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Playlist: Holiday Music Specials

Compiled By: PRX Editors

 Credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/jacobwhittaker/">Jacob Whittaker</a>
Image by: Jacob Whittaker 
Curated Playlist

Holiday music specials for your station!

Music specials for your station's holiday programming.

For spoken word holiday specials, check out our Christmas and Hanukkah Editors' Picks.

Below are picks chosen by PRX editorial staff. You can find other options for the holidays by using our search.

New in 2023

The Christmas Revels: In Celebration of the Winter Solstice 2023 (One-Hour Version)

From HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA RADIO PRODUCTIONS | Part of the The Christmas Revels: In Celebration of the Winter Solstice 2023 series | 59:00

“THE CHRISTMAS REVELS: IN CELEBRATION OF THE WINTER SOLSTICE 2023” (One-Hour Version) is a brand-new, 59-minute musical celebration of the winter holidays – Advent, Chanukah, the Solstice, Christmas, New Year’s and Twelfth Night/Epiphany -- featuring traditional carols, hymns, villancicos, ballads, children’s game-songs, and folk dance-tunes excerpted from live Christmas Revels stage productions presented around the country.

Revels_logo_gold_cmyk_240_x_240_a_small

THE CHRISTMAS REVELS: IN CELEBRATION OF THE WINTER SOLSTICE 2023” (One-Hour Version) is a brand-new, 59-minute compilation of musical excerpts, plus a few short poetry and prose readings, selected from live Christmas/Winter Solstice Revels stage productions presented in six cities across the United States.

 

CHRISTMAS REVELS performances have been described as entertaining collections of country, ritual and courtly dances, wassails, carols, songs and ballads, hymns and anthems, story-telling, poetry and drama. They are made up of sacred and secular folk materials, plus some composed popular and “art” music, from traditional European, Middle Eastern and American celebrations of Advent, Chanukah, Christmas, the Feast of Fools, New Year's, Twelfth Night, Epiphany/Old Christmas, and other end-of-the-year festivals, along with various cultures' hereditary observances of the Winter Solstice, some elements of which date back to pre-Christian times.

 

The music in this year's CHRISTMAS REVELS radio broadcast is mostly traditional, and it comes from several different cultures and eras. Revelers in New England greet the shortest day of the year with a gentle folk song that hails the morning stars, a piece we know as a Christmas carol but whose imagery proves that its roots lay in the ancient Winter Solstice observances of the pre-Christian era, and a nineteenth-century musical toast to “Good Old Santa Claus,” written by a woman who was a poet, essayist, feminist, spiritualist and love-interest of Edgar Allan Poe. In old Mexico, we are serenaded with a villancico, a Christmas carol, that may be the oldest piece of music in existence written in the European style by an indigenous Mesoamerican composer. From Nineteenth-Century Scotland, a rowdy bunch of Glaswegians entertain us with a musical account of their New Year’s Eve highjinks in the popular seaside resort town of Rothesay. And from Al-Andalus, as Spain was known during the eight-hundred-year period of the Middle Ages when the country was ruled by Arabic Muslims from northern Africa, we hear seasonal music from all four of the major cultures who co-existed in relative peace and tolerance during that time: the native Spanish Christians; their Muslim rulers; Sephardic Jews, many of whose families had lived on the Iberian Peninsula for hundreds of years; and the Spanish Romany people whose unique style of music and dance we now call Flamenco.

 

The enthusiastic performers heard in the program include the adult and children's choruses of each of the Revels companies, their professional brass quintets and instrumental folk-music groups and soloists, plus a distinguished line-up of featured guest artists, including Trío Guadalevín, specialists in the traditional son huasteco, son jarocho and ancient Mayan music of Mexico (Tacoma, WA); and Spanish flamenco, classical Arabic, and Andalusian music ensemble, Seffarine (Moroccan singer, Lamiae Naki and flamenco guitarist and oud player, Nat Hulskamp) (Portland, OR).

 

Because all of the Revels music is traditional – and accessible! – the show will fit into almost any radio format: classical, folk, AAA, world beat, eclectic or what-have-you. Last year, 139 public stations and thousands of listeners around the country enjoyed this holiday treat. We hope you'll plan to license the 2023 CHRISTMAS REVELS radio special and include it in your broadcast schedule – to the delight of your audience! – this coming Yuletide season.

 

 

Holiday Jazz with Dee Alexander!

From The WFMT Radio Network | Part of the Holiday Specials from WFMT series | 58:31

Coming to you from the WFMT Radio Network - one-hour special, Holiday Jazz with Dee Alexander! With support from emcee and Chicago radio luminary Richard Steele and longtime collaborators pianist Miguel de la Cerna, bassist Junius Paul, and drummer Yussef Ernie Adams, the beloved Chicago vocalist and WFMT Radio Network Jazz Network host Dee Alexander entertains and enchants with songs and reminiscences of holidays past.

Wfmt_holiday-jazz-with-dee-alexander_2019-1200x750_small

The performance includes favorites “White Christmas,” “Coventry Carol”, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and show-stopping renditions of spirituals inspired by Chicago gospel legend Mahalia Jackson. Don’t miss Chicago’s first lady of jazz song serving up the winter holiday season in style.

The Film Score: Music for the Winter Holidays

From The WFMT Radio Network | Part of the Holiday Specials from WFMT series | 58:30

The Film Score: Music for the Winter Holidays is an hour-long special devoted to holiday and wintertime movie music. In addition to beloved standards (“White Christmas” from “Holiday Inn” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” from “Meet Me in St. Louis”), Michael shares an eclectic mix of wintry film scores, ranging from “It Happened in Sun Valley” (from “Sun Valley Serenade”) to Alexandre Desplat’s folk-inspired score for “The Grand Budapest Hotel” to Bernard Herrmann’s bracing sleigh ride accompaniment composed for the Orson Welles drama “The Magnificent Ambersons.” Bundle up and enjoy The Film Score: Music for the Winter Holidays!

