| 1. Noel Nouvelet 2. Here We Come A-Wassailing 3. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 4. Christmas Time Is Here 5. Angels We Have Heard On High 6. The Holly And The Ivy 7. It Came Upon The Midnight Clear 8. O Come O Come Emmanuel 9. Christmas Time Is Here (Alternate Take) |  |
The Clickard Consortium is a little big band from Northeast Pennsylvania. This is their third CD and their first with a Christmas theme. Energetic jazz interpretations of traditional Christmas carols with a Latin Jazz tinge that will be sure to get you moving! The ensemble features: Steve Clickard, Todd Hunter and Jeff Smith, brass; Dick Adams, Larry Fisher, Dale Houck and Michael Pryor, saxophones; Steve Adams, Tim Breon, Todd Egger, Chris Wheeland and William Clickard, rhythm section.
The Clickard Consortium is a "Little Big Band" (ranging from 9 to 25 players, depending upon the situation) from Pennsylvania. They do not have any kind of website or Facebook page or anything, for whatever that's worth. The Consortium was put together about a decade ago by Bloomsburg University Professor Dr. Steven D. Clickard, who was seeking an outlet for his original compositions and arrangements. And, dang, they're tasty--a little spicy at times and sweet at others. They even played the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2016.
Perhaps I was seduced by the cover art but, listening to the title and opening track of "Noel Nouvelet", I immediately thought, "Well there's a James Bond theme in search of a Christmas movie." With a little imagination, the rest of the album (with the possible exception of "Angels We Have Heard On High") fits that theme as well. Well...007 or at least some suave and sophisticated TV detective. But, putting that aside, "Noel Nouvelet" is just a damn fine Jazz album, period.
"Noel Nouvelet" is a French carol usually reserved for choirs and Folk singers. Yeah, OK, the Americans turned it into "Sing We Now of Christmas" (Tennessee Ernie Ford's version is the one I grew up with). Still, this rousing and slyly noir Jazz arrangement is truly a revelation. If you're a Jazz fan, you'll recognize the rhythm underlying "Here We Come A-Wassailing" as the one that formed the basis of Miles Davis' "All Blues", but Clickard builds something festive out of it. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" is one of my favorites from the set--darkly mysterious with some exceptional solos throughout. "It Came Upon The Midnight Clear" gives us a bit more of that noir Jazz feel and just a bit of seduction. The Latin tinge is most evident in "The Holly And The Ivy" (if you want more of that, check out the Consortium's second album, "Danca do Papagaio"), but the guitar solo is somewhere between Wes Montgomery and George Benson (if you want more West Coast Jazz, check out the Consortium's first album, "Remembrance"). And "O Come O Come Emmanuel" is a song I've grown weary of in recent years, but The Clickard Consortium breaths new life into it. The one track that just doesn't work for me is "Christmas Time Is Here". Or maybe I should say I far prefer the Alternate Take. Both versions go with the same Latin rhythm, which is fine, but the one at track 4 just sounds too busy to me. And the keyboard player seemed to get more room to breathe on the Alternate Take (and, to my ears, that made for a better take overall).
All in all, "Noel Nouvelet" is a superb Jazz album, a true joy of a find for this Jazz fan, especially in August (nothing wrong with getting your Christmas music out there early). It's already in heavy rotation in the Stubby household and I'd expect it to remain so through Christmas. Have a taste. You'll be back for more.
Perhaps I was seduced by the cover art but, listening to the title and opening track of "Noel Nouvelet", I immediately thought, "Well there's a James Bond theme in search of a Christmas movie." With a little imagination, the rest of the album (with the possible exception of "Angels We Have Heard On High") fits that theme as well. Well...007 or at least some suave and sophisticated TV detective. But, putting that aside, "Noel Nouvelet" is just a damn fine Jazz album, period.
"Noel Nouvelet" is a French carol usually reserved for choirs and Folk singers. Yeah, OK, the Americans turned it into "Sing We Now of Christmas" (Tennessee Ernie Ford's version is the one I grew up with). Still, this rousing and slyly noir Jazz arrangement is truly a revelation. If you're a Jazz fan, you'll recognize the rhythm underlying "Here We Come A-Wassailing" as the one that formed the basis of Miles Davis' "All Blues", but Clickard builds something festive out of it. "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" is one of my favorites from the set--darkly mysterious with some exceptional solos throughout. "It Came Upon The Midnight Clear" gives us a bit more of that noir Jazz feel and just a bit of seduction. The Latin tinge is most evident in "The Holly And The Ivy" (if you want more of that, check out the Consortium's second album, "Danca do Papagaio"), but the guitar solo is somewhere between Wes Montgomery and George Benson (if you want more West Coast Jazz, check out the Consortium's first album, "Remembrance"). And "O Come O Come Emmanuel" is a song I've grown weary of in recent years, but The Clickard Consortium breaths new life into it. The one track that just doesn't work for me is "Christmas Time Is Here". Or maybe I should say I far prefer the Alternate Take. Both versions go with the same Latin rhythm, which is fine, but the one at track 4 just sounds too busy to me. And the keyboard player seemed to get more room to breathe on the Alternate Take (and, to my ears, that made for a better take overall).
All in all, "Noel Nouvelet" is a superb Jazz album, a true joy of a find for this Jazz fan, especially in August (nothing wrong with getting your Christmas music out there early). It's already in heavy rotation in the Stubby household and I'd expect it to remain so through Christmas. Have a taste. You'll be back for more.
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