What music did you enjoy over Xmas

Subject: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Alan Day
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 08:36 AM

I watched " Kiss me Kate" wonderful tap dancing
Al

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 08:44 AM

I learned a carol from Catalan, "Cold December Flies Away. - Lo Desembre Congelat"

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 08:50 AM

Mainly Steeleye Span, Maddie and the Carnival Band, Magpie Lane and the Watersons. With a smattering of Anne Sophie Von Otter, Slade and Wizzard:-)

DeG

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: mauvepink
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 09:15 AM

No folk music over Christmas for me I'm afraid...

I watched "Take That" Circus tour from Wembley and Bette Midler's latest DVD. I also listened to Handel's "Messiah" as I could not get to the concert I usually attend. I did attend a lovely Carol Service of old carols. My musical tastes are quite eclectic

Due to snow I could not get to one of the three folk venues I would have gone to last week on the lead up to Christmas Eve.

New Year's Eve will likely find me singing Auld Lang Syne in the style sung by Mairi Campbell in the film "Sex in the City"

mp

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: bubblyrat
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 09:39 AM

Been researching and rehearsing Scottish music ,as it looks like our band might be doing a Burns Night turn----still,we have succesfully managed to put together two St Patrick's,a St George's and an American Independence Day programmes in the last 12 months,so confidence is running pretty high ! As to personal pleasures,I have been watching videos of various Edinburgh Tattoos,and marvelling at The Top Secret Drum Corps ! Wonderful !
            New year's Eve ?? Looking forward to drinking,singing,and letting off fireworks with Anne,Terry,Crispin & Claire in Newport !!

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: EnglishFolkfan
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 09:48 AM

It hasn't finished yet ....... just listened to BBC Radio 3 Early Music Show: Christmas Carols, fascinating and informative.

Chris Wood and the EAC 'Christmas Champions' has to be played as does the English Village Carols album as part of this household Christmas rituals. Next year will be added the Christmas storytelling commissioned piece from BBC R3 Christmas Eve's Late Junction.

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: theleveller
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 09:58 AM

Got two CDs from my sons - Ignorance, Arrogance and Greed by Show of Hands and Mumford and Sons. Both excellent and played throughout the hols.

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 10:10 AM

Much of the Sons of the Pioneers catalogue, nearly 200 songs from six LPs (those black, 12" disks with grooves) and several CDs, downloaded to my new laptop. The CDs are a cinch (iTunes does everything), but the LPs are in real time, and one has to manually key in the info about the recordings. By the end of this year...actually 2010... I plan to have all of my significant records, in whole or part, on computer or external hard drive. That's as close to a New Years resolution as I've made in over forty years.

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Linda Kelly
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 10:11 AM

Cara Dillon on CD and Bellowhead on the TV.

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 10:14 AM

I downloaded Polish Christmas carols and burned them onto a CD to play while my Polish wife and mother-in-law made borscht and golumbeki (stuffed cabbage).
My mother-in-law was thrilled by the music.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: GUEST,oggie
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 10:28 AM

Sheffield Carols session in the back room at the Cross Keys having watched both Grenoside and Handsworth Sword Dancers (with a very honourable mention to Maltby Phoenix Rapper who prove that there's life in the tradition yet).

Steve

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Smedley
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 10:43 AM

I've been keeping away, as much as possible, from traditional & well-known Christmas songs, as this has been the first Christmas since my Dad died, and lots of seasonal memories can easily get me very emotional!! But it hasn't been entirely possible to avoid the songs or the feelings, and probably just as well, really.

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: beeliner
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 10:45 AM

The one I usually enjoy the most is "Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas".

I didn't see it this year, it may have been on HBO or on a channel I don't get.

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Mr Happy
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 10:46 AM

thread.cfm?threadid=67173&messages=7


Canu Penillion

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Charley Noble
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 10:47 AM

All the oldy and mouldy Christmas carols we sang to keep ourselves awake on the long drive home after the last party.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Genie
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 10:52 AM

A wonderful group of young violinists, called En Gedi, did special music at the Christmas Eve service at my mom's church in San Diego. The highlight of the service was their stirring rendition of "The Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's "Messiah."    The piece itself is awesome, of course, but theirs was one of the most goose-bump-delivering performances i've ever heard.   Just awesome!

