Merry Music

If you were allowed to own only one Christmas CD or box set, this CD box set from Sony Music Entertainment Inc. would have to be one to consider.  Once again, Sony Music has done a great job of putting together a 3-disc set of familiar Christmas favorites.  There are 40 songs spread out over 3 CDs and the whole set takes over 1 hour and 45 minutes to complete.  That’s a good start to any Christmas collection.

This is gonna be a hoot!  I don’t know where to begin.  This is a great (!) Christmas CD by the Salsa band, Orquesta De La Luz.  That in itself is unusual.  At least for most of you out there.  How many Salsa Christmas CDs do you have?  I have many.  😊

Efrem Kurtz was a Russian born composer, conductor and arranger.  He was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1900.  His early conducting took place in Berlin, and throughout the 1930s, he was the conductor of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.

Morton Gould is one of the most awarded composers in modern music history.  Already a child prodigy by the age of six, Morton Gould became a prolific composer, conductor, arranger and producer. Morton Gould was born in Queens, New York City, in 1913.  While staying in the New York area throughout his early life, Morton Gould played piano in movie houses, in vaudeville and on the radio.  It was his numerous appearances on radio that really moved his career forward at a fast pace.

Just as I mentioned a few reviews ago that John Gary was the best male Pop Standards vocalist you’ve never heard of, I can honestly say that June Christy is the best female Pop singer you’ve never heard of.  To be more accurate, June Christy was really a Jazz vocalist, but she did record Standards in addition to Jazz interpretations.

It’s Dean Martin!  Finally, the first review of a Dean Martin Christmas album.  Some things should be said right away about this CD reissue of Dean Martin’s Christmas album from 1959, A Winter Romance.  First off, this is a reissue of Dean’s 1959 Christmas album, and it contains 6 bonus tracks.  The original songs are all here but in a different order than on the original album.