famous WurliTzer organ - a job he held from the 1930s well into the 1960s.

What's left are these amazing albums - including the Westminster LP pictured above. What's different about this album from all the rest is Liebert wasn't playing with a home field advantage. This album was recorded behind the Mighty WurliTzer at the Byrd Theater in Richmond, VA.

Is everyone back from clicking all those links? Does everyone have this downloaded? Good...

TRACK REVIEWS:

1.) Sleigh Ride
If there was ever a song made for the Mighty WurliTzer, it's this one... amazing sound!

2.) White Christmas
Liebert plays this rather solemnly but the genius of Irving Berlin shines through.

3.) Winter Wonderland
If you don't pick up on the theme from the get go, this one's a little rushed and muddled.

4.) Jingle Bells
Liebert starts this one on a trot, slows down the tempo at the 1/2 mile marker, then finishes fast and strong to the wire.

5.) I'll Be Home for Christmas
I swear I heard a theremin in here - ghostly version that grows on me with repeated listenings!

6.) Parade of the Wooden Soldiers
Whenever I hear orchestral versions of this song, I'm immediately turned off by it. Whenever I hear this song on the organ (especially the WurliTzer), it takes on a whole different quality I tune into. Wonderful stuff.

7.) The Skater's Waltz
Images of roller rinks, ice ponds, Olympic figure skaters, several cartoons, and some bad TV variety magicians come to mind when I hear this song. I want this song played next as a "couples only" skate.

8.) Home for the Holidays
Man, this one had me singing along... follow the bouncing ball, folks!

9.) Santa Claus is Coming to Town
The song has all the feel of Santa's workshop as elves get ready for the big day.

10.) Christmas Fantasy - O Little Town of Bethlehem / Silent Night / Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Three standards linked together. The best part for me is the improvisation Liebert plays as he links "O Little Town" and "Silent Night" - virtuoso stuff!


This is a fine album by Liebert done very early on in his recording career. The Christmas albums he recorded for RCA Victor remain the absolute summit of his days with Nipper and the gang. I'm very partial to "The Happy Hits of Christmas" as Liebert's best work - although I haven't heard the album with all them Rockettes on it so I reserve judgement.

But you can't go wrong with this album. Lots of fresh sounds, wondrous arrangements, and with Liebert at the WurliTzer, you're in for one heck of a ride.

Thanks for keeping the memory of Dick Liebert alive Ernie!


Capt

Rhoda Scott - Les Orgues de Noël

Since the beginning of LPs at the end of the 1940s, there has probably been more Christmas organ albums released than any other single musical instrument.

There are amazing Christmas organ albums (see Jimmy McGriff, Ethel Smith, or Earl Grant). There are decent Christmas organ albums (see Ken Griffin, Larry Ferrari, or Eddie Layton). There are terrible Christmas organ albums (see Hanna-Barbera or Alexander Goodrich).

From November 2005 to now, I've collected nearly 25 Christmas organ albums, easily making it the largest subgenre in my collection. So why am I adding this new organ CD to my collection? Brother, I wasn't about to miss this one from Rhoda Scott!

I first heard about Scott when I reviewed Ton Rückert's 2003 & 2004 Christmas Comps back in March, 2007. Ton had used the song "Winter Wonderland" in his 2004 Christmas comp. My comment at the time was:

GREAT JUMPIN' ICEBERGS! Rhoda Scott's 'Winter Wonderland' is a swirling, rousing trip on the Hammond B-3 organ! Adding her Christmas CD to my wish list for sure!"

Rhoda Scott was born outside of Atlantic City, New Jersey on July 3, 1938. The daughter of a minister, she learned to play organ in her father's church beginning at the age of seven. While learning the organ, Rhoda found it more comfortable to play the pedals barefoot - a tradition she continues to this day!

Scott was schooled in the "proper" way of playing to achieve a "full" organ sound using all its facility. To this day, Rhoda plays her bass line exclusively with the foot pedals; not relying on the left hand finger-bass and "popping" action of only a few pedals. This technique frees up her left hand to chord through the changes while her right hand plays melody and solos.

She later studied classical piano, but she concentrated on the organ, eventually earning a Masters' degree in music theory from the Manhattan School of Music. By this time she had been asked by a choir member to fill in with a small band as a jazz pianist.

