O Sanctissima

This is my instrumental arrangement of “O Santissima”. I have set it for classic guitar with orchestra. Translated as “O most holy”, it is a Roman Catholic hymn. The earliest known publication was from London in 1792, presenting it as a traditional song from Sicily; but no original source or date has been confirmed for the simple melody or the poetic text.

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Burgundian Carol

This is my jazz-inflected arrangement of “Burgundian Carol”, which dates from the 18th century.

Mistletoe and Holly

This is my instrumental arrangement of “Mistletoe and Holly”, a Christmas song recorded and co-written by Frank Sinatra in 1957. The other composers were Dok Standford and Hank Sanicola. The song was released as a single (which did not chart) and also on Sinatra’s 1957 Christmas album. It’s quite a nice song, and probably deserves to be better known than it is.

Feliz Navidad

This is my instrumental cover of “Feliz Navidad”, which was composed and recorded by Jose Feliciano in 1970. It is one of the most frequently played “pop” christmas songs of all time, although it didn’t actually chart in the USA until 1998.

What Are You Doing New Years Eve

This is my jazz instrumental arrangement of “What Are You Doing New Years Eve”, composed in 1947 by Frank Loesser. Although it is typically performed in December, that was not the composer’s intent. 

Silver and Gold

This is my early 1960’s-style arrangement of “Silver and Gold”, which was composed by Johnny Marks for the 1964 TV Christmas special, “Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer”. It was performed by Burk Ives as the voice of Sam the Snowman in the show. Johnny Marks specialized in Christmas songs and wrote many holiday standards, including “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (a hit for Gene Autry and many others), “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (a hit for Brenda Lee), “A Holly Jolly Christmas” (Burl Ives), “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” (Bing Crosby), and “Run Rudolph Run” (recorded by Chuck Berry).