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The Film Score: Music for the Winter Holidays

In February 2016, Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Phillips introduced The Film Score on WFMT, a series that celebrates great music composed for the movies. From short segments to hour-length programs, The Film Score has explored recent Academy Award-nominated scores, composer-director partnerships, as well as holiday specials dedicated to Memorial Day and Halloween. The series has generated enormous listener response, feedback, and appreciation. 

Phillips returns with The Film Score: Music for the Winter Holidays, an hour-long special devoted to holiday and wintertime movie music. In addition to beloved standards (“White Christmas” from “Holiday Inn” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” from “Meet Me in St. Louis”), Michael shares an eclectic mix of wintry film scores, ranging from “It Happened in Sun Valley” (from “Sun Valley Serenade”) to Alexandre Desplat’s folk-inspired score for “The Grand Budapest Hotel” to Bernard Herrmann’s bracing sleigh ride accompaniment composed for the Orson Welles drama “The Magnificent Ambersons.” Bundle up and enjoy The Film Score: Music for the Winter Holidays!

Michael Phillips is the host of The Film Score. He is the film critic of the Chicago Tribune, and a regular guest on “Filmspotting,” at Filmspotting.net and heard weekly on Chicago Public Radio (91.5 FM). Michael co-hosted 100 episodes of the nationally syndicated TV show “At the Movies,” opposite Richard Roeper and, later, A.O. Scott. More recently, he has introduced and hosted dozens of films for Turner Classic Movies. Prior to the Tribune he has served as a critic and an arts journalist for the Los Angeles Times; the San Diego Union-Tribune; the Dallas Times-Herald; the St. Paul Pioneer Press; and the Twin Cities weekly City Pages. He loves the Bill Evans piano rendition of David Raksin’s theme from “The Bad and the Beautiful” almost as much as he loves his wife, Tribune columnist Heidi Stevens, and their three children.

The Ballad of the Brown King

From The WFMT Radio Network | Part of the Holiday Specials from WFMT series | 58:30

Dr. Louise Toppin, a preeminent performer and scholar specializing in the concert repertoire of African American composers, presents the world premiere recording of Margaret Bonds’s The Ballad of the Brown King (Avie Records, 2018). With a libretto by Langston Hughes, this Christmas cantata focuses on Balthazar, the dark-skinned king who journeyed to Bethlehem to witness the birth of Jesus Christ. This gorgeous work is beautifully interpreted by New York City-based The Dessoff Choirs and Orchestra, soloists soprano Laquita Mitchell, mezzo-soprano Lucia Bradford and tenor Noah Stewart, with Malcolm J. Merriweather at the podium.

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This program features The Ballad of the Brown King on Avie Records (AV2413)
Playlist:
Margaret Bonds (1913–1972):  The Ballad of the Brown King (1954) (23.34)
Libretto by Langston Hughes (1902–1967)
1. Of the Three Wise Men 
2. They Brought Fine Gifts 
3. Sing Alleluia 
4. Mary Had a Little Baby 
5. Now When Jesus Was Born 
6. Could He Have Been an Ethiope? 
7. Oh, Sing of the King Who Was Tall and Brown 
8. That Was a Christmas Long Ago 
9. Alleluia 
Laquita Mitchell, soprano 
Lucia Bradford, mezzo-soprano 
Noah Stewart, tenor 
The Dessoff Choirs & Orchestra
Malcolm J. Merriweather conductor

The program will also include supplemental musical selections chosen by Dr. Louise Toppin, including:

Spiritual, arr. Bonds: Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow (World Premiere Performance)
Amber Merritt, soprano; Dr. Louise Toppin, piano; Recorded at University of Michigan, 2022

Spiritual, arr. Bonds: Go Tell It on the Mountain (World Premiere Performance)
Tyrese Byrd, tenor; Dr. Louise Toppin, piano; Recorded at University of Michigan, 2022

Spiritual, arr. Roland Hayes: Sister Mary Had a But One Child
William Brown, tenor; Ann Sears, piano

Spiritual, arr. Uzee Brown, Jr: O Mary, What You Gonna Call Your Pretty Little Baby?
Laura English Robinson, soprano; Sandra Lutters, piano

Spiritual, arr. Roland Carter: Mary Had a Baby
Ramon S. Moses, tenor; University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chamber Singers; Kevin Ford, conductor

Spiritual, arr. William Dawson: Mary Had a Baby
Kathleen Battle, soprano; The Boys Choir of Harlem; Leonard Slatkin, conductor

Spiritual, arr. Jacqueline Hairston: Mary and Her Baby Chile (Medley)
Kathleen Battle, soprano; Christopher Parkening, guitar

About Dr. Louise Toppin

Dr. Louise Toppin is a noted performer, scholar and professor who specializes in the concert repertoire of African American composers. In the span of her career, more than 30 songs and 2 operas have been written expressly for her voice. In addition, she has sung the world premiere of 30 more songs and arias of contemporary composers. As the administrator of the George Shirley Vocal Competition for the past nine years and Videmus (a non-profit organization that promotes the concert repertoire of African American and women composers) for more than twenty-five years, she encourages the performance and scholarship of African American compositions by students and scholars through recordings, conference presentation, live performances, and lectures. Dr. Toppin is also the founder and editor of the African Diaspora Music Project.

A Chanukah Celebration with Chicago a cappella

From The WFMT Radio Network | Part of the Holiday Specials from WFMT series | 58:30

Join Jonathan Miller, artistic director of Chicago a cappella and a longtime champion of Jewish choral music, for an inspiring and informative show featuring choral music set to Chanukah texts.

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A Chanukah Celebration with Chicago a cappella

Join Jonathan Miller, artistic director of Chicago a cappella and a longtime champion of Jewish choral music, for an inspiring and informative show featuring choral music set to Chanukah texts. Familiar tunes include "I Have a Little Dreidel" (both in its original Yiddish form and in a neo-funk Hebrew/English setting), a swing version of "S'vivon" by Steve Barnett, and a lively setting of the traditional melody for "Al-Hanissim" ("For the Miracles") by Elliot Levine. Heartfelt original compositions by American and British composers provide added depth of expression to celebrating the holiday. Such works include "Lo Yisa Goy," a plea for peace by Stacy Garrop; Bob Applebaum's stirring new version of "Haneirot Halalu"; and movements from the majestic "Hallel Suite" by London-based Daniel Tunkel. All selections are performed by Chicago a cappella, the virtuoso vocal ensemble now in its 23rd season. Jonathan Miller provides liturgical and cultural background as part of this unique look inside old and newer choral Chanukah traditions.