Then we came home and listened to John Denver and the Muppets, among other artists, doing Christmas music while we played games with friends and family. : D

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: GUEST,woodsie
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 11:03 AM

We had a wonderful "Carols & Beer" on 17th Blackheath Folk Club teamed with the local church and the pub was packed. Carols & Beer

Then it was the club Christmas Party on 22nd Blackheath Folk Christmas Party

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: GUEST,Phil Beer
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 11:08 AM

Full on singsong outside the famous Bridge Inn in Topsham at Christmas lunchtime led by Messrs Knightley, Downes Junior, Downes senior and yours truly. The first time in years the weather has ever made it possible. Carols, songs, folksongs and 250 people having a good time. Better than anything the TV had to offer or radio had to offer.

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: GUEST,Phil Beer
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 11:10 AM

Or was it
Better than anything the TV or radio had to offer.

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: open mike
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 01:04 PM

http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=126032&messages=11#2796754
see t6his thread, too.

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: GUEST,S O'P (Astray)
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 01:29 PM

Xmas Day always kicks of with Roger Nicholson, Jake Walton & Andrew Cronshaw's exquisite Times & Traditions for Dulcimer as it has done now since my brother bought me the album in 1976 - the original vinyl too!

My wife bought me the double deluxe edition of Joy Division's Still for Xmas which has been constant in car listening ever since on our various gaddings about. Highly recommended, especially for the extra live disk from Feb 1980...

From the in-laws two glorious offerings on Akia Vox - Arianna Savall - Piewoh and Jordi Savall's Jerusalem. Not found time to play 'em yet though...

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Fidjit
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 01:56 PM

all my own work for boxing day

Chas

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Don Firth
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 02:12 PM

Mostly had our brand new Bose wave system radio and CD changer on. It's a quite pricey system, but Barbara and I decided that this would be our Christmas gift to each other this year. It replaced a huge Sony "bookshelf" system that consisted of four parts: main unit w/AM/FM tuner and a 3 CD changer and dual cassette decks, two speaker cabinets and a sub-woofer that we had to turn off because the "thump thump" bugged some of our neighbors (along with a few features we never used). It would have required one humongous bookshelf, but we had it on top of a fairly large, low chest of drawers. It took up about three-quarters of it. It was dying anyway. One of the speakers kept cutting in and out and the tuner was getting fuzzy and crackly and no amount of fiddling with the antenna would correct it.

We are astonished at the quality and quantity of sound that pours out of the Bose! The sound is crystal clear, and how they manage to get that much well-balanced bass out of two speakers that can't be more than three inches in diameter has me mystified. The main unit contains the AM/FM tuner and one CD slot. And if we got the optional 3 CD player with it, we got $100 off. The main unit sits on top of the CD player, the whole outfit stands about 7 or 8 inches tall, and it takes up about two square feet on top of the bureau!! Other than a digital readout (time, what station you're or what cut on which CD you're playing, and a few other bits of relevant informanton), no knobs or dials on it. All the controls are on the remote (and they sent us two remotes!).

And the remotes have a mute button! I can mute the commercial breaks!!

You can do all sorts of stuff, like set it as a clock radio, say, to turn on the news in the morning on KUOW, but if you go to sleep (sleep switch) listening to KING, it remembers and turns the radio on in the morning to KUOW. And you can load it with four CDs and play them straight through in sequence, set up a custom program for yourself, or have it to play selections from all four CDs at random. Connections on the back if you want to plug in "auxiliary" units, such as an turntable for vinyl, a cassette player, a television, whatever.

Anyway. We've had it on in the background, tuned to KING-FM, a local classical music station. They've been playing a lot of Christmas music with a classical bent. Lots of medieval and Renaissance choral music, plus a variety of instrumental music, including selections recorded by some classical pianist who starts out playing something familiar by Chopin or Beethoven, and then somehow it morphs into a Christmas carol, but still very much in the style of the composer he (or she) started with. Don't know who the pianist is.

I think I've about had my fill of Christmas music for this season. Frankly, if I hear one more arrangement of "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" or "White Christmas," I think I'll start running frantically in circles and bellowing "Bah! Humbug!!"

Hope you all had good, musically enjoyable Christmas.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 02:28 PM

Don, all that bass is in the baffling of the speaker chambers, and good, quality components.

Bose IS amazing stuff...and the battle of the remotes...wow!

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Suegorgeous
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 02:46 PM

That fab Xmassy prog on BBC3, with Bellowhead, Unthanks, etc, that few others seemed to like, and I thought was bloomin' marvellous...

Plus Kate Bush ad nauseum on repeat on the hifi (just rediscovered her) when not watching TV. :)

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: kendall
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 03:49 PM

I have four excellent CDs to enjoy.
Anne Mayo Graf "Notes from across the sea". I've known Annie for at least 30 years and never knew she was such a composer! Beautiful stuff. They range from hauntingly beautiful to joyous. I'm very happy with it.