Enjoying the music, she agreed to stay on with the band on condition that she be allowed to play organ instead of piano. Choosing as her instrument the Hammond Organ, she soon became a preeminent jazz musician and is considered by many to be the top female jazz organist.

Her recording career began in the early 1960s with a bevy of singles and albums on the Prestige jazz label. Going up against well established organ masters like Jimmy Smith, Bill Doggett, and others (see above), her records were looked over and didn't sell. By the mid-1960s, Rhoda was on the outside looking in.

So in 1967, Rhoda said goodbye to the United States and settled in France where her genius behind the organ was instantly recognized. Her records sold off the shelves and her live performances were experiences:



She toured throughout Europe and Asia, making more albums along the way, and earning nicknames such as "The Barefoot Lady" and "The Barefoot Contessa."

Rhoda recorded a Christmas album in France entitled "Noël De Rhoda" back in 1977 (GEMM has a copy available for $91! Musicstack doesn't have it yet - adding it to my searches!). It appears that all of the songs from that album ended up on this compilation along with two Christmas medleys recorded in 1993 to round it out.

In total, you get seventeen songs - all priceless gems with not one bad note in the bunch. I'm still wild about "Winter Wonderland" - that is a trip and a half!

This comp was released in France first in 1994. However, some bright lad at Universal Music France pestered the powers that be in America to release this for Christmas in 2003. The result?


With the same seventeen songs, the same title (just translated), and the amazing sounds from Scott, this is the version you'll probably find in the Christmas bins - provided some clever lad at Target, Best Buy, or even Wal-Mart would have the courage and vision to put it there to begin with.

Both the import version and the American version are both online at Amazon.com where I got my two copies. You can't go wrong with either version - masterful stuff.

Rhoda is very much alive, continuing to perform barefoot behind beloved B-3 organ by Hammond (see below). Check out her website and do a search on YouTube to listen to more mindblowing playing on the organ!




Capt

Rhoda Scott - Les Orgues de Noël

Since the beginning of LPs at the end of the 1940s, there has probably been more Christmas organ albums released than any other single musical instrument.

There are amazing Christmas organ albums (see Jimmy McGriff, Ethel Smith, or Earl Grant). There are decent Christmas organ albums (see Ken Griffin, Larry Ferrari, or Eddie Layton). There are terrible Christmas organ albums (see Hanna-Barbera or Alexander Goodrich).

From November 2005 to now, I've collected nearly 25 Christmas organ albums, easily making it the largest subgenre in my collection. So why am I adding this new organ CD to my collection? Brother, I wasn't about to miss this one from Rhoda Scott!

I first heard about Scott when I reviewed Ton Rückert's 2003 & 2004 Christmas Comps back in March, 2007. Ton had used the song "Winter Wonderland" in his 2004 Christmas comp. My comment at the time was:

GREAT JUMPIN' ICEBERGS! Rhoda Scott's 'Winter Wonderland' is a swirling, rousing trip on the Hammond B-3 organ! Adding her Christmas CD to my wish list for sure!"

Rhoda Scott was born outside of Atlantic City, New Jersey on July 3, 1938. The daughter of a minister, she learned to play organ in her father's church beginning at the age of seven. While learning the organ, Rhoda found it more comfortable to play the pedals barefoot - a tradition she continues to this day!

Scott was schooled in the "proper" way of playing to achieve a "full" organ sound using all its facility. To this day, Rhoda plays her bass line exclusively with the foot pedals; not relying on the left hand finger-bass and "popping" action of only a few pedals. This technique frees up her left hand to chord through the changes while her right hand plays melody and solos.

She later studied classical piano, but she concentrated on the organ, eventually earning a Masters' degree in music theory from the Manhattan School of Music. By this time she had been asked by a choir member to fill in with a small band as a jazz pianist.

Enjoying the music, she agreed to stay on with the band on condition that she be allowed to play organ instead of piano. Choosing as her instrument the Hammond Organ, she soon became a preeminent jazz musician and is considered by many to be the top female jazz organist.

Her recording career began in the early 1960s with a bevy of singles and albums on the Prestige jazz label. Going up against well established organ masters like Jimmy Smith, Bill Doggett, and others (see above), her records were looked over and didn't sell. By the mid-1960s, Rhoda was on the outside looking in.