 

This special is perfect for Chanukah, November 28 – December 6!

 

Chicago a cappella

An ensemble of professional singers founded in 1993 by Jonathan Miller, Chicago a cappella presents an annual Chicago-area subscription series, creates studio recordings as well as live and broadcast-media musical content, produces educational outreach programming, and gives performances on tour and in special engagements. Long recognized for vocal virtuosity and innovative programming, the ensemble enjoys a reputation as a leader in the choral field.

 

With more than 350 performances to its credit, Chicago a cappella has produced more than 200 concerts on its Chicago-based series. On tour, the group has appeared in 13 American states and in Mexico.  The ensemble has been heard frequently on WFMT radio and through broadcasts distributed by American Public Media, including the nationally-syndicated Performance Today.   The ensemble has produced nine CD recordings of music ranging from Renaissance masses to contemporary works.

 

From its inception, Chicago a cappella has been a champion of living composers. Since 1993 the group has presented more than 100 works in their world, national, or local premiere. Chicago a cappella has commissioned new music from composers including Joseph Jennings, Chen Yi, Stacy Garrop, Rollo Dilworth, Tania León, and Ezequiel Viñao.

 

Chicago a cappella is also active in educational and community engagement.  The ensemble produces an annual Youth Choral Festival for young singers from the Chicago area, and leads an innovative High School Internship program, a multi-faceted immersion for selected students in the worlds of performance and arts administration.

 

Jonathan Miller, Host and Chicago a cappella Founder and Artistic Director

Known for innovative programming of choral concerts, Jonathan Miller has guided Chicago a cappella through more than 300 performances and nine commercial CD releases since he founded the ensemble in 1993. He is the recipient of the Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal from Chorus America. When Jonathan was a teenage bass in the Chicago Children’s Choir, he was bitten hard by the choral bug. He was fortunate to be exposed to a wide range of repertoire by a remarkable group of mentors, including Christopher Moore, Lena McLin, Max Janowski, Howard Mayer Brown, Richard Proulx, John Nygro, and Anne Heider. Eager to learn research tools for choral music, Jonathan earned his doctorate in historical musicology at UNC-Chapel Hill. After returning to the Chicago area, Jonathan led the choir at Unity Temple in Oak Park for nine years and began composing new music for that ensemble. Jonathan has taken a leadership role in Jewish choral music, composing, arranging, narrating programs on stage and on radio, and leading workshops at the North American Jewish Choral Festival and elsewhere. A champion and publisher of the music of the late Max Janowski, Jonathan conducted the culminating concert of the Janowski Centenary at KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation; he also was the recipient of the 2013 Perelmuter Award at KAMII and was Scholar in Residence at Lakeside Congregation in Highland Park, Illinois, in November 2014. Jonathan is honored to serve as high-holiday cantor for Congregation Rodfei Zedek in Hyde Park. He has written more than 75 choral works in a variety of genres and languages; his music has been sung at venues including St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Pentagon; his mashup Jingle Bells Hallelujah Chorus is a minor hit; and his series of Wacky Christmas Carols continues to mix words and tunes in new combinations. He also serves as Director of Choral Catalog at Musicnotes.com. Jonathan is married, has an adult daughter and two step-grandsons, and dotes on his English Cocker Spaniels, Higgins and Moseley.

 

The Christmas Revels: In Celebration of the Winter Solstice 2023 (Series)

Produced by HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA RADIO PRODUCTIONS

“THE CHRISTMAS REVELS: IN CELEBRATION OF THE WINTER SOLSTICE 2023” is a brand-new, 119-minute or 59-minute musical celebration of the Winter holidays – Advent, Chanukah, the Solstice, Christmas, Dongzhi, New Year’s, and Twelfth Night/Epiphany -- featuring traditional carols, wassails, hymns, ballads, children’s game-songs, and folk dance-tunes excerpted from live Christmas Revels stage productions presented around the country.

Most recent piece in this series:

The Christmas Revels: In Celebration of the Winter Solstice 2023 (One-Hour Version)

From HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA RADIO PRODUCTIONS | Part of the The Christmas Revels: In Celebration of the Winter Solstice 2023 series | 59:00

Revels_logo_gold_cmyk_240_x_240_a_small

THE CHRISTMAS REVELS: IN CELEBRATION OF THE WINTER SOLSTICE 2023” (One-Hour Version) is a brand-new, 59-minute compilation of musical excerpts, plus a few short poetry and prose readings, selected from live Christmas/Winter Solstice Revels stage productions presented in six cities across the United States.

 

CHRISTMAS REVELS performances have been described as entertaining collections of country, ritual and courtly dances, wassails, carols, songs and ballads, hymns and anthems, story-telling, poetry and drama. They are made up of sacred and secular folk materials, plus some composed popular and “art” music, from traditional European, Middle Eastern and American celebrations of Advent, Chanukah, Christmas, the Feast of Fools, New Year's, Twelfth Night, Epiphany/Old Christmas, and other end-of-the-year festivals, along with various cultures' hereditary observances of the Winter Solstice, some elements of which date back to pre-Christian times.