"Branches on the family tree" by the MacArthur family in Marlboro Vermont. Lovely harmonies and great picking!

Dave Mallett "Alright Now" This is one kickass CD like nothing I have ever heard before. It is bound to be a hit.

And from my old buddy Seamus Kennedy, a collection of western songs from his childhood when he and we used to spend Saturday mornings in the theater watching Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Randolph Scott and a host of others. Great stuff.I think I reviewed this one before?

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 04:53 PM

"Carols from Kings", BBC - Kings College, Cambridge, i.e.; and, pleasingly, there has been more than the usual amount of folk carol singing on the Beeb this year.

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Songbob
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 05:18 PM

Two weeks ago, I spent the weekend playing 19th C. US (mostly) carols and Christmas songs at the Hampton mansion Historical site, north of Baltimore, MD, with the Civil War Comrades (the working band I'm in). We did several German songs (Tanenbaum, Ihr Kindelein Commet, etc.), plus the original version of "One Horse Open Sleigh" from James Pierpont (1857).

On Christmas Eve, Jennifer and I sang the Coppers' "Softly the Night" in our church (many compliments on it, too).

And that's about it. No new CDs, no special concerts (Nowell Sing We Clear concert lost out to 22" of snow), just what I mentioned above.

Bob

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Commander Crabbe
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 06:30 PM

Rhydian "O Fortuna"

CC

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Joe_F
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 06:35 PM

Messiah, Christmas Oratorio, A Medieval Christmas, lots of corny records of carols.

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Alan Day
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 06:41 PM

The music I most enjoyed most in Kiss me Kate was the backstage dance which was sung and danced by two guys. One not keeping time initially to the music as he dances. Any idea as to what that tune is called. A great double act near to the end.I have searched U tube without success.
Al

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Alan Day
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 06:43 PM

Xmas seems a great time to get out all those old CDs and records you have not listened to in years and recall some great memories.
Al

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 07:34 PM

I introduced a friend to Utah Phillips - Good Through! & the Tribute CD.

He retired to the country about 5 years ago & doesn't get to many clubs or festivals now because of bad health. We normally only meet once a year, but talk regularly & I keep him up to date with life in the big folky city & the www. He bought a dud computer when he retired but didn't persevere with it when it played up & will get another one day cos he knows what he's missing - good stuff like Mudcat!

He has a very broad knowledge of folk, he's been collecting songs, albums & song books since he discovered folk as a teenager in the 50's. A stewardess friend used to bring back odd & obscure LPs from UK in the 60s but she never travelled to US, so he missed the less commercial American artists.

Utah was one of the people he hadn't heard of when I first mentioned him, tho he did know some of his songs.

I took a few albums with me of people I'd mentioned & what was better (worse?) a list of my 600+ CDs so I'll know what to bring on my next visit

He raved about Utah's songs & voice & delivery, & the whole tribute album & recorded Big Mick's contribution as he's been looking for the full words for years (had he but mentioned this I could have found them!) He also said he would love to hear Rosalie Sorrels at a session, he loved her voice. I wish I could remember all his other comments.

I'll be buying both albums for him.

Another treasure I took with me was Pete Seeger's "Where have all the flowers gone - A Singalong memoir". Pete sent it to me when I wrote to him as Secretary of the Bush Music Club (Australia's oldest folk club) on the occasion of his 90th birthday & the Club's 55. Pete visited the Club in 1963 on his world tour & I sent him several journals of the period that mentioned his visit. I hadn't realised that zillions of folks write to him since he's become famous & treasure the two hand-written form letters I received in reply. They're now in the Secretary's archives, & the book will be returned to the Club's archive, but I've kept the padded mailer cos he addressed & signed it!!! & the book has been reviewed as requested.

We'll both be buying a copy.

sandra

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Charley Noble
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 08:47 PM

Sandra-

Sounds like a great musical get-together.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: ClaireBear
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 09:41 PM

We listened to the wonderful Utah Phillips tribute two-CD collection "Singing through the Hard Times," which was wonderful! Dan, Kendall and Jacqui, thank you so much for doing this!

Also listened to a lovely bit of my White Hart In Search of RewardLP (from the '70s, I think?) to test the turntable on the retro console stereo I bought myself for Christmas. Wish we'd had time to play the whole wonderful album, but that will come soon. Thanks go to my local thrift shop for the Crosley console, of which we will make good use.

I soloed in "Some Children See Him" at church on Christmas Eve, but didn't much care for the song. Too twee, too modern. I had pushed for "Shepherds Arise" -- which I would have enjoyed -- but the music director and I don't have very similar taste.