So in 1967, Rhoda said goodbye to the United States and settled in France where her genius behind the organ was instantly recognized. Her records sold off the shelves and her live performances were experiences:



She toured throughout Europe and Asia, making more albums along the way, and earning nicknames such as "The Barefoot Lady" and "The Barefoot Contessa."

Rhoda recorded a Christmas album in France entitled "Noël De Rhoda" back in 1977 (GEMM has a copy available for $91! Musicstack doesn't have it yet - adding it to my searches!). It appears that all of the songs from that album ended up on this compilation along with two Christmas medleys recorded in 1993 to round it out.

In total, you get seventeen songs - all priceless gems with not one bad note in the bunch. I'm still wild about "Winter Wonderland" - that is a trip and a half!

This comp was released in France first in 1994. However, some bright lad at Universal Music France pestered the powers that be in America to release this for Christmas in 2003. The result?


With the same seventeen songs, the same title (just translated), and the amazing sounds from Scott, this is the version you'll probably find in the Christmas bins - provided some clever lad at Target, Best Buy, or even Wal-Mart would have the courage and vision to put it there to begin with.

Both the import version and the American version are both online at Amazon.com where I got my two copies. You can't go wrong with either version - masterful stuff.

Rhoda is very much alive, continuing to perform barefoot behind beloved B-3 organ by Hammond (see below). Check out her website and do a search on YouTube to listen to more mindblowing playing on the organ!




Capt

Eddie Layton - Organ Music For Christmas

From an infamous Kermit Schaefer blooper:

"While our game is being temporarily delayed, let us listen to our organist in the center field stands as he entertains you while diddling on his organ."

Back on November 26, 2006, our friend Ernie posted this one at his blog under the title "Better Layton Than Ever". After downloading this and having the album sit on my hard drive for nearly a year, I'm finally listening to it and writing about it!

And after doing some quick research on Eddie Layton, I'm ready to play ball!

Layton was born in Philadelphia in 1925, studied music as a child, and was studying meteorology in college when World War II broke out. Enlisting in the U.S. Navy, Eddie was assigned to the Naval Air Station in Lindhurst, New Jersey. A chance encounter with a Hammond organ would soon change his life forever.

After World War II, he fell in love with the Hammond organ and soon began studying under the tutelage of the one and only Jesse Crawford (he of the hundreds of budget Christmas albums that clutter vinyl bins everywhere).

Layton was so adapt at playing the Hammond organ that he was able to find effects and little known features on the instrument. This convinced the Hammond Organ Company to retain him as a demonstrator for its stores over the next 50 years!

In the late 1940s - early 1950s, Layton was playing all around New York City as an organist, played at Radio City Music Hall (where he rubbed elbows with George Wright and Dick Liebert),and found a home on the radio in various soap operas of the day on CBS Radio.

Around this time, he began recording for Mercury Records, quickly becoming their star organist. He released a number of albums between 1956 and 1963 covering a wide range of music. If you want to hear some of these tunes, WFMU's 365 Days Project just posted an entry all about Layton.

After leaving Mercury Records, he signed with Epic and chose as his first project this Christmas album you see here before you. Layton carefully chose both traditional and popular Christmas songs - sometimes weaving several into one.

Released for Christmas, 1964, it's a good Christmas organ album - a notch above many of the Christmas organ albums I've gotten in the last two years. Eddie does a masterful job keeping it light, fun, and above all, Christmas-ey.

His medley of "Rudolph / Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" is the standout on the album. Having a mad xylophonist run up and down the scales is a nice touch inbetween some great swirls on the Hammond organ. Other tunes worth a listen include "Let It Snow", "Silver Bells", and his version of "O Holy Night" that's powerful and clocks in just under two minutes!

Layton released several other albums for Epic Records in the mid-1960s when fate knocked at the door. The New York Yankees were under the ownership of CBS and they remembered their house organist. They offered Eddie the prime gig of playing the house organ at Yankee Stadium during home games which he declined at first, having little knowledge of baseball game and driving a car.

The Yankees promised him limo rides to and from his house (for an organist!) and he agreed to a one game tryout in 1967. That one game gig stretched into a career spanning over 36 years, eventually winning him jobs playing for the Knicks and the Rangers. Layton played his last version of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" on September 28, 2003 with a capacity crowd cheering his name.

Better Layton than ever, indeed!