 

The music in this year's CHRISTMAS REVELS radio broadcast is mostly traditional, and it comes from several different cultures and eras. Revelers in New England greet the shortest day of the year with a gentle folk song that hails the morning stars, a piece we know as a Christmas carol but whose imagery proves that its roots lay in the ancient Winter Solstice observances of the pre-Christian era, and a nineteenth-century musical toast to “Good Old Santa Claus,” written by a woman who was a poet, essayist, feminist, spiritualist and love-interest of Edgar Allan Poe. In old Mexico, we are serenaded with a villancico, a Christmas carol, that may be the oldest piece of music in existence written in the European style by an indigenous Mesoamerican composer. From Nineteenth-Century Scotland, a rowdy bunch of Glaswegians entertain us with a musical account of their New Year’s Eve highjinks in the popular seaside resort town of Rothesay. And from Al-Andalus, as Spain was known during the eight-hundred-year period of the Middle Ages when the country was ruled by Arabic Muslims from northern Africa, we hear seasonal music from all four of the major cultures who co-existed in relative peace and tolerance during that time: the native Spanish Christians; their Muslim rulers; Sephardic Jews, many of whose families had lived on the Iberian Peninsula for hundreds of years; and the Spanish Romany people whose unique style of music and dance we now call Flamenco.

 

The enthusiastic performers heard in the program include the adult and children's choruses of each of the Revels companies, their professional brass quintets and instrumental folk-music groups and soloists, plus a distinguished line-up of featured guest artists, including Trío Guadalevín, specialists in the traditional son huasteco, son jarocho and ancient Mayan music of Mexico (Tacoma, WA); and Spanish flamenco, classical Arabic, and Andalusian music ensemble, Seffarine (Moroccan singer, Lamiae Naki and flamenco guitarist and oud player, Nat Hulskamp) (Portland, OR).

 

Because all of the Revels music is traditional – and accessible! – the show will fit into almost any radio format: classical, folk, AAA, world beat, eclectic or what-have-you. Last year, 139 public stations and thousands of listeners around the country enjoyed this holiday treat. We hope you'll plan to license the 2023 CHRISTMAS REVELS radio special and include it in your broadcast schedule – to the delight of your audience! – this coming Yuletide season.

 

 


Classic Hours (49:00-1:00:00)

The Sounds of Kwanzaa

From KVNO | 56:05

The Sounds of Kwanzaa with Garrett McQueen

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During the aftermath of the Watts Uprisings in the 1960s, Dr. Maulana Karenga decided to create a special December holiday designed for Black people to celebrate themselves, their culture, and their future liberation. Today, Kwanzaa is still celebrated by not only Afro-Americans, but Black people around the globe!

 

In this broadcast, Garrett McQueen offers a background on the history of Kwanzaa and its guiding principles, alongside musical selections that highlight the spirit of the celebration. The show features the compositions of Florence Price, Duke Ellington, Sean O’Loughlin, and special performances by Imani Winds.

The Christmas Revels: In Celebration Of The Winter Solstice 2022 (Series)

Produced by HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA RADIO PRODUCTIONS

“THE CHRISTMAS REVELS: IN CELEBRATION OF THE WINTER SOLSTICE 2022” is a brand-new, 119-minute or 59-minute musical celebration of the Winter holidays -- Christmas, the Solstice, Jonkonnu, New Year’s and Twelfth Night/Epiphany -- featuring traditional carols, wassails, hymns, spirituals, children’s game-songs, and folk dance-tunes excerpted from live Christmas Revels stage productions presented around the country.

Most recent piece in this series:

Jazz with David Basse - Holiday 2022 (Series)

Produced by Jazz with David Basse, LLC.

Our holiday programming has something for everyone, with beloved, classic songs alongside new voices in jazz. From vocalese to vibraphone, it’s perfect for your public radio celebration!

Most recent piece in this series:

A Hip Holiday Mix with Paul Ingles (Vol. 1)

From Paul Ingles | 59:00

Music History Producer Paul Ingles gently hosts an hour of pop, rock and soul holiday music. Paul Simon, Otis Redding, Charles Brown, Pretenders, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Kinks, Shawn Colvin, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, Beatles, and more. Perfect for giving your regulars time off for the holidays and treat your listeners to some of the cooler holiday tunes.

Img_0926_small Music History Producer Paul Ingles gently hosts an hour of pop, rock and soul holiday music.  Paul Simon, Otis Redding, Charles Brown, Pretenders, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Kinks, Shawn Colvin, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, Beatles, and more.  Perfect for giving your regulars time off for the holidays and treat your listeners to some of the cooler holiday tunes.

PLAYLIST:

Getting Ready for Christmas Day – Paul Simon

Please Come Home For Christmas – Charles Brown

River – Joni Mitchell

Love Came Down At Christmas – Shawn Colvin

Merry Christmas Baby – Otis Redding

Christmas Time In The City - Curtis and Loretta

Hannukah Oh Hannukah – Deborah Holland

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town – Bruce Springsteen

Christmas All Over Again – Tom Petty

Father Christmas – The Kinks

2000 Miles – Pretenders

Christmas Time Is Here – Shawn Colvin

Please Come Home For Christmas – Al Green

Joy To The World – Aretha Franklin

Christmas Record Highlights – The Beatles

Happy Xmas (War Is Over) – John Lennon

Enchanted Christmas - Rob Williams

Classical Christmas on The Third Floor with Bill Cromwell (Series)

Produced by WILLIAM CROMWELL

Visit The Third Floor this holiday season for the best sacred and secular choral, vocal, and instrumental works from around the world and across the centuries. Each week through December, host Bill Cromwell will bring you music celebrating the season from the last thousand years.

Most recent piece in this series:

The Finale of Classical Christmas on The Third Floor with Bill Cromwell: #230

From WILLIAM CROMWELL | Part of the Classical Christmas on The Third Floor with Bill Cromwell series | 02:58:12

Ttf_xmas_pic_base_small Classical Music for Christmas through December on The Third Floor. Join host Bill Cromwell for three hours of glorious choral, vocal, and instrumental classical music for the season, including arias and choruses from Messiah, instrumental Christmas favorites with the Empire Brass and LA Guitar Quartet, plus long segments of sacred choral music from across the centuries from the great choirs of the world: King’s College, Cambridge; the Robert Shaw Chorale; the Choir of Men and Boys, St. Thomas 5th Avenue New York; The BBC Singers; the American Boychoir; Pomerium; The Elora Festival Singers; St. Olaf Choir, NY Polyphony, and many others.

