Happy Solstice 2008

As the wheel of days turns into darkness, it reveals the light and hope of spring!

This is a very eclectic Holiday show, from the sublime to the ridiculous, and ranging in time from 400 years ago to a live segment in the second hour with the band Dervish and friends in a wild Irish session.

Loreena McKennitt / #4 Noel Nouvelet! / A Midwinter Night’s Dream / Verve (Ontario, Canada) Traditional 16th Century French Christmas song from her new cd.

Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti / #1 Cantique de Noel / The Three Tenors Christmas / Sony

Wailau Ryder /#8  Silver Bells / Slack Key Christmas / Palm Records

Klezmatics / #4 Hanuka Bell / Woodie Guthrie’s Happy Joyous Hanukkah / JMG

World set

Cesaria Evora / #6 Natal / World Christmas / Capitol

Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Elaine Elias / # 9 Boas Festas / World Christmas / Capitol

Mino Cinelu & Dianne Reeves / #11 Twelve Days of Christmas / World Christmas / Capitol

Old Hawaiian Section

Lucky Luck / #1 Kanaka Christmas / Santa’s Gone Hawaiian / 49th State Hawaii Records

Genoa Keawe & her Hula Maids / #2 Mele Kalikimaka / Santa’s Gone Hawaiian

Genoa Keawe / #3 Silent Night / Santa’s Gone Hawaiian / 49th State Hawaii Records

A comment on the state of our economy!

Odds Bodkin / #5 The Takeover before Christmas / A Child’s Celebration of Christmas / Music for Little People

Christmas Jug Band / #10 Santa Don’t Do It / Rhythm on the Roof / Globe (Dan Hicks)

Jingle Dogs / #5 Ding Dong Merry on High / Christmas Unleashed / Jingle Cats Music

And now for my very favorite all time Christmas songs—hard to believe this first one, recorded in 1957, is only 2:22 with the almost illegal whallop it packs! A Lieber and Stoller gem:

Elvis Presley / #8 Santa Clause is Back in Town /  If Every day was like Christmas / RCA

Tennessee Ernie Ford / #19 Christmas Dinner / Christmas on the Range / Capitol Nashville

Christmas Jug Band / #11 S.A.N.T.A. (to the tune of Gloria) / Tree-Side Hoot / Globe (Dan Hicks and friends)

Leon Redbone / Christmas Island / Christmas Island / Private

To end our show, we have a segment from Dervish’s Christmas radio show recorded in Sligo, the cultural center of Western Ireland and home of W.B. Yeats.  Dervish is one of the most sought-after traditional Irish Bands. Many thanks to John Sheffler of CMU Public Radio in Michigan for over-nighting me a copy of this show so I can share it with you!  We come in to the show, midway, with a song by:

Roisin O Reilly / Silent Night (live with Dervish)

Dervish’s Cathy Jordan Interviews Roisin.

Paddy Maloney, the internationally-renowned piper from The Chieftans, plays a number of lively tunes with Dervish, including the Irish reel “Christmas Eve” and a Breton carol.

Interview with Paddy Moloney of Chieftans

Pipe tune

More interview

First musician to play on the moon!

Two jigs on the pipes

One more song with Roisin O Reilly singing!

Time for one last song:

Toots & the Maytals / Happy Christmas/ Natty and Nice / Rhino