We're into October, now. It's gonna get busy and I'll tell you right now...I'm an old man and I'm not going to be able to keep up. But I'll try. First the bad news. There will be no Halloween mix this year. I'm resolute on this. I'm not going to change my mind at the last minute as I often do. No Halloween mix this year. I do have every intention of doing a Stubby's House Christmas mix, if that'll ease your pain.
Now the good news. A few days back, I mentioned a Jazz album I wanted to write about but we didn't have any audio. Well, friends, we've got audio. I don't know that I even have that much to say about it. I just want you to hear it. Let me present to you...Dred "Perky" Scott & The Steve Rudolph Trio.
Now the good news. A few days back, I mentioned a Jazz album I wanted to write about but we didn't have any audio. Well, friends, we've got audio. I don't know that I even have that much to say about it. I just want you to hear it. Let me present to you...Dred "Perky" Scott & The Steve Rudolph Trio.
| 1. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas 2. The Christmas Song 3. We Three Kings 4. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear 5. What Child Is This? 6. O Little Town of Bethlehem 7. My Favorite Things 8. Waltz for Debby |  |
For my money "We Three Kings" is the best track on "Songs of Christmas", which is not at all to say the rest of the set isn't also an aural wonderland. I love trio Jazz and I love Jazz where the vocalist is improvising as much as any of the other musicians. And what a vocalist Dred "Perky" Scott is. He truly uses his voice as an instrument. And it took me a while to fully understand the complete reasons for my immediate connection with Dred "Perky" Scott. On the CD Baby page, under "recommended if you like", it lists Joe Williams. And, sure enough, Scott not only has a similar register, but a similar style to Joe Williams, probably my favorite vocalist of any time and any genre.
Dred "Perky" Scott has been performing, off and on, since he was 11 (when he was known as "Little Perky Wonder"). He's traveled the world, working with all the great Jazz artists, but he always returns home to Central Pennsylvania. Scott , these days, is a pastor at the United Methodist Church in Baltimore. Additionally, the Rev. performs at churches throughout the region as part of his "Jazz in the Sanctuary" series.
Steve Rudolph is not just the pianist, but a long time composer, arranger, producer, and educator. He, too, has toured the globe and worked with the greats and near greats (even has the Mills Brothers on his resume). Steve had a Christmas album sans vocalist, "Christmas With The Steve Rudolph Trio", in 1999. Matt Wilson was his drummer for that one. Rudolph is also from Central PA and, though they are always doing their own thing, he and Scott have performed together regularly for 40+ years. They are brothers in Jazz, brothers from different mothers. They don't often record together, though, their best known collaboration being the album "Nine" from 2007.
"Songs of Christmas" was released in 2017, but you wouldn't know it from most of the online outlets. They're offering the digital download as new on October 1 of this year. But CD Baby had it last year. And there was a hard copy CD of this available from Steve Rudolph's own web site, but I can't seem to access the actual "store". I just get a blank page. I suspect Steve, who usually offers his CDs through CD Baby has closed his store and/or CDs of "Songs of Christmas" sold out. But it could be just that my computer is too old. Here, you try it: https://squareup.com/store/steve-rudolph/
Regardless, "Songs of Christmas" by Dred "Perky" Scott & the Steve Rudolph Trio is a pretty awesome Jazz Christmas album. I've mentioned that, when I hear I song that I'd call a "hit", the hair on the back of my neck stands up. Listening to "Songs of Christmas" just makes me smile. Straight through. A whole lot. Let's listen to one more. You know, just in case you missed it. Listen to how Scott does an on-the-spot mashup of "Mary Did You Know" and "What Child Is This?"
Dred "Perky" Scott has been performing, off and on, since he was 11 (when he was known as "Little Perky Wonder"). He's traveled the world, working with all the great Jazz artists, but he always returns home to Central Pennsylvania. Scott , these days, is a pastor at the United Methodist Church in Baltimore. Additionally, the Rev. performs at churches throughout the region as part of his "Jazz in the Sanctuary" series.
Steve Rudolph is not just the pianist, but a long time composer, arranger, producer, and educator. He, too, has toured the globe and worked with the greats and near greats (even has the Mills Brothers on his resume). Steve had a Christmas album sans vocalist, "Christmas With The Steve Rudolph Trio", in 1999. Matt Wilson was his drummer for that one. Rudolph is also from Central PA and, though they are always doing their own thing, he and Scott have performed together regularly for 40+ years. They are brothers in Jazz, brothers from different mothers. They don't often record together, though, their best known collaboration being the album "Nine" from 2007.
"Songs of Christmas" was released in 2017, but you wouldn't know it from most of the online outlets. They're offering the digital download as new on October 1 of this year. But CD Baby had it last year. And there was a hard copy CD of this available from Steve Rudolph's own web site, but I can't seem to access the actual "store". I just get a blank page. I suspect Steve, who usually offers his CDs through CD Baby has closed his store and/or CDs of "Songs of Christmas" sold out. But it could be just that my computer is too old. Here, you try it: https://squareup.com/store/steve-rudolph/
Regardless, "Songs of Christmas" by Dred "Perky" Scott & the Steve Rudolph Trio is a pretty awesome Jazz Christmas album. I've mentioned that, when I hear I song that I'd call a "hit", the hair on the back of my neck stands up. Listening to "Songs of Christmas" just makes me smile. Straight through. A whole lot. Let's listen to one more. You know, just in case you missed it. Listen to how Scott does an on-the-spot mashup of "Mary Did You Know" and "What Child Is This?"
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