UP NEXT: What I downloaded on November 25, 2006 at 6:34 PM


Capt

Eddie Layton - Organ Music For Christmas

From an infamous Kermit Schaefer blooper:

"While our game is being temporarily delayed, let us listen to our organist in the center field stands as he entertains you while diddling on his organ."

Back on November 26, 2006, our friend Ernie posted this one at his blog under the title "Better Layton Than Ever". After downloading this and having the album sit on my hard drive for nearly a year, I'm finally listening to it and writing about it!

And after doing some quick research on Eddie Layton, I'm ready to play ball!

Layton was born in Philadelphia in 1925, studied music as a child, and was studying meteorology in college when World War II broke out. Enlisting in the U.S. Navy, Eddie was assigned to the Naval Air Station in Lindhurst, New Jersey. A chance encounter with a Hammond organ would soon change his life forever.

After World War II, he fell in love with the Hammond organ and soon began studying under the tutelage of the one and only Jesse Crawford (he of the hundreds of budget Christmas albums that clutter vinyl bins everywhere).

Layton was so adapt at playing the Hammond organ that he was able to find effects and little known features on the instrument. This convinced the Hammond Organ Company to retain him as a demonstrator for its stores over the next 50 years!

In the late 1940s - early 1950s, Layton was playing all around New York City as an organist, played at Radio City Music Hall (where he rubbed elbows with George Wright and Dick Liebert),and found a home on the radio in various soap operas of the day on CBS Radio.

Around this time, he began recording for Mercury Records, quickly becoming their star organist. He released a number of albums between 1956 and 1963 covering a wide range of music. If you want to hear some of these tunes, WFMU's 365 Days Project just posted an entry all about Layton.

After leaving Mercury Records, he signed with Epic and chose as his first project this Christmas album you see here before you. Layton carefully chose both traditional and popular Christmas songs - sometimes weaving several into one.

Released for Christmas, 1964, it's a good Christmas organ album - a notch above many of the Christmas organ albums I've gotten in the last two years. Eddie does a masterful job keeping it light, fun, and above all, Christmas-ey.

His medley of "Rudolph / Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" is the standout on the album. Having a mad xylophonist run up and down the scales is a nice touch inbetween some great swirls on the Hammond organ. Other tunes worth a listen include "Let It Snow", "Silver Bells", and his version of "O Holy Night" that's powerful and clocks in just under two minutes!

Layton released several other albums for Epic Records in the mid-1960s when fate knocked at the door. The New York Yankees were under the ownership of CBS and they remembered their house organist. They offered Eddie the prime gig of playing the house organ at Yankee Stadium during home games which he declined at first, having little knowledge of baseball game and driving a car.

The Yankees promised him limo rides to and from his house (for an organist!) and he agreed to a one game tryout in 1967. That one game gig stretched into a career spanning over 36 years, eventually winning him jobs playing for the Knicks and the Rangers. Layton played his last version of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" on September 28, 2003 with a capacity crowd cheering his name.

Better Layton than ever, indeed!


UP NEXT: What I downloaded on November 25, 2006 at 6:34 PM


Capt

Hanna-Barbera Organ & Chimes - Merry Christmas

This one almost had me in its tentacles. eBay had several copies tempting me to spend $20 or more to get my own LP. Thankfully, I checked out the cool wax.

Brainwerk runs the fun sharity blog entitled "Check The Cool Wax" whose great Christmas comp I reviewed here earlier this year. Last November, he posted this album and I was able to scratch this one off my list.

By the looks of the cover, it promises to be a fun, fun album. Fast Freddy Flintstone on the stalagmite organ, Snagglepuss pickin' the bass, Huckleberry Hounddog on the chimes, and don't forget Magilla Gorilla on the triangle!

But we're putting the cartoon horse before the cartoon cart. We have to go back to 1939 for the beginning of this story.

On the backlot of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer stood the animation studio where William Hanna and Joseph Barbera first met. They had an instant rapport and set to complete their first collaboration - a 1940 cartoon called "Puss Gets The Boot". This simple cartoon pitted a tom cat against a clever mouse. Hence, Tom and Jerry were born.

For the next seventeen years, Hanna & Barbera and Tom & Jerry created one minor masterpiece after the other. Shortly before MGM closed the animation studio in 1957, the duo had won eight Academy Awards and formed a successful animation company of their own (which did side work like the animated titles for "I Love Lucy").

