Final Holiday Music Posting - The Kwanzaa Playlist!

Today is the third day of Kwanzaa. This seven-day celebration of African culture is a chance for people of African descent throughout the diaspora to reaffirm their communal ties and to celebrate their culture. Although I am white, I have spent years studying African-American music, so I humbly offer this list to anyone who would like to know more about the contributions made by blacks to our national quilt. Happy listening!

Scott Joplin, "Maple Leaf Rag"
One of the first African-American composers and the King of Ragtime

Muddy Waters, "I Be's Troubled"
America's greatest bluesman (in my opinion), as recorded when he was a sharecropper in Mississippi, before he became a Chicago legend

"Lift Every Voice and Sing"
This is the African-American National Anthem, written by James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosamond Johnson. Read more here.

Duke Ellington, "Ko-Ko"
One of America's greatest composers and songwriters, this is an example of his wonderful band at the height of its residence in Harlem at the Cotton Club.

William Grant Still, "Afro-American Symphony"
Known as the "Dean of African American Composers," he combined 20th century classical techniques with the folksongs and blues of his heritage.

Billie Holiday, "Strange Fruit"
A controversial song about the practice of lynching by one of the great vocalists in jazz history.

John Coltrane, "A Love Supreme"
Jazz tenor saxophonist makes his most personal spiritual statement with his quartet.

Little Richard, "Good Golly Miss Molly"
Over-the-top-performer at his most rambunctious--a classic of early rock.

Stevie Wonder, "Fingertips, Pt. II"
The first of many #1 hits for "Little" Stevie Wonder which made him the most famous 12-year old in the country.

Ray Charles, "Hit the Road Jack"
Bluesy, soulful, and gritty--a true American original

James Brown, "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag"
The Godfather of Soul whose band was always killing--he defined what a live performance could be.

George Clinton, "P Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)"
Another unique performer who, along with Sly and the Family Stone, set the standard for funk music.

Prince, "When Doves Cry"
A combination of Little Richard, Jimi Hendrix, and Sly Stone who was all over the airwaves in the 1980s.

Public Enemy, "Fight the Power"
When other rappers were advocating random acts of violence, PE was calling for blacks to work for positive change.

And this barely scratches the surface--I haven't mentioned Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Michael Jackson, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, Gil Scott Heron, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Chuck Berry, Buddy Guy...It's a start anyway. So to all of our African-American students and their families, have a blessed Kwanzaa!

More Holiday Music - Top Sacred Songs

In the penultimate installment of my romp through holiday music, here are my favorite sacred Christmas songs. In other words, these actually reference the religious basis of the holiday, the birth of Christ. My reasons for choosing them, however, are usually musical rather than textual. I don't often focus on lyrics, even when I'm singing these songs in church. I'm usually listening to the harmonies and the bass line. Anyway, here are my top 13:

13. O Come, O Come Emmanuel - The lyrics actually date back to the 9th century!

12. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen - One of the first carols I ever arranged in a jazz version, when I wrote it for my wife's jazz combo at Lake Forest Country Day School

11. O Little Town of Bethlehem - A gentle carol with a sinuous melody--perfect for a late night Christmas Eve service

10. The First Nowell - One of the great old English carols, complete with the old-fashioned, non-French spelling of "Nowell"

9. In the Bleak Midwinter - This one was written by English composer Gustav Holst--we played it in SB and WE as part of our Holst unit--really cool modal harmonies

8. We Three Kings - Sounds great as a modal jazz waltz a la John Coltrane and My Favorite Things

7. Ding Dong Merrily on High - In high school, I sang in a choir that did a bunch of old English carols like this one every December - my favorite line: "and e-o-e-o-e-o!"

6. Do You Hear What I Hear - My parents had a version by Bing Crosby on one of their Christmas records, and I always thought this one sounded so haunting. It must be the mixolydian mode they used in the arrangement.

5. The Little Drummer Boy - Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum, indeed! There was a stop-motion animation version of this that was done by the same people who did the Rudolph TV show. It's a shame it was never as popular.

4. Coventry Carol - Another one of those spooky songs from high school choir. It starts with the lyrics "Lully, lullay..." I never did figure out what that meant...

3. Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming - This dates back to the 1500s, by Michael Praetorius. I love the Renaissance sound to this one.

2. Angels We Have Heard on High - The polyphonic "gloria" section makes as spirited refrain as any.

1. Joy to the World - This one, by Handel, sounds like a vocal fanfare, complete with antiphonal call and response between treble and bass at the end.

So there you have it, my top Christmas songs for the season. Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and to everyone, enjoy the time with family and friends!

NEXT UP: My killer Kwanzaa playlist!

Dissertation Defense

This morning, I got up, went for a run at the club, came home, had breakfast, put on my nicest red, gray, and black outfit for good luck, and logged on to my computer to defend my dissertation. My professors were online for the video chat, two in Boston and one in Minneapolis. I began by reading a review of all of my research with accompanying PowerPoint slideshow. This took about 30 minutes, after which each professor asked me questions about what I had discussed and what was written in the actual dissertation. Then they told me to go offline while they discussed my presentation and answers. After about twenty minutes, I received a phone call to log back on, at which time my primary professor congratulated me on a successful defense and told me that I am now officially Dr. Brame. Then he gave me the final revisions I need to make before submitting my document for binding and graduating on January 31. So while my work is not quite done, my degree is.

Thanks to all of my students, friends, colleagues, and family for all of your support and encouragement. It has been quite a journey, and I am grateful that you all accompanied me on it.