A Latin Jazz Christmas Experience

From Howard Burchette | Part of the Holiday Classics series | 58:33

"Ho ho ho," A mixture of Mambo, Rhumba, Latin Jazz and fun in this blend of "Christmas Season" arrangements all in this musical presentation.

Imageedit_2_5647239326_small Enjoy your Christmas break and winter holiday seaon with a little "Latin Jazz" fun. Soak in the excitment with Poncho Sanchez, Celia Cruz, Ray Barretto, Sheila E, Carlos "Patato" Valdes, The Joe Loco Quintet, and others.

The Anatomy of A Christmas Song

From KSLU | Part of the Rock School series | 59:00

'Tis the season and we're going dissect successful Christmas songs.

Rs_logo_small 'Tis the season and we're going dissect successful Christmas songs. 

Mark O’Connor’s An Appalachian Christmas

From All Classical Public Media | 59:00

Mark O’Connor, famous bluegrass fiddler and respected American composer, leads the O’Connor Band and special guest Nancy Ives, principal cellist of the Oregon Symphony, in An Appalachian Christmas.

Prx_image_small Mark O’Connor, famous bluegrass fiddler and respected American composer, leads the O’Connor Band and special guest Nancy Ives, principal cellist of the Oregon Symphony, in An Appalachian Christmas . Hear holiday favorites including “The Cherry Tree Carol,” “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” “Carol of the Bells,” and more! Plus, Mark O’Connor talks about the importance of fiddling in the development of early American music. Recorded LIVE at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon December 2016.

A Swinging Holiday Jazz Party with Wynton Marsalis

From WQXR | 01:00:44

Wynton Marsalis hosts an hour of holiday jazz favorites by Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Gregory Porter, René Marie, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

Wynton_marsalis_small Titles include Jingle Bells, White Christmas, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Christmas Night in Harlem, Zat You, Sanata Claus?, The Nutcracker Suite, and more. See song list for details.

A Handel & Haydn Society Christmas

From Capital Public Radio | 59:00

Celebrate the season with this hour-long special featuring Christmas choral music from America’s oldest continuously performing ensemble, Boston’s Handel & Haydn Society.

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Celebrate the season with this hour-long special featuring Christmas choral music from America’s oldest continuously performing ensemble, Boston’s Handel & Haydn Society.  Founded in 1815, the Society is celebrating their bicentennial season, including their 400th performance of Handel’s “Messiah.”  Join Host Cale Wiggins for this program featuring music from the 15th century to the late 20th ; a Christmas for all times.

A Holiday Music Tour With Judy Collins (59:00 / 54:00)

From Paul Ingles | Part of the 3 Holiday Music Specials Hosted by Judy Collins series | 58:40

Singing legend Judy Collins headlines the third in a series of hour-long holiday specials featuring musicians from around the country performing original holiday songs and some classics. Artists include Steve Earle, Jesse Colin Young, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Tish Hinojosa and many more.

Collins4_small Singing legend Judy Collins headlines an hour-long holiday special featuring musicians from around the country. Performing original songs along with a few holiday favorites, Collins and her guests reflect on the season and tell the stories behind their music. Featured artists include Collins herself, Trout Fishing in America, Steve Earle, Jesse Colin Young, The Blind Boys of Alabama with Tom Waits, Tish Hinojosa, Bill Miller, Peter Case, and Lowen + Navarro. Ian Anderson of Jehro Tull makes a guest appearance from London. This program was distributed by NPR in 2004 and is available for the first time to all public radio outlets. It comes with an optional 5:00 content window making it newscast compatible. It includes one 60-second break opportunity midway through program. The performers include: Judy Collins ("Silent Night" and "All On A Wintry Night"); Trout Fishing in America ("I Got A Cheese Log"); Steve Earle and Maria McKee ("Nothing But A Child"); Tish Hinojosa ("Arbolito"); Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull ("Last Man At The Party"); Bill Miller ("I Saw The Star of Bethlehem"): The Blind Boys of Alabama with Tom Waits("Go Tell It On The Mountain"); Peter Case ("Fourth of July/Christmas Rag"); Jesse Colin Young ("Some Children See Him") and Lowen + Navarro ("A Song of Christmas"); The program is a follow-up to the successful specials "Do You Hear What I Hear: A Holiday Folk Tour with Judy Collins," and "Peace on Earth: A Holiday Folk Tour with Judy Collins." Both are also available at PRX (http://www.prx.org/pieces/6742) (http://www.prx.org/pieces/6766).

The Christmas Story through Carols Old and New

From Kimberlea Daggy | 59:00

New for 2012! An hour long choral music show telling the Christmas story through familiar and lesser known carols.

Holly_and_ivy_small This hour long choral music show tells the Christmas story through a variety of carols.  They range from medieval music to carols written in the last few decades.  Each set focuses on a different part of the story, from the angels to Mary and the baby, the shepherds and how they spread their joyous message.

Wind & Rhythm Christmas Special

From Wind & Rhythm | 58:30

Back in 1946, in the middle of a heat wave in Washington DC, the chief of the Scandinavian Desk of Military Intelligence dreamed up a piece of music that took him a couple of years to complete. Did you know that Leroy Anderson worked at the Pentagon at the end of World War 2? The piece he wrote, Sleigh Bells was written between his service to our country in World War 2 and his recall to active Duty for the Korean War. It was just a short time between the two conflicts, and what do you think he was thinking about?

Brush-on-snow_small

The mission of Wind & Rhythm is to build a community of individuals who love wind bands; to grow a wider audience for the music bands play; and to provide a venue for band members and directors to speak about their art.

To accomplish our mission we produce both on-air and on-line programming that invites listeners to reconnect with their roots as members of bands; encourages listeners to participate in community music-making; and provides for listeners an opportunity to hear the best bands in the world.

A '40s Radio Christmas

From BYUradio/KUMT/KBYU-FM | 58:31

Christmas programs on the radio in the 1940s ranged from variety shows, to dramas, to comedies. All of them contained a generous portion of music from swing to sentimental to religious.

