1. A Marshmallow World 2. Winter Wonderland 3. Give Me Your Heart For Christmas 4. Warm December 5. Christmas Dreaming 6. Silver Bells 7. Winter Weather JILLAINE'S WEBSITE PURCHASE FROM AMAZON PURCHASE FROM iTUNES RHAPSODY SPOTIFY REVERB NATION |
Jillaine has previously released three full albums of Christmas magic that we in the Stubby household enjoy very much. Her first, "Jazzy Christmas to You" from 2011, is reviewed here. 2012's "Jazzy Christmas to You II" is featured on our Nice List. I was barely here in 2013, so I never had the chance to review "Jazzy Christmas To You III". And then Jillaine entered law school. Just regular college is enough to soak up all your free time; I can't even imagine what law school does (my only knowledge of law school comes from "The Paper Chase"--film and series--and it looked pretty intense). So, last year, Jillaine only had time to record a Christmas single, "All I Want For Christmas Is You". And, still in law school, we might not have gotten new Christmas music from Jillaine this year...but for a happy accident (by the way, I have to plug the movie "Happy Accidents" any time I use that expression because it is such a great film and almost no one has seen it. Other than maybe "Its a Wonderful Life", "Happy Accidents" is probably my favorite movie ever--sort of a cross between "12 Monkeys" and "The Notebook"...sort of).
So, anyway, Jillaine doesn't have as much time or money for the recording studio as she used to, but she still performs, when she can, and you pretty much have to rehearse, no matter what. So, rehearsing one day with her piano player Jacob (I don't know his last name, sorry), Jacob starts singing with her--quietly and pretty much unaware that he was doing so. She stops and asks Jacob if he's ever sung before and he says not really. She asks him to sing with her. Yeah. This movie only goes one of two ways--either they don't roll tape and a beautiful moment is lost forever...or they do and everyone lives happily ever after. I know which Hollywood ending I'm rooting for. ROLL TAPE!
Jillaine's brother and producer, Erik added some complimentary sounds--synth bass, for example, and some countermelody strings and the like--something different for each track. And I have to tell you, if I wasn't already impressed with Erik's production abilities (which, you know, I was), I sure as hell am now. Because the tendency for most people, in that situation, is to pile on a bunch of crap. But Erik gets it. You just add a touch here and a touch there in order to not only preserve the magic that was already there, but to enhance it. I've watched more than a few studio guys and I can only remember one who not only understood that that's what you do but knew how to do it (to quote Shania, sure "you got the moves but have you got the touch"). Erik has definitely got the touch. Nothing he did in any way distracts from the magic in the least. Everything he did brought the cream to the top. I didn't even notice anything beyond the piano and vocals until, like, my third listen through...because what he did was designed to push the magic forward. Again, and meaning no offense, most of you probably have no idea how difficult that is. You really can't unless you've spent a lot of time in recording studios. Unbelievable. Curtain call, dude. You da man!
After dinner, you got the real show. A tight set of unbelievable Jazz, including all the songs you were there to see them play--the "hits", as it were--plus songs from whatever their latest album was. This is why you came. This was what you paid for. And you are not just "satisfied". They were everything you were hoping for and more. Unforgettable. Perfection. THAT was "Jazzy Christmas to You II".
Dinner and the main set over, some of the crowd departs while the rest drink and talk. Then comes the late set. It's like 10 o'clock or 11. The lights are low. You're nursing a scotch & soda (or whatever your poison is) and the band returns. This set is very loose. The band is having more fun, trying a few things out. There's a lot of improvisation in the late set and the featured performer pretty much steps back and lets the rest of the band have the spotlight. Everybody solos. It's really good, generally. Every once in a while--not every time--the band is going to hit a groove and you are going to hear something amazing, something you've never heard before, something you'll never hear again but that you'll remember forever. You'll tell your children that you were there that night when... Even the band will be amazed and, though they might hit the studio to preserve as many of the riffs as they did that night, it will probably never be as good as that one magical moment that happened live that night. THAT was "Jazzy Christmas to You III". The late set.
If you don't think there's a place for "Jazzy Duets for Christmas" in this analogy, you'd be mistaken. And, sure, its only conjecture on my part, because, after the late set, you and everybody else go home. But, when there's no one left but the clean-up crew, I imagine its happened more than once that the piano man or woman comes out to tickle some ivories and the vocalist comes out to sing a little bit with him or her. Talk about intimate. They do this for themselves, to unwind a little bit, and for the clean-up crew, because they understand working hard for very little. These are moments that only they hear. And that's a shame because they are truly beautiful and magical moments, made all the more so by how few people share in it. THAT is "Jazzy Duets for Christmas". The thing that is beyond the late set. The other side of Midnight. A truly intimate and magical moment which, for once, we all get to share. I still wish Jacob was singing louder. But I wouldn't change a note of this beautiful beautiful EP.
I have no idea what comes next. But I can't wait to find out.