Hanna & Barbera took aim at the growing number of kids thru television. By 1961, they had their first hits on the tube with "Huckleberry Hound" and "Quick Draw McGraw" and were planning their most ambitious gamble yet - a prime time animated television series for ABC that featured some caveman guy yelling a three word phrase...

"The Flintstones" was a phenomenon. It quickly spawned off merchandising, feature length movies, and even a commercial or two:



During the massive wave of Hanna-Barbera products, this album was recorded and released by Hanna-Barbera Records (go figure) for Christmas, 1965. Look at the cover closely again. Let your eye wander to the left where it says "Featuring The Hanna-Barbera Organ & Chimes".

Yep, this whole album is one guy playing the organ, another person on the chimes, and occasionally you'll hear the piano and sleigh bells. "Jingle Bells" is the only song on the album that has any life, the rest are dull with an occasional hint of cartoon color. I suppose if you close your eyes and concentrate hard enough, your mind will allow you to imagine the pantheon of Hanna-Barbera stars at Christmas time. The music alone will barely get it done.

Following the demise of the modern stone-age family in 1966, H & B continued to put out cartoons at an alarming rate. At one point, it was estimated that three out of four animated shows between 1961 and 1977 came from the Hanna-Barbera studios.

Favorite characters during this period included Snagglepuss, The Jetsons, Top Cat, Jonny Quest, Yogi Bear, Wally Gator, Atom Ant, Magilla Gorilla, Birdman & The Galaxy Trio (the inspiration for "Harvey Birdman, Atty At Law"), Scooby Doo, Josie & The Pussycats, Charlie Chan & The Chan Clan, The SuperFriends & Justice League, The Funky Phantom, SpeedBuggy, and Jabberjaw.

If I forgot one of your favorites, leave a comment below.

By the mid to late 1970s, Hanna-Barbera decade long domination of the airwaves was beginning to wane. The production was beginning to suffer as "talking heads" and action implied off screen became the norm.

We had seen every variation of "The Flintstones" and "Scooby-Doo" imaginable (including the much hated Scrappy Doo) and very little new original animated series. It got so bad that H &B began animating "Happy Days" and "Mork & Mindy" for Saturday morning fare in the early 1980s. At decade's end, the cash cow had died and Hanna-Barbera was strapped for cash.

Enter Ted Turner. In 1991, Turner bought out H & B and began the Cartoon Network. While many of the older shows took up space, a new generation of animators came to work for H & B and began to think outside the box. We were rewarded with shows like "Johnny Bravo", "Dexter's Laboratory", and "The Powerpuff Girls". Hanna & Barbera are constant inspirations on Adult Swim, "Robot Chicken", and "Robert Smigel's Funhouse" on SNL.

At their induction into the Television Hall Of Fame in 1994, Joseph Barbara (who died last December at the age of 95) turned to his lifelong partner William Hanna (who died in 2001 at the age of 90) and said "their hasn't been a week that went by that I didn't say to you three magical words. Yabba Dabba Doo". The gents shook hands and wandered off into rerun heaven.


UP NEXT: What I downloaded on November 21, 2006 at 12:43 PM.


Capt

Hanna-Barbera Organ & Chimes - Merry Christmas

This one almost had me in its tentacles. eBay had several copies tempting me to spend $20 or more to get my own LP. Thankfully, I checked out the cool wax.

Brainwerk runs the fun sharity blog entitled "Check The Cool Wax" whose great Christmas comp I reviewed here earlier this year. Last November, he posted this album and I was able to scratch this one off my list.

By the looks of the cover, it promises to be a fun, fun album. Fast Freddy Flintstone on the stalagmite organ, Snagglepuss pickin' the bass, Huckleberry Hounddog on the chimes, and don't forget Magilla Gorilla on the triangle!

But we're putting the cartoon horse before the cartoon cart. We have to go back to 1939 for the beginning of this story.

On the backlot of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer stood the animation studio where William Hanna and Joseph Barbera first met. They had an instant rapport and set to complete their first collaboration - a 1940 cartoon called "Puss Gets The Boot". This simple cartoon pitted a tom cat against a clever mouse. Hence, Tom and Jerry were born.