Prxlogoholiday_small Christmas programs on the radio in the 1940's ranged from variety shows, to dramas, to comedies... all of them, containing a generous portion of music, from swing to, sentimental, to religious. The decade of the 40's represents three distinct periods... continued recovery from the depression, America's entry into World War Two, and the beginning of the cold war. This was the last decade before the advent of television, and many radio performers of the 40's became household names to early television viewers. Produced by Wes Sims, "A 40's Radio Christmas" is the 2008 Gold Award winner for Best Radio Program, from the Utah Broadcasters Association.

Here We Come A-Caroling (hour)

From With Good Reason | Part of the Holiday Specials series | 53:58

A cappela group Note-Riety on challenging social pressures - Flory Jagoda on keeping Sephardic singing alive - A big night for bagpipes and a military marching band - A poet, a historian, a conductor, and a vocalist share their favorite Christmas classics

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A music video by the all female a cappela group Note-Reity went viral and amplified their efforts to challenge the social pressures that were crippling their classmates. Also: Singer and accordionist Flory Jagoda is known as “the keeper of the flame” of the once rich Sephardic Jewish song tradition.  Flory sings songs she learned from her Nona -- or, grandmother -- as a child in pre-WWII Sarajevo. Her accordion also helped her escape the holocaust as a young girl.  And:  John Brodie is working tirelessly with the VMI Regimental Band and Pipes for their appearance in the Tournament of the Roses. The moment of truth will come:  can this band with bagpipes make the 110-degree wheel turn on the field? 

 

Later in the show: Whether it’s a traditional hymn or a rock and roll Christmas song, Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without the music that marks this season.  The sense of joy, comfort, or spiritual uplift comes in classical, popular, jazz, and even world music.  Poet Tim Siebles, ethnomusicologist Anne Rasumssen, conductor John Guthmiller and vocalist Lisa Edwards-Burrs share their favorite songs and why the music resonates with them this time of year.

A Mexican Baroque Christmas with the Rose Ensemble

From The Rose Ensemble | 58:39

This holiday program features over two centuries of festive Christmas dances and songs from the great cathedrals of Puebla and Mexico City.

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A Mexican Baroque Christmas with The Rose Ensemble

"Because of the beauty of the music, the variety of the voices, the liveliness of the personalities and the improvisatory support of gentle instruments, the performance was engaging from beginning to end." 
-- The Cleveland Plain Dealer 

Add A Mexican Baroque Christmas with the Rose Ensemble to your holiday schedule, and your listeners will get a vibrant retelling of the Christmas story with some ancient music that sounds fresh and new today. Mexico in the 17th century was a time of great cultural and musical diversity. Those cross-currents produced church music that was infused with indigenous rhythms and dances. That colorful music is the centerpiece of this gorgeous and engaging Christmas special by the internationally-acclaimed Rose Ensemble. 

This holiday program features over two centuries of festive Christmas dances and songs from the great cathedrals of Puebla and Mexico City. With rich instrumental and percussive accompaniment, solos and choruses burst forth in this program that's a far cry from the same old Christmas show. Plus a couple of surprises for the season in this one hour production.  The music is all rhythmic and tuneful and totally appealing.

Hosted by public radio veteran Tom Crann, with the Rose Ensemble’s Artistic Director, Jordan Sramek, It’s A Mexican Baroque Christmas with the Rose Ensemble.  Add this hour of beautifully performed fresh sounds for the season to your station’s holiday line-up.

complete music listings:  

Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla: Deus in Adiutorium (from The Rose Ensemble’s CD:  Celebremos el Niño)

from live performance: 

Antonio de Salazar:  Atención, atención

Fray Gerónimo Gonzles: Serenissima una Noche   

Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla: A siolo flasiquiyo

William Tans’ur:  The Old Angels Hymn/St. Luke’s Tune/Kimbolton Tune (from The Rose Ensemble’s CD: And Glory Shone Around)

from live performance: 

Antonio de Salazar:  Tarara tarara qui yo soy Anton
Sebastián Durón:  Al Dormir el sol

Fabien Ximeno Perez: Ay ay galeguinos.

Juan Garcia de Zéspedes: Convivando esta la Noche

Sergei Khvoshchinsky: Bogoroditse Devo, raduysia (The Russian Ave Maria from The Rose Ensemble’s CD: Fire of the Soul

'Tis the Season

From With Good Reason | 58:57

From Leontyne Price to Kate and Anna McGarrigle, the Ronettes to Middle Eastern music…

Harp_small Whether it’s a traditional hymn or a rock n' roll Christmas song, many people say Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without the music that marks this season. The sense of joy, comfort, or spiritual uplift comes in classical, popular, jazz, and even world music. A poet, an ethnomusicologist, a conductor, and a vocalist share their favorite songs and why the music resonates with them this time of year.

Soul Christmas!

From Howard Burchette | Part of the Holiday Classics series | 55:39

Here are some great soul and R&B holiday winter classics. You will hear Christmas tunes from James Brown, Otis Reading, The Jackson Five, Stevie Wonder, and more.

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Christmas would not be Christmas without The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, The O’Jays, Otis Redding, The Jackson Five, The Ronettes, James Brown, Issac Hayes and others. Deck the halls! It’s Christmas Time and it’s time for Soul and a happy good time.

Seasons Greetings let’s have a very Soul Christmas


Jingle Bell Jazz

From Howard Burchette | Part of the Holiday Classics series | 53:59

Ho Ho Ho! Start out your holiday with fun Christmas Jazz Classics. They are all here in one solid hour. This musical holiday program includes: "Winter Wonderland", "Jingle Bells", "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", "Little Drummer Boy" plus others. Jingle Bell Jazz all the way today on Jazztime.

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Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays
We will jingle all the way today with classic holiday gems from Louis Armstrong , Miles Davis , Ella Fitzgerald , Dinah Washington and others.

It's “Jingle Bell Jazz ” on Jazztime !


A Christmas Gift For You

From Joyride Media | Part of the Holiday Programming Extravaganzas series | 59:00

The inside story behind this 1963 album featuring performances by The Ronettes, The Crystals, Darlene Love and Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans that raised the bar for pop/rock arrangements of classic holiday songs. Includes interviews with singers Darlene Love and LaLa Brooks, musicians Nino Tempo, Don Randi and Hal Blaine. Hosted by Anthony DeCurtis.

