Hi again, and season's greetings dear listener! Welcome to the fourth CD by Holland and Coots! If you've heard any of our first three recordings, you already know that Danny and I have a fondness for "Christmas" music, as we've included one such tune on each of those albums. So we figured it was time to put some of our favorites together in one place, and this CD is the result. There are a few unique qualities to this particular offering, not the least of which being that it was recorded in my very 'live' music room in Texas using equipment we were completely unfamiliar with. We actually owe the Zoom R16 owner's manual a huge debt of gratitude for giving us a crash course in how to be arm-chair engineers. Unfortunately, however, our lack of editing acumen meant we had to record every track complete from start to finish ... so this CD includes absolutely no edits / splices / oops-fixes. And, with a little luck and a lot of help from our amazing Nashville real-deal engineer, Derek Garten, (who, while working his magic continued to refer to us as "Knuckleheads"), the end result is a holiday CD that we're very proud of, and hope you enjoy. After spending so many years producing music that firmly fits into selective niches of sub-genres (ragtime, stride, novelty, etc), we welcomed the challenge of delving into more long-established music that is recognizable to people of all ages. In fact, Danny and I had similar experiences when playing this disc for our respective families when our daughters (5 and 14, respectively) started singing the full lyrics to Let It Go at the top of their lungs. Heartwarming to say the least. Our little Yuletide adventure starts with one of my favorite Vince Guaraldi tunes, Christmas is Coming. For me, nothing said Christmas was fast approaching like the oh-so-familiar jazzy strains from "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Guaraldi's music truly defined the joy of the season, and would instantly bring a smile to my face. How wonderful it is that several decades later, I now have the opportunity to present this nostalgic song to my kids. From there we present an array of wonderful holiday tunes in a diverse mixture of styles. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (both by Johnny Marks) are given a boogie-woogie treatment that will hopefully have you rockin' around your living room! The Christmas Song, probably the most recognized, beloved, and appropriately titled holiday tune of all time, was written by Bob Wells and Mel Tormé in the middle of the hot summer of 1944. This tune and Bing Crosby's 1943 hit, I'll Be Home for Christmas are lush ballads that are best served around a warm fireplace, egg nog in hand. Then, for just a touch of tradition, we added The First Noel and Joy to the World for you to carol along. Speaking of tradition, What Child is This? combines the haunting 16th century English theme Greensleeves with a poem by William Chatterton Dix from 1865. What's not so conventional about this version is the stylistic treatment it's given here. Soft, droning chords accompanied by gentle hand drumming convey visions of a peaceful, moonlit nativity, wise men, and myrrh ......... and more myrrh. Many Christmas and family seasonal songs were written during World War II. The ultimate end of the war brought families back together, and the tunes included in our Christmas Medley - Let It Snow, All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth, and Here Comes Santa Claus, written in 1945, 1944, and 1946 respectively, signaled better times ahead. One Christmas song we're especially thrilled to include is Santa Claus is Coming to Town, written by J. Fred Coots in 1934. Not only was J. Fred a very talented composer, he also happens to be Danny Coots' Great Uncle. Initially, when Santa Claus ... was presented to Eddie Cantor for his radio show, Eddie was not that keen on the tune, stating that he wasn't running a kiddie show. However, Eddie's wife fell in love with the tune when J. Fred played it at the Cantor's home. She said it gave her "goose flesh" and insisted Eddie reconsider. It became an overnight hit, selling over 100,000 copies of sheet music and 30,000 records in one day. Although not specifically a Christmas tune, we both fell in love with Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. I suppose we rationalized the acceptance of it's inclusion by thinking it only fair we include a non-Christmas tune on this Christmas CD ... directly inverse to our previous recordings. Please take the time to look up the lyrics, as they are absolutely beautiful poetry and worth the time. While on the subject of poetry, Clement Clarke Moore's full poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," (aka Twas the Night Before Christmas), is delightfully recited here by Danny while I improvised a chime melody based on "Jingle Bells"... again, all done in one take. Arguably one of the best-known verses ever written, this 1823 poem is the perfect end to a snowy winter eve. Without a doubt, the most challenging track to record in a non-editable environment was Sleigh Ride. Although only 2:25 long, this cut took a few hours to achieve the sound and style we wanted. Of all the songs included on this album, we truly hope this is the one you enjoy the most! So Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Joyful Kwanzaa, Happy Festivus, Good Yule ... however you celebrate this time of year, we wish you an abundance of happiness, love, and music during this season of joy! --Brian Holland, September 24, 2014, Los Altos, CA.