For the next seventeen years, Hanna & Barbera and Tom & Jerry created one minor masterpiece after the other. Shortly before MGM closed the animation studio in 1957, the duo had won eight Academy Awards and formed a successful animation company of their own (which did side work like the animated titles for "I Love Lucy").

Hanna & Barbera took aim at the growing number of kids thru television. By 1961, they had their first hits on the tube with "Huckleberry Hound" and "Quick Draw McGraw" and were planning their most ambitious gamble yet - a prime time animated television series for ABC that featured some caveman guy yelling a three word phrase...

"The Flintstones" was a phenomenon. It quickly spawned off merchandising, feature length movies, and even a commercial or two:



During the massive wave of Hanna-Barbera products, this album was recorded and released by Hanna-Barbera Records (go figure) for Christmas, 1965. Look at the cover closely again. Let your eye wander to the left where it says "Featuring The Hanna-Barbera Organ & Chimes".

Yep, this whole album is one guy playing the organ, another person on the chimes, and occasionally you'll hear the piano and sleigh bells. "Jingle Bells" is the only song on the album that has any life, the rest are dull with an occasional hint of cartoon color. I suppose if you close your eyes and concentrate hard enough, your mind will allow you to imagine the pantheon of Hanna-Barbera stars at Christmas time. The music alone will barely get it done.

Following the demise of the modern stone-age family in 1966, H & B continued to put out cartoons at an alarming rate. At one point, it was estimated that three out of four animated shows between 1961 and 1977 came from the Hanna-Barbera studios.

Favorite characters during this period included Snagglepuss, The Jetsons, Top Cat, Jonny Quest, Yogi Bear, Wally Gator, Atom Ant, Magilla Gorilla, Birdman & The Galaxy Trio (the inspiration for "Harvey Birdman, Atty At Law"), Scooby Doo, Josie & The Pussycats, Charlie Chan & The Chan Clan, The SuperFriends & Justice League, The Funky Phantom, SpeedBuggy, and Jabberjaw.

If I forgot one of your favorites, leave a comment below.

By the mid to late 1970s, Hanna-Barbera decade long domination of the airwaves was beginning to wane. The production was beginning to suffer as "talking heads" and action implied off screen became the norm.

We had seen every variation of "The Flintstones" and "Scooby-Doo" imaginable (including the much hated Scrappy Doo) and very little new original animated series. It got so bad that H &B began animating "Happy Days" and "Mork & Mindy" for Saturday morning fare in the early 1980s. At decade's end, the cash cow had died and Hanna-Barbera was strapped for cash.

Enter Ted Turner. In 1991, Turner bought out H & B and began the Cartoon Network. While many of the older shows took up space, a new generation of animators came to work for H & B and began to think outside the box. We were rewarded with shows like "Johnny Bravo", "Dexter's Laboratory", and "The Powerpuff Girls". Hanna & Barbera are constant inspirations on Adult Swim, "Robot Chicken", and "Robert Smigel's Funhouse" on SNL.

At their induction into the Television Hall Of Fame in 1994, Joseph Barbara (who died last December at the age of 95) turned to his lifelong partner William Hanna (who died in 2001 at the age of 90) and said "their hasn't been a week that went by that I didn't say to you three magical words. Yabba Dabba Doo". The gents shook hands and wandered off into rerun heaven.


UP NEXT: What I downloaded on November 21, 2006 at 12:43 PM.


Capt

Eddie Dunstedter, We Hardly Knew Ye...

Three years ago, The King of Jingaling at FaLaLaLaLa.com offered one of the greatest Christmas albums of all time. Two years ago, I downloaded not one but two fantastic albums from our friend Ernie (not Bert) (which were re-offered last year). These three albums were recorded by the late, great Eddie Dunstedter and I never reviewed these albums at the yuleblog.

I promised Ernie that these albums would be the first ones to get the yuleblog treatment after my return from acting. However... the almighty Google keeps referring to Ernie's posts when you enter the name of Eddie Dunstedter and there is surprisingly little about the man online for research.

The few online facts that I found? Dunstedter discovered the vocal group The Merry Macs back in 1926, was the musical director of several radio shows back in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and has one movie credit to his name - the music score for the 1953 schlock horror movie "Donovan's Brain" (with future First Lady Nancy Davis nee Reagan in the cast).