Happy Holidays!

Dr. B

More Holiday Music - Top Secular Christmas Songs

In choral music, we often discuss the text as either "sacred" or "secular." Sacred texts are religious in nature, whether chanting the Qu'ran, singing a Hebrew Psalm, or performing a Christian Gloria. Secular lyrics are everything else--songs about love, cars, pizza, you name it. So it sounds somewhat contradictory to refer to "secular Christmas songs." However, Christmas is, for better or worse, as much a cultural holiday as it is a religious one. Thus, there are many songs about Christmas that never mention Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. Here are my top ten, in reverse order:

10. White Christmas - a dreamy, chromatic melody, written by a Jewish songwriter named Irving Berlin that was at one time the single most recorded song in history

9. It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas - just a fun tune about how our environment changes as the wreaths and lights go up

8. I'll Be Home for Christmas - a sad song about being away from loved ones during the holidays (the punchline is "if only in my dreams")

7. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Judy Garland staring longingly out a window--beautifully poignant

6. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town - you better watch out!

5. We Wish You a Merry Christmas - a great old English song that is about as cheerful as they come, but does anybody really like "figgy pudding"?

4. The Christmas Song - you probably know it as "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..." - one of the jazziest Christmas songs of all, with great chord changes to boot!

3. Silver Bells - the city dresses up for Christmas

2. The Twelve Days of Christmas - every year the newscasts tell us that the cost of the twelve days has gone up yet again (I guess it has to do with the price of gold and poultry)

1. Christmas Time Is Here - from the Charlie Brown special--such a lovely melody and hip chords--this one is my all-time favorite!

NEXT TIME - Top Sacred Christmas Songs

More Holiday Music - Top Winter Songs

Here are my top nine favorite non-denominational winter songs:

9. Happy Holidays - kind of a generic old song that Bing Crosby sang in "Holiday Inn"

8. Auld Lang Syne - an old Scottish song that has become synonymous with New Year's Eve, and a funky favorite of the DHS Jazz Band

7. Jingle Bell Rock - one of the first rock songs to celebrate the season

6. Frosty the Snowman - turned into a fun cartoon special hosted by Jimmy Durante (I always thought Karen was very cute!)

5. Jingle Bells - the chorus is a bit plain, but the verses tell a fun story about flirting during an out-of-control sleigh ride

4. Baby It's Cold Outside - another great song about flirting, this time over hot chocolate during a blizzard--very appropriate for today's weather!

3. Let It Snow - what a great melody--all those wide leaps and descending scales--great lyrics again about staying in on a snow day

2. Winter Wonderland - more snow, snow, snow, over a jazz progression

1. Sleigh Ride - the Leroy Anderson classic that was the highlight of many a DHS holiday band concert

COMING SOON: my top lists of Christmas carols, both sacred and secular, and my Kwanzaa playlist

Jazz Band at the School Chest Benefit

Here we are at the Deerfield Hyatt, performing for the silent auction portion of tonight's School Chest Benefit Dinner. This year, DHS is raising funds for Bear Necessities, a foundation that works to make life a little better for kids with cancer and their families. You can get more information about this year's drive here.

Citrus Time Is Here!

Photo courtesy Katie Conroy.

Today we have a lovely, snowy backdrop to our citrus unloading. All of the band, choir, and orchestra students are in long, human conveyor belts to empty the truck and fill R-Hall with the happy smells of oranges, grapefruit, and cardboard boxes. Mmm--nothing says "happy holidays" like cardboard boxes! As always, everybody is having a good time, making new friends, and getting a great workout.

Happy Hanukkah!

We're now just about halfway through the annual Festival of Lights, and I wanted to share an interesting NPR story with you about holiday music. It features a new Hanukkah song by Matisyahu, who just might be the only Hasidic reggae rapper/singersongwriter around. You can listen to the story, which includes an acoustic version of "Miracle," and you can watch the rather confusing but amusing video.

This time of year, you can hear Christmas music everywhere, with some radio stations going to a 24/7 Christmas format (too much of a good thing!). So, to offer a little balance, here are my favorite Hanukkah songs:

5. Maoz Tzur (Rock of Ages) - This is a very old song that was set to a German folk song.
4. The Dreydl Song - A classic kids song that sounds like a nursery rhyme. A Jewish equivalent of "Up on the Housetop."
3. Hanukkah, Hanukkah - Another kids tune with a fairly unimaginative name.
2. Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah - Not to be confused with the above song. This one is a DHS jazz band favorite--we do it in a revved up klezmer styles.
1. S'Vivon - A much more interesting song about dreydls. I arranged this for the Wind Ensemble to play a few years back, and Mr. V added string parts so the orchestra could play it last year. My all-time favorite!

I'd add in Adam Sandler's clever and humorous Hanukkah song, but I had to ban him from the list for the gratuitous drug reference near the end. Tsk, tsk.

Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be back with my favorite non-specific winter songs, secular Christmas songs, sacred Christmas songs, and a killer Kwanza playlist. Until then, enjoy the coming snow storm!

UPDATE: I did some research and came across this NPR segment where a rabbi tries to explain how to spell this holiday in English with the Roman alphabet. Since "Hanukkah" seems to be the most common spelling and is favored by the New York Times and Chicago Tribune, I've fixed it in the headline and text above. An extra bonus is some clips from another cool Hanukkah song by The LeeVees, who have a whole album called "Hannukah Rocks." (Note the alternate spelling, and also note that the rabbi in the story preferred "Chanukkah.")