Xmasgift_small The inside story behind this 1963 album featuring performances by The Ronettes, The Crystals, Darlene Love and Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans that raised the bar for pop/rock arrangements of classic holiday songs.  The All Music Guide says,  “This is the Christmas album by which all later holiday releases had to be judged,” and Rolling Stone lists it as one of the best albums ever made.  Includes interviews with singers Darlene Love and LaLa Brooks, musicians Nino Tempo, Don Randi and Hal Blaine.  Hosted by Anthony DeCurtis.  

365 Holidays with the Canadian Brass

From Listener Directed Productions, Inc. | 59:59

The Canadian Brass play holiday favorites in new and classic arrangements. Includes their exhilarating "Hanukkah Medley," "Joy to the World," "The First Noel," "Silent Night," a new arrangement of "Jingle Bells" in the style of Handel -- and many other tunes for the season.

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Looking for a new way to say "Ho Ho Ho" this holiday season?

 

"365 Holidays with the Canadian Brass" 


The Canadian Brass performs new arrangements of Christmas music along with classic versions of Christmas and Hanukkah songs they've made popular over their 30 year history.  

Meet the players, hear how they celebrate the holiday spirit 365 days a year and enjoy their fun and inspiring holiday arrangements. 
(59 minutes with an internal 60 second [optional] Break.)


End of Year Fundraising

"365 Holidays with the Canadian Brass" is fundraising friendly for stations that are producing
an end-of-year fundraising campaign.

A Celtic Christmas

From Jefferson Public Radio | 58:55

An hour-long holiday special featuring Irish storyteller Tomáseen Foley and his charming tale "Parcel from America." The program also features music from guitarist William Coulter, fiddler Deby Benton Grojean, and piper Todd Denman, as well as songs from Moira Smiley.

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Tomáseen Foley's A Celtic Christmas recreates the joy and innocence of a night before Christmas in a farmhouse in the remote parish of Teampall an Ghleanntain in the west of Ireland, when the neighbors gather around the fire to grace the long wintry night with the laughter of their stories, the joy of their music, and dances they always said they were much too old for.

Long, long before Riverdance, ordinary Irish men and women in hobnailed boots knocked sparks off the flagstone floors with jigs, reels and hornpipes, and the rafters rang with the fiery music of the fiddle, bodhran, tin whistle, and the mesmerizing uilleann pipes.

Storyteller/Director Tomáseen Foley was born on a small farm in the remote parish of Teampall an Ghleanntáin in the West of Ireland. Rego Irish Records says he is a master of the Irish narrative and a keeper of the flame for a priceless piece of Irish culture. Each year from Thanksgiving until Christmas his show Tomáseen Foley's A Celtic Christmas plays to critical acclaim and packed concert halls around the US. His show A Saint Patrick Celebration tours from late February through mid-March; two other shows, Tomáseen Foley's Irish Times, and his one-man Lines from my Grandmother's Forehead tour throughout the remainder of the year. The Oregon Cabaret has developed a hit musical from his story Parcel From America.

Santa's Greatest Hits

From Fred Flaxman | 58:00

Steve Jencks hosts this trip down Memory Lane featuring Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, Eartha Kitt, Perry Como, Elvis Presley, Tommy Dorsey, Louis Armstrong, Stan Kenton, Peggy Lee, Jo Stafford, Bob Dylan, Dinah Washington, Louis Prima, Mel Torme, Mitch Miller, Tex Beneke, June Christy, and the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Included is a brief history of Santa Claus.

Snta_icn_small The songs include: Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Santa Baby, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, The Night Before Christmas, Zat You, Santa Claus?, Ol' Santa Claus, What WIll Santa Claus Say?, The Christmas Song, Here Comes Santa Claus, A Rootin' Tootin' Santa Claus, Must Be Santa, Here Comes Santa, and Ride on Santa Ride On.

Jingle Them

From Wind & Rhythm | 58:30

Emmy Award winner Julie Giroux worked in Hollywood for years and her credits are formidable. When she thought of giving Christmas gifts to the high rollers in the film and television industry, she came up with a unique approach... she wrote Christmas carol arrangements, just for them. It became a Hollywood tradition and now it is becoming a wind band holiday tradition, too!
Of course, lots of people have written and arranged Christmas carols... but, not like this.

Playing
Jingle Them
From
Wind & Rhythm

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The mission of Wind & Rhythm is to build a community of individuals who love wind bands; to grow a wider audience for the music bands play; and to provide a venue for band members and directors to speak about their art.

To accomplish our mission we produce both on-air and on-line programming that invites listeners to reconnect with their roots as members of bands; encourages listeners to participate in community music-making; and provides for listeners an opportunity to hear the best bands in the world.

Christmas with the Annie Moses Band

From Monique Healing | 59:24

The Annie Moses Band’s phenomenal US, PBS debut is now available as a 1 hour Concert Special, 30 minute or as individual songs for your Radio network. Touching the depths of your listeners’ hearts with the message of Christmas with this remarkable mix of Jazz, Classical and Celtic sounds, this all-sibling group will inspire your listeners. With a breathtaking mix of holiday classics and originals performed by highly skilled Juilliard Musicians that will touch your audience like no other artists this year.

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The Annie Moses Band is a family of Juilliard trained musicians and award winning songwriters dedicated to virtuosity in the arts. Led by lead singer/violinist, Annie Wolaver, the Band includes her six siblings, Alex, viola, Benjamin, cello, Camille, harp/keyboard, Gretchen, violin/mandolin, and Jeremiah, on guitar and banjo. Add the veteran song writing talents of their parents, Bill and Robin Wolaver, and you have a dynamic group with roots in classical, pop, and jazz. Together, they are leading an artistic renaissance  through musical excellence and strength of family, inspiring all generations to join in the discipline, beauty, and excitement of highly skilled musicianship.

A Cowboy Christmas

From Western Folklife Center Media | 54:24

A musical and poetic celebration of Christmas from the open ranges of America's outback.

