“Swingin’
In The Snow” showcases a stellar cast on timeless seasonal classics
with album sales benefiting the Autism Society of America
As cool as a winter’s eve, as warm as a holiday dinner with loved ones,
and as beautiful as an exquisitely ornamented Christmas tree ,
Rick Braun’s “
Swingin’ In The Snow”
is a celebration of “the most wonderful time of the year” featuring
some of the contemporary jazz star’s talented friends. Braun produced
the elegant 11-song set that will be released by
Brauntosoarus Music on October 16
th. The merry band of musical elves who joined the trumpeter-vocalist in his workshop include
Mindi Abair,
David Benoit,
Gregg Karukas,
Dave Koz,
Philippe Saisse,
Kirk Whalum,
Peter White, a string quartet and a gospel choir led by R&B crooner
Jeffrey Osborne. Braun will donate one dollar from each album sale to the
Autism Society of America.
“Since I was a kid, I spent every Christmas enjoying classic holiday recordings by artists like Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, and Ella Fitzgerald,
which inspired ‘Swingin' In The Snow.’ I had a blast recording these
great tunes and am honored that so many of my dearest friends, who
happen to be incredible musicians, shared their talent with me to create
this wonderful project. This is real music being played by real
musicians and my hope is that you will enjoy listening to us as much as
we enjoyed making the record,” said Braun, who will again be touring
this holiday season as part of A Peter White Christmas with White and
Abair, an 18-city U.S. trek that begins the day after Thanksgiving
(November 23) in Austin, Texas and concludes December 22nd in San Diego.
Counting
off with a dose of big band bombast, the album opens in full swing on
“I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm.” Wide-eyed with excitement, “It’s
The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” is as enchanting as ever. The
flugelhorn and piano intro for “Oh Tannenbaum” adds a moment of seasonal
solemnity before a pitter patter beat sets the stage for Braun’s suave
and sophisticated vocals and a children’s chorus. Braun and Abair’s
charming voices flirtingly frolic on “Baby Its Cold Outside.” Saisse
crafted a traditional arrangement for “The Christmas Song” whereas Braun
and White’s fresh take on “Sleigh Ride” is a cheerful acoustic guitar
and percussion powered jaunt. Braun bewitches on “Have Yourself A Merry
Little Christmas” with an assist from an embracing Koz sax solo. The
Allentown, Pennsylvania native gives a shout out to his home state on
“No Place Like Home For The Holidays” followed by a mesmerizing
rendition of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.” In an imaginative tribute to
The Drifters, “White Christmas” becomes a finger-popping doo-wop
number. “Silent Night” is beatified by a celestial choir and inspired
offerings from Braun’s flugelhorn and Whalum’s sax.
Stylistically, “Swingin’ In The Snow” is a continuation of Braun’s mid-career reinvention that began with last year’s “
Sings With Strings”
disc. After 18 years as an instrumentalist who repeatedly topped the
contemporary jazz albums and singles charts both as a recording artist
and as an in demand producer, songwriter and featured guest musician,
the suburban Los Angeles resident realized a dream by stepping up to the
microphone to sing standards. Although he sung backup for
Rod Stewart,
Sade
and others earlier in his career, the horn man had never sung before as
a frontman on a gorgeously orchestrated project. His consistently
growing catalogue of radio hits and years of performing on the concert
stage has made Braun an enduring fan favorite. For more information,
please visit
www.rickbraun.com.
Braun’s “Swingin’ In The Snow” contains the following holiday chestnuts:
“I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm”
“It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year”
“Oh Tannenbaum”
“Baby Its Cold Outside”
“The Christmas Song”
“Sleigh Ride”
“Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”
“No Place Like Home For The Holidays”
“I’ll Be Home For Christmas”
“White Christmas”
“Silent Night”
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