He had a very long recording career either as a featured organ player or with albums of his own (spanning from the 1930s to the 1960s). In the late 1950s, Dunstedter was signed by Capitol Records and recorded several pipe organ albums ("Pipes And Power", "Where Dreams Come True", "Pipe Organ Favorites").

Throughout the summer of 1959, Dunstedter was entrenched in the famous Capitol Studios building in Hollywood to record his first Christmas album - "The Bells Of Christmas".

(Click on image to enlarge)

We've had our fair share of Christmas organ and chime albums here at the yuleblog - some really great, some really awful. Most of the Christmas standards are covered on this album in a quiet, reverent way. At times Dunstedter's organ playing is so subtle, you hardly know it's there as the chimes take center stage.

Standout tracks include two medleys ("It Came Upon The Midnight Clear - O Little Town Of Bethlehem - Away In A Manger" and "Deck The Halls - Joy To The World"), a stand alone version of "Greensleeves", and "The March Of The Three Kings" takes on such a magnificence when heard on the mighty cathedral organ.

Released in both mono and "Full Dimensional Stereo" at Christmas, 1959, Dunstedter could have been content knowing his first Christmas album was a success. After several years of other releases, Capitol and Dunstedter thought the time was right for yet another Christmas album.

Throughout the summer of 1963, Dunstedter was yet again at the famous Capitol Studios building in Hollywood, busy arranging and recording his second Christmas album "The Bells Of Christmas Chime Again"

(Click on image to enlarge)

For this album, Eddie chose several standards and a few contemporary songs and gave it the same subtle approach as in the first "Bells Of Christmas" album. At times, it sounds like Dunstedter is playing a synthesizer rather than a huge cathedral organ.

Tracks of note on this album include "Angels We Have Heard On High", "Winter Wonderland", "Ring Christmas Bells" aka "Carol Of The Bells", "The Christmas Song", and "Happy Holiday" - all of which sound amazing on the cathedral organ. However, the standout track on this album is "In The Clock Store", a fabulously fun trip complete with clock noises that conjures up images of Santa's workshop.

Dunstedter had outdone the first album - a rare feat, especially in music. Capitol thought so too and was all set to push the album at Christmas, 1963. A month earlier, in Dallas, Texas, three shots rang out. The country's mood was so somber over the loss of President Kennedy that Christmas music was looked on as trivial.

Capitol went ahead and released the album. It sat on shelves untouched. Two months later (February, 1964), four lads from Liverpool came to America and the whole music landscape changed again. Dunstedter wanted one more chance at a Christmas album and spent the summer of 1965 recording "Christmas Candy".

(Click on image to enlarge)

If you read the liners on "Christmas Candy", it tells you that Dunstedter wanted to record jolly fare with this album. From the first track to the last, he gives you a sumptuous bossa nova feast of sounds that are indeed light but plenty filling to the ears.

If you've heard the "Christmas Cocktails" albums at all, you'll have heard several of these tracks before ("I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Jingle Bells Bossa Nova" and "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer").



Seek out the non-cocktails tracks like "Silver Bells", the title track "Christmas Candy", "I'll Be Home For Christmas", and "Winter Wonderland" for some real good sound!

This album is a must in any Christmas music enthusiasts collection.

Some time after the release of this album at Christmas, 1965, Eddie Dunstedter said goodbye to Hollywood and took a teaching position at The MacPhail Center of Music in Minneapolis. Throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, he taught many a new organ player his special bag of tricks and sent them on their merry way before his death in 1974.

This yuleblog entry took some time because I wanted to hopefully do justice to Dunstedter's career. I tried to track down several books through my public library that had info on Eddie (which turned out to be very little) and even called the MacPhail Center of Music (it's called summer for a reason).

In any case, if anyone has additional info on the life and career of Dunstedter, please feel free to leave a comment and I'll be happy to post updates.


Capt

Eddie Dunstedter, We Hardly Knew Ye...

Three years ago, The King of Jingaling at FaLaLaLaLa.com offered one of the greatest Christmas albums of all time. Two years ago, I downloaded not one but two fantastic albums from our friend Ernie (not Bert) (which were re-offered last year). These three albums were recorded by the late, great Eddie Dunstedter and I never reviewed these albums at the yuleblog.

