It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
This is my instrumental cover of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, which was written in 1963 by Edward Pola and George Wyle. It was recorded and released that year by pop singer Andy Williams for his first Christmas album.
Winter Wonderland
This is my instrumental cover of “Winter Wonderland”, which was written in 1934 by Felix Bernard and lyricist Richard Bernhard Smith. Due to its seasonal theme, it is often regarded as a Christmas song.
Santa Baby
This is my instrumental cover of “Santa Baby”. It was written in 1953 by Philip Springer and Joan Javits. It was released that year as a single by Eartha Kitt.
Skating
This is my cover of “Skating”, one the the many brilliant compositions written by Jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi for the now-classic 1965 TV program, “A Charlie Brown Christmas”.
I Wonder as I Wander
This is my instrumental arrangement of “I Wonder as I Wander” – a Christian folk hymn, typically performed as a Christmas carol. It was written by American folklorist and singer John Jacob Niles. Its origins are in a song fragment he collected in 1933. Niles first performed the song in December of that year, and it was published in 1934.
The Star of Christmas Morning
This is my somewhat jazzy instrumental arrangement of “The Star of Christmas Morning”, which is a traditional English carol.
Silver Bells
This is my instrumental cover of “Silver Bells”. It was composed by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. The first recorded version was sung by Bing Crosby and Carol Richards in 1950. The recording was released by Decca Records in October 1950. In 1951, the song was featured in the Bob Hope movie, The Lemon Drop Kid”.
Livingston and Evans were a long-time songwriting team best known for their film work. According to Ray Evans, “Silver Bells” started out as “Tinkle Bells.” He said: “We never thought that tinkle had a double meaning until Jay went home and his first wife said, ‘Are you out of your mind? Do you know what the word tinkle is?'”
Home for the Holidays
This is my instrumental cover of “(There’s No Place Like) Home for the Holidays” which was written by Robert Allen and Al Stillman. The first recording was by Perry Como.
The Christmas Waltz
This is my my instrumental cover of “The Christmas Waltz”. It was written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne for Frank Sinatra, who recorded it in 1954 as the B-side of a new recording of “White Christmas”. “The Christmas Waltz” has been covered many times over the years by a wide variety of artists.
Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
This is my instrumental cover of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”. It was written by Johnny Marks and first recorded by Brenda Lee in 1958; it has since been recorded by numerous other music artists. In spite of her mature-sounding voice, Lee recorded the song when she was only 13 years old.
The original recording featured now legendary Nashville session musicians Hank Garland on guitar, Floyd Cramer on piano and Boots Randolph on sax.
The Ventures included the song on their 2002 “Christmas Joy” album.
A Holly Jolly Christmas
This is my instrumental cover of “A Holly Jolly Christmas”, written by Johnny Marks in 1962. It is best known as performed by Burl Ives.
A Long Way Back
“A Long Way Back” is an original instrumental composition intended to be similar in style to the Shadows.
Let It Snow!
This is my instrumental cover of “Let It Snow!”, which was composed by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne in 1945. Despite the lyrics making no mention of any holiday, the song has come to be regarded as a Christmas song in North America due to its winter theme, being played on radio stations during the Christmas and holiday season and having often been covered by various artists on Christmas-themed albums.
Do You Hear What I Hear?
This is my instrumental arrangement of “Do You Hear What I Hear?” – a song written in October 1962, with lyrics by Noël Regney and music by Gloria Shayne.The pair, married at the time, wrote it as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Regney had been invited by a record producer to write a Christmas song, but he was hesitant due to the commercialism of Christmas. The song has sold tens of millions of copies and has been covered by hundreds of artists.
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