Default-piece-image-1 A Cowboy Christmas celebrates the holiday with memories, music, and poetry of people who live and work in the isolation of America's outback. Some of the stories and songs are family traditions passed down through the generations while others are new works inspired by Christmas on the lonely range. This program features poets Baxter Black, Waddie Mitchell, and Native American singer and comedian Vincent Craig.

Juke In The Back #032 - R&B Christmas

From Matt "The Cat" Baldassarri | Part of the Juke In The Back With Matt The Cat series | 59:59

The entire "Juke In The Back" is loaded with the greatest R&B Christmas records from the late 1940s and 1950s. It's the yuletide soul that came before rock n' roll. So grab some 'nog and get groovin'.

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The entire "Juke In The Back" is loaded with the greatest R&B Christmas records from the late 1940s and 1950s.  It's the yuletide soul that came before rock n' roll.  From the all-time classics by Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters and The Orioles to some rarer Christmas plattahs from Amos Milburn, JB Summers and The Five Keys.  So grab some 'nog and get groovin'.

A Latin American Christmas

From WFIU | 58:55

Warm and sunny holiday music from many Latin-American locales. A festive program for the holiday season!

3269058996_1b6327ac81_o_small A Latin American Christmas brings your listeners some warm and sunny music of the season and a lot of good cheer from many lands south of the border and even the equator.  Feliz Navidad!  (A Spanish version is coming soon!)


Half-Hour (24:00-30:00)

'Tis the Season

From With Good Reason | 28:57

It's time to rock around the Christmas tree.

Harp_small Everybody's heard Bing Crosby dream of a white Christmas and the Beach Boys harmonize about a little Saint Nick, but how about The Ronettes singing Santa Claus Is Coming To Town?  Poet Tim Siebles, ethnomusicologist Ann Rasmussen, conductor John Guthmiller and vocalist Lisa Edwards-Burrs share some lesser known holiday songs and explain why the music resonates with them this time of year.

A Hawaiian Christmas with Slack Key Master Kapono Beamer

From Heidi Chang | 29:51

Experience the magic of a Hawaiian Christmas with Slack Key Master Kapono Beamer, who weaves tales of Hawaiian holiday traditions along with his family's musical legacy.

Kaponobeamer4_small A Hawaiian Christmas with slack key master Kapono Beamer will fill your heart and soul with the Aloha spirit on Christmas Day.  He shares memories of what it was like growing up in the Beamer family, one of Hawaii's most respected musical families, and how they celebrated the holidays.  On his CD, "Great Grandmother, Great Grandson," Kapono plays music inspired by his great grandmother, Helen Desha Beamer.  She was a prominent Hawaiian songwriter in the first half of the 20th century, who was known for her exquisite melodies.

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uring this half-hour long music special hosted by Heidi Chang, Kapono also performs live, singing "Silent Night" in Hawaiian.  Hawaiian culture is based on the oral tradition.  So Kapono is passing on his family's rich cultural heritage, through his stories and music.  His island roots goes back to the 15th Century.  Kapono also talks story about music and life, and explains how his pop hit, "Only Good Times," ended up on the soundtrack of Hollywood's first big budget surf film, "Big Wednesday," directed by John Milius.

Kapono Beamer is a talented guitarist, singer and songwriter in his own right.  As a member of the Beamer Brothers, one of Hawaii's most popular duos, he helped spark the Hawaiian renaissance in the 70's, creating a new contemporary Hawaiian sound.  The Beamer Brothers “Honolulu City Lights" album remains one of the most successful selling records in the history of Hawaiian music.  In 2006, Kapono’s recording, "Slack Key Dreams of the Ponomoe,” was nominated for a Grammy for Hawaiian Album of the Year.  He is a multiple winner of Hawaii's version of the Grammy Awards, known as the "Na Hoku Hanohano" Awards.

Note:  Since this music special initially aired, Kapono's grandmother, and also his mother, Nona Beamer, a gifted composer and hula master, have passed away.  But their spirit lives on through Kapono's storytelling, and the depth and beauty of his music.

To learn more about Kapono Beamer, visit his website. 

Tis the Season (half)

From With Good Reason | Part of the With Good Reason: Weekly Half Hour Long Episodes series | 28:56

Christmas music from jazz, to blues, to classical to world music, all introduced by artists, musicians, and writers.

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Whether it’s a traditional hymn or a rock and roll Christmas song, many people say Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without the music that marks this season.  The sense of joy, comfort, or spiritual uplift comes in classical, popular, jazz, and even world music.  Poet Time Siebles, ethnomusicologist Ann Rasmussen, conductor John Guthmiller, and vocalist Lisa Edwards-Burns, share their favorite songs and why the music resonates with them this time of year.

Sounds of the Season- 2022

From KSDS | 23:36:00

Sounds of the Season is 24 one-hour offerings of holiday (REAL) jazz, from swing-era recordings by Count Basie and Duke Ellington to recent releases by contemporary Jazz artists.

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KSDS presents Sounds of the Season, 12 Noon Saturday, December 24th, through midnight Sunday, December 25th! 36 hours of holiday music, featuring old favorites (Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, etc.), current stars (Dianne Reeves, Wynton Marsalis, Jeff Hamilton, Marcus Roberts), and the recently departed (Chick Corea, Joey DeFrancesco, Ramsey Lewis). Also included is a reading of the classic,’Twas the Night Before Christmas, by the late southern California jazz radio personality, Chuck Niles.
These are a few of the seasonal favorites to be heard: It Came Upon a Midnight Clear - Ella Fitzgerald; Here Comes Santa Claus - Ramsey Lewis; Carol of the Bells - Nancy Wilson; Danse of the Floreadores - Duke Ellington Orchestra; Frosty the Snowman - Tom Kubis; Silver Bells - Plas Johnson; Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow - Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band; Snowbound - Sarah Vaughan.
Sounds of the Season, Noon Christmas Eve through midnight Christmas night, exclusively produced by KSDS-FM, San Diego's Jazz 88.3 (broadcasting from City College- a part of the San Diego Community College District)