I promised Ernie that these albums would be the first ones to get the yuleblog treatment after my return from acting. However... the almighty Google keeps referring to Ernie's posts when you enter the name of Eddie Dunstedter and there is surprisingly little about the man online for research.

The few online facts that I found? Dunstedter discovered the vocal group The Merry Macs back in 1926, was the musical director of several radio shows back in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and has one movie credit to his name - the music score for the 1953 schlock horror movie "Donovan's Brain" (with future First Lady Nancy Davis nee Reagan in the cast).

He had a very long recording career either as a featured organ player or with albums of his own (spanning from the 1930s to the 1960s). In the late 1950s, Dunstedter was signed by Capitol Records and recorded several pipe organ albums ("Pipes And Power", "Where Dreams Come True", "Pipe Organ Favorites").

Throughout the summer of 1959, Dunstedter was entrenched in the famous Capitol Studios building in Hollywood to record his first Christmas album - "The Bells Of Christmas".

(Click on image to enlarge)

We've had our fair share of Christmas organ and chime albums here at the yuleblog - some really great, some really awful. Most of the Christmas standards are covered on this album in a quiet, reverent way. At times Dunstedter's organ playing is so subtle, you hardly know it's there as the chimes take center stage.

Standout tracks include two medleys ("It Came Upon The Midnight Clear - O Little Town Of Bethlehem - Away In A Manger" and "Deck The Halls - Joy To The World"), a stand alone version of "Greensleeves", and "The March Of The Three Kings" takes on such a magnificence when heard on the mighty cathedral organ.

Released in both mono and "Full Dimensional Stereo" at Christmas, 1959, Dunstedter could have been content knowing his first Christmas album was a success. After several years of other releases, Capitol and Dunstedter thought the time was right for yet another Christmas album.

Throughout the summer of 1963, Dunstedter was yet again at the famous Capitol Studios building in Hollywood, busy arranging and recording his second Christmas album "The Bells Of Christmas Chime Again"

(Click on image to enlarge)

For this album, Eddie chose several standards and a few contemporary songs and gave it the same subtle approach as in the first "Bells Of Christmas" album. At times, it sounds like Dunstedter is playing a synthesizer rather than a huge cathedral organ.

Tracks of note on this album include "Angels We Have Heard On High", "Winter Wonderland", "Ring Christmas Bells" aka "Carol Of The Bells", "The Christmas Song", and "Happy Holiday" - all of which sound amazing on the cathedral organ. However, the standout track on this album is "In The Clock Store", a fabulously fun trip complete with clock noises that conjures up images of Santa's workshop.

Dunstedter had outdone the first album - a rare feat, especially in music. Capitol thought so too and was all set to push the album at Christmas, 1963. A month earlier, in Dallas, Texas, three shots rang out. The country's mood was so somber over the loss of President Kennedy that Christmas music was looked on as trivial.

Capitol went ahead and released the album. It sat on shelves untouched. Two months later (February, 1964), four lads from Liverpool came to America and the whole music landscape changed again. Dunstedter wanted one more chance at a Christmas album and spent the summer of 1965 recording "Christmas Candy".

(Click on image to enlarge)

If you read the liners on "Christmas Candy", it tells you that Dunstedter wanted to record jolly fare with this album. From the first track to the last, he gives you a sumptuous bossa nova feast of sounds that are indeed light but plenty filling to the ears.

If you've heard the "Christmas Cocktails" albums at all, you'll have heard several of these tracks before ("I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - Jingle Bells Bossa Nova" and "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer").



Seek out the non-cocktails tracks like "Silver Bells", the title track "Christmas Candy", "I'll Be Home For Christmas", and "Winter Wonderland" for some real good sound!

This album is a must in any Christmas music enthusiasts collection.

Some time after the release of this album at Christmas, 1965, Eddie Dunstedter said goodbye to Hollywood and took a teaching position at The MacPhail Center of Music in Minneapolis. Throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, he taught many a new organ player his special bag of tricks and sent them on their merry way before his death in 1974.

This yuleblog entry took some time because I wanted to hopefully do justice to Dunstedter's career. I tried to track down several books through my public library that had info on Eddie (which turned out to be very little) and even called the MacPhail Center of Music (it's called summer for a reason).

In any case, if anyone has additional info on the life and career of Dunstedter, please feel free to leave a comment and I'll be happy to post updates.


Capt