This concert features 175 years of Christmas holiday songs, written between 1837 and 2012.
Angels We Have Heard on High arr. by Ralph Carmichael (1961), as recorded by the Stan Kenton Orchestra
The Christmas Waltz by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne (1954), arr. by John Berry
(featuring vocalist Karen Dunn, alto sax soloist Kay Foster, and trumpet soloist Mark Syman)
Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland by Dick Smith and Felix Bernard (1934), arr. by Dave Barduhn; lyricist Dick Smith, a native of Honesdale, Pennsylvania, was reportedly inspired to write the song after seeing Honesdale's Central Park covered in snow. The original 1934
(featuring solos by Tom Huelsmann, bass trombone, and Bill Frank, flute)
Introduction of the saxophone section to the audience.
Christmas is Just 'Round the Corner by Glen Newton (2012); Newton wrote this song to celebrate the reunion of families separated by overseas military deployments.
(featuring vocalist Karen Dunn with a vibraphone solo by Glen Newton)
Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn (1945), arr. by John Berry; according to popular legend, it was written in Hollywood, California during one of the hottest days on record; it was #3 on ASCAP's 2017 list of most-played holiday songs.*
(featuring solos by Bill Pearson, baritone sax, Glen Peterson, tenor sax, Eric Laska, electric bass, and Tom Huelsmann, bass trombone)
Introduction of the trombone section to the audience.
Here Comes Santa Claus by Gene Autry and Oakley Haldeman (1947), arr. by John Berry; Autry got the idea for the song after riding his horse in the 1946 Santa Claus Lane Parade (now the Hollywood Christmas Parade) in Los Angeles during which crowds of spectators chanted, "Here comes Santa Claus". This inspired him to write a song that Haldeman set to music; it was #16 on ASCAP's 2017 list of most-played holiday songs.
(featuring vocalists Karen Dunn and Glen Newton, with a flugelhorn solo by Dan Theobald and a trombone solo by George Henly)
We Three Kings by John Henry Hopkins (1857), arr. by Ralph Carmichael (1961); as recorded by the Stan Kenton Orchestra; Hopkins served as the rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and wrote the carol for a Christmas pageant in New York City.
(featuring pianist Mike Holt)
Introduction of the trumpet and flugelhorn section to the audience.
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Eddie Pola and George Wyle (1963), arr. by Paul Murtha; George Wyle wrote it for the second Andy Williams Christmas Show on television, and Andy sang it every year; it gradually gained popularity with other performers, and in 2017, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers ranked Williams' recording as 7th most played holiday song of the year.
(featuring vocalists Karen Dunn and Glen Newton)
Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson (1948), arr. by John LaBarbera, as played by the Glenn Miller orchestra; according to Leroy Anderson's biographer, Steve Metcalf, Sleigh ride "has been performed and recorded by a wider array of musical artists than any other piece in the history of Western music"; it was #9 on ASCAP's 2017 list of most-played holiday songs.
(featuring solos by Glen Peterson, tenor sax, and Dan Theobald, trumpet)
Introduction of the rhythm section to the audience.
(Everybody's Waitin' for) The Man with the Bag by Harold Stanley, Irving Taylor, and Dudley Brooks (1950), arr. by Rick Stitzel; this arrangement closely follows Kay Starr's recording that regularly appeared on Billboard's list of most popular Christmas songs in the 1950's.
(featuring vocalist Karen Dunn)
Jingle Bells by James Pierpont (1857), arr. by Sammy Nestico; published under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh" in the autumn of 1857; this 2008 arrangement was recorded by the Count Basie Orchestra on "A Very Swingin' Basie Christmas" in 2015; first performance by the Roseville Big Band!
(featuring a scat vocal solo by Keith Miner and a trumpet solo by Glen Newton)
The Christmas Song by Mel Torme and Robert Wells (1946), arr. by Paul Jennings; according to Tormé, "I saw a spiral pad on his piano with four lines written in pencil", Tormé recalled. "They started, "Chestnuts roasting..., Jack Frost nipping..., Yuletide carols..., Folks dressed up like Eskimos.' Bob (Wells, co-writer) didn't think he was writing a song lyric. He said he thought if he could immerse himself in winter he could cool off. Forty minutes later that song was written. I wrote all the music and some of the lyrics."; #17 on ASCAP's 2017 list of most-played holiday songs.
(featuring vocalists Keith Miner, Karen Dunn, and Glen Newton)
Roseville Big Band performers for this concert:
Saxes (left to right): Glen Peterson (tenor), Bill Frank (alto and flute), Kay Foster (alto), Dan Desmonds (tenor), and Bill Pearson (baritone)
Trumpets and Flugelhorns (left to right): Dan Theobald, Mark Syman, Jake Olsen,
and Bob Nielsen
Trombones (left to right): Michael Sweet, Keith Miner, George
Henly, and Tom Huelsmann (bass trombone)
Rhythm (front to back): Mike Holt (piano), Eric Laska (bass),
Jim Foster (drums), and
Glen Newton (vibraphone)
Vocalists: Karen Dunn, Glen Newton, and Keith Miner
* #1 on the 2017 ASCAP list was Mariah Carey's recording of "All I Want for Christmas is You".
#2 on the list was "A Holly Jolly Christmas"
The 2007 list was topped by two songs on our program:
1. Winter Wonderland
Written by: Felix Bernard, Richard B. Smith
Performed by: Eurythmics
2. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)
Written by: Mel Tormé, Robert Wells
Performed by: Nat "King" Cole