I don't have to tell you that right now is when artists and labels are plotting out and recording their Christmas projects for the coming holiday season. And that's why now is when you should begin checking out the crowd funding sites to pick up on projects that you might want to pencil in for purchase come the fall and winter (or now, if you want to be part of the action).
Back in 2013, we featured a digital release from Glenn Crytzer, who specializes in the sounds of the Jazz Age and Swing era. If you need to refresh your memory of "A Little Love This Christmas", here's my personal favorite from the set.
Back in 2013, we featured a digital release from Glenn Crytzer, who specializes in the sounds of the Jazz Age and Swing era. If you need to refresh your memory of "A Little Love This Christmas", here's my personal favorite from the set.
Of course "A Little Love This Christmas" was Glenn with a smaller group, The Savoy Seven. But to fully appreciate the Crytzer magnificence, you'd really want to hear him with a full orchestra (with strings!). And Christmas obsessives will get their opportunity to be musically transported back to the days of Glen Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Cab Calloway this Christmas as the Glenn Crytzer Orchestra unleashes "Underneath The Mistletoe". The currently anticipated song list includes 20 tracks...11 originals and 9 new arrangements of old standards. And the lineup includes nods to Hanukkah and to Krampus. Let's check out some of the titles, shall we?
Originals
Underneath The Mistletoe
An Old Fashioned Christmas
The Little Tree
Keep a Little Christmas in Your Heart
Hey, Mister Snowflake
I'm Sorry Santa
It's a Wonderful Life
All I Want for Christmas is Food
Christmas in New York
Playing Santa Claus
(Watch Out For) The Krampus
Classics
Deck the Halls
Jolly Old St. Nicholas
Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel
Silent Night
Toyland
Tea (Chinese Dance from the Nutcracker)
Up on the Housetop
We Three Kings
I Saw Three Ships
Additionally, the GCO may record some bonus tracks and there are Kickstarter packages both with and without the bonus tracks...your choice.
The usual Kickstarter rules apply. There are multiple tiers with assorted incentives that include lead sheets, ornaments, lapel pins, your name in the liner notes, guitar lessons, and more. And, if Glenn fails to reach his pledge goal by August 2, you will not be charged.
Glenn previews several of the new songs on his Kickstarter page but you have to imagine them with a full orchestra (and strings!). Head on over to Kickstarter and let Glenn Crytzer make his pitch. If, like me, you'd like a little more Swing or a bit of Jitterbug and Jump in your Christmas, you'll be locking in your purchase of "Underneath The Mistletoe" early. Delivery expected in November.
Originals
Underneath The Mistletoe
An Old Fashioned Christmas
The Little Tree
Keep a Little Christmas in Your Heart
Hey, Mister Snowflake
I'm Sorry Santa
It's a Wonderful Life
All I Want for Christmas is Food
Christmas in New York
Playing Santa Claus
(Watch Out For) The Krampus
Classics
Deck the Halls
Jolly Old St. Nicholas
Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel
Silent Night
Toyland
Tea (Chinese Dance from the Nutcracker)
Up on the Housetop
We Three Kings
I Saw Three Ships
Additionally, the GCO may record some bonus tracks and there are Kickstarter packages both with and without the bonus tracks...your choice.
The usual Kickstarter rules apply. There are multiple tiers with assorted incentives that include lead sheets, ornaments, lapel pins, your name in the liner notes, guitar lessons, and more. And, if Glenn fails to reach his pledge goal by August 2, you will not be charged.
Glenn previews several of the new songs on his Kickstarter page but you have to imagine them with a full orchestra (and strings!). Head on over to Kickstarter and let Glenn Crytzer make his pitch. If, like me, you'd like a little more Swing or a bit of Jitterbug and Jump in your Christmas, you'll be locking in your purchase of "Underneath The Mistletoe" early. Delivery expected in November.
If your interests run more to Folky Christian seasonal sounds, Folk Hymnal are nearing the end of a campaign to produce a follow-up EP to last year's "Incarnation Songs". Folk Hymnal is an artist collective, led by producer and songwriter Tim Briggs. "Incarnation Songs, Volume II" will feature Stacy Lantz, Nathan Storey and others. Depending upon your level of support (and assuming the project meets its goal by June 30), you can get both "Incarnation Songs" CDs, as well as a non-holiday set expected in the spring of 2020, "Good News Songs". Head to Kickstarter for all the details. And here's a song from last year's EP.
The Christmas project from Nashville based Country Pop artist Olivia West could really use your support with less than two weeks remaining to reach her funding target. Olivia grew up in Kansas City, btw (just sayin'....Aaron).
Olivia has written a bunch of Christmas songs and has chosen her best six for this project, the working title for which is "Hurry Up Santa". But the song title that has my interest piqued is "Everybody Wants A Penguin". Doncha want to hear what that one sounds like? I do. And Gary Chapman is expected to make an appearance on "Just Because It's Christmas".
Pledge perks include handmade ornaments and a tour of Nashville with Olivia (if I didn't have $200,000 in medical debt, I'd seriously consider that tier).
Being as it's still spring, Olivia has had trouble getting the word out to we Christmas music obsessives and "Hurry Up Santa" has had a bit of difficulty moving the needle in its first two weeks. Olivia only has until June 26 to reach her $5000 goal, so head on over to Kickstarter and give the lady a fair hearing. C'mon. You want to hear "Everybody Wants A Penguin". You know you do.
Here's Olivia's 2015 Christmas single, "Unwrap Me" (which is not slated to be on the new project), just so you get a taste of Olivia West.
Olivia has written a bunch of Christmas songs and has chosen her best six for this project, the working title for which is "Hurry Up Santa". But the song title that has my interest piqued is "Everybody Wants A Penguin". Doncha want to hear what that one sounds like? I do. And Gary Chapman is expected to make an appearance on "Just Because It's Christmas".
Pledge perks include handmade ornaments and a tour of Nashville with Olivia (if I didn't have $200,000 in medical debt, I'd seriously consider that tier).
Being as it's still spring, Olivia has had trouble getting the word out to we Christmas music obsessives and "Hurry Up Santa" has had a bit of difficulty moving the needle in its first two weeks. Olivia only has until June 26 to reach her $5000 goal, so head on over to Kickstarter and give the lady a fair hearing. C'mon. You want to hear "Everybody Wants A Penguin". You know you do.
Here's Olivia's 2015 Christmas single, "Unwrap Me" (which is not slated to be on the new project), just so you get a taste of Olivia West.
If you haven't heard, PledgeMusic has ceased operations. A quick perusal of IndieGoGo turned up no new Christmas album projects as yet.
Our final note for this post is that former SNL cast member Ana Gasteyer has completed her Christmas album. We first told you about that project in 2016. Though it has taken some time, Ana's Christmas album is now complete and ready for release later this year.
Ana's Christmas set is entitled "Sugar and Booze" and Ana says the title track is an homage to her two favorite things about the holidays. Expect "Sugar and Booze" to be a mix of light Jazz and light humor, as was Ana's debut record "I'm Hip".
Our final note for this post is that former SNL cast member Ana Gasteyer has completed her Christmas album. We first told you about that project in 2016. Though it has taken some time, Ana's Christmas album is now complete and ready for release later this year.
Ana's Christmas set is entitled "Sugar and Booze" and Ana says the title track is an homage to her two favorite things about the holidays. Expect "Sugar and Booze" to be a mix of light Jazz and light humor, as was Ana's debut record "I'm Hip".
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