Yesterday I went to a post-Christmas pub sing featuring wassailing songs. Now, that I liked! I even got to lead the Apple Tree Wassail.

C

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 28 Dec 09 - 11:38 AM

Lovely present of a CD of Sydney Carter songs, and also yet to watch - DVD of the original series of Transatlantic sessions.
Older ones in the collection: great carol CD made at my kids' High School over 15 years ago (kids now 32 and 26!)
And in the "classical vein" Ryba's Czech Christams Mass, and the Praetorius one too.

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: GUEST,Ebbie, away from home, house/dog sitting
Date: 28 Dec 09 - 01:53 PM

Do music parties - both giving and going to - count? I don't really do Christmas but I'll soak in music any time- and there was lots of music. Not a Christmas song in the bunch.

There are several traditional Christmas songs I really like - notably O Holy Night and Excelsis Deo (title?)- and a neighbor girl who is a wonderful pianist came in several times and played a lot of tunes and pieces on the piano where I am housesitting,. A lot of Rachmaninoff (sp?). Very nice as background music

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Art Thieme
Date: 28 Dec 09 - 01:58 PM

Over those 24 hours I had a great pear and a just-OK apple.

Art

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 28 Dec 09 - 02:14 PM

Re-listened to some of the Proms programs- The Silk Road Ensemble, the Monteverdi Choir Bach Motets, Stan Tracey and Genesis.
Put on my cd of Purcell, Hail Bright Cecelia.
Catalan folk music and Yepes guitar.

Give a listen to Catalunya musica: Musica
Some interesting material.

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: GUEST,Doc John
Date: 28 Dec 09 - 02:25 PM

As ever Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band. My wife bought me a couple of the Pete Seeger CD's from Smithsonian-Folways; the LP's had previously been bought for Christmas by a girl friend nearly 50 years ago. DVD of 'White Christmas', mainly for Bing's singing and Vera-Ellen's dancing.

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: GUEST,Ebbie, away from home, house/dog sitting
Date: 28 Dec 09 - 02:42 PM

a 'great pear' of what, art? One will usually suffice for me.

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Acorn4
Date: 28 Dec 09 - 02:48 PM

Genevieve Tudor's "Folk on Sunday" had a great selection of seasonal folk -still available on "listen again":-

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Acorn4
Date: 28 Dec 09 - 02:50 PM

link:Sunday Folk

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 28 Dec 09 - 06:01 PM

'Fraid I'm an old atheist, and my 94-year-old friend is an even older one. So there we were on Xmas Day, bawling out The Internationale and Hold the Fort. Very enjoyable!

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 28 Dec 09 - 06:26 PM

Alan (OP) - I enjoyed Kiss me Kate too, especially Keenan Wynn and James Whitmore's dance routine on Brush up your Shakespeare. Plus I suddenly realised that I'd never before watched the whole of White Christmas (Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen....)!

Kitty

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: robomatic
Date: 28 Dec 09 - 07:59 PM

Khachaturian. I've been a sucker for his music since the movie: "Hudsucker Proxy"

amazon done send me a full length run of "Spartacus"

also a great group "Diablo Swing Orchestra" from SWEDEN of all places. delightfully demented.

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: skipy
Date: 28 Dec 09 - 08:31 PM

Magpie lane

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: bubblyrat
Date: 29 Dec 09 - 08:04 AM

I forgot.....We also had two very good "sessions",one in Park End,Forest of Dean,and one in Medmenham,where carols were sung to alternative tunes. For example, "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night" goes very well to "The Lincolnshire Poacher",repeating the last line of each verse ; "Star Of The County Down", and, my favourite, "The Lakes Of Pontchartrain".

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: skarpi
Date: 29 Dec 09 - 08:10 AM

chieftains on youtupe , also Utah Philips , Bill staines ,
Jed Marum and Seamus Kennedy , Kendall Morse , Chris Foster and
Lunasa from North Ireland .

and my self ofcourse , tryin to improve what I am doin :o))

All the best Skarpi Iceland

Subject: RE: What music did you enjoy over Xmas
From: GUEST,Auldtimer
Date: 29 Dec 09 - 08:49 AM

Cats & Jammers - Too Close For Comfort. One of My all time faves.

MacCumba - Don't Hold Your Breath. Pipes and drums with taste and a twist.

Stan Hugill - Abord The Cutty Sark. Rough in places but somehow real.

Muddy Waters - Master of The Blues. He sure is.

Alison McMorland & Geordie McIntyre - Ballad Tree. Some fabulously great ballad singing.

The Albion Band - Lark Rise To Candleford. Just great and somehow Christmassy.