Christmas Songs of Spain

Here is a lovely album of the Christmas songs of Spain, recorded circa 1955 by musicologist Laura Boulton. It is one of several of her field recordings released by Folkways during that label's heyday.

I can tell you little of the music and nothing of the performers, alas, because even though there is a booklet included with the set, it consists almost entirely of texts. I imagine the intent was to show the variety of indigenous Christmas music rather than to display individual artistry. However, to give the only credit to the person doing the recording is something expected from the likes of Phil Spector rather than a musicologist.

But I am being too crabby for a time so close to Christmas. This is a fine set in good sound; please enjoy it and the holidays!

A Christmas Carol and Lyn Murray Singers

Columbia's two Christmas releases in 1942 were Basil Rathbone as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol and the Lyn Murray Singers in songs of the season. The label brought them together in 1948 for this early LP.

Rathbone as Scrooge

Rathbone was identified with the Dickens tale, and not just as Scrooge. He appeared in a televised version in 1954 as Marley's ghost, then returned to the central role for the 1956 TV musical, The Stingiest Man in Town. (I offered that album two years ago here.)

For its 1942 adaptation, Columbia advertised a "Hollywood cast," but it was mainly radio actors. Among the troupe were Arthur Q. Bryan (the voice of Elmer Fudd), Elliott Lewis (who has popped up on this blog a number of times, most notably in Manhattan Tower), Lurene Tuttle (a ubiquitous presence on radio and television), and silent film star Francis X. Bushman. The connecting music is by Leith Stevens, another semi-regular at this location.

The potted performance is an effective one, and the sound is alright. My pressing is a little worn. At one point it's hard to tell if it the ghost's chains or the groove's walls that are making the clunking noises in the background.

Lyn Murray

Don't neglect the other side of the record. It may look like a generic collection of carols, but it is very well done by the Lyn Murray Singers, a radio group of the time. Murray went on to become a Hollywood composer.

Columbia's ads for the set of carols (see below) quote composer-critic Deems Taylor as claiming that Murray's group rates with the "great English Singers". Most people these days wouldn't understand the comparison, and I doubt that most people then did either.

The English Singers were a pioneering early music group that also performed contemporary works. I have a 78 of the group in Christmas settings by Rutland Boughton and Peter Warlock that will soon be up on my other, long-neglected blog. I will say here that Lyn Murray's singers and the English Singers had little to do with one other, despite what Deems Taylor may have said. The repertoire was different, and Murray's group was much more secure technically than the Londoners.

The image below is the cover of the Christmas Carol's 78 set, presumably by Alex Steinweiss. You can see how the artwork was adapted for the LP cover above. The download also includes the inside of the 78 set and a different LP cover (these are not my scans).

Christmas with the Hour of Charm

Phil Spitalny may not have been the best known bandleader of the 20th century, but his troupe certainly had the most elaborate name - Phil Spitalny and his Hour of Charm All-Girl Orchestra Featuring Evelyn and Her Magic Violin.

I can't explain to you what made Evelyn's violin so magical, although it did cast a spell over Spitalny. He married her (Evelyn, that is). I can explain the "Hour of Charm" part of the name. That was the title of the radio show that Phil and the band appeared on from 1934 to 1948.

All this may sound gimmicky, and is surely was. Even so, these were serious musicians, and this is quite a good record, even if composed entirely of standard holiday fare.

This 10-inch LP came out on RCA Victor in 1950. Victor leased the masters from Spitalny himself. He recorded them in fall 1947 at WOR studios in New York, and issued them as a 78 set on his own Charm label. The bandleader sold them at concerts and via large mail-order ads in magazines such as Life (see below).

Spitalny had previously recorded for Columbia and did some picture discs for Vogue. I thought I had one of the Vogues around here, but it turned out to be by another band with a long name - Art Kassel and his Castles in the Air Orchestra.

1948 Life ad (click to enlarge)

Christmas in 1954

Here is what Christmas sounded like in 1954 - at least if you confined yourself to the products that the RCA Victor recording company had on sale that year.

And quite a pleasant sound it was, with RCA's biggest stars in mostly familiar fare, which actually had been released as singles and on other LPs in earlier years.

One highlight is Perry Como's fine version of "White Christmas," which he manages to make personal, even though as a vocalist he is descended from the immortal Bing, the song's originator.

Dinah Shore offers "Happy Christmas Little Friend," welcome perhaps because the song is not overplayed like most traditional holiday material. Life Magazine commissioned this particular song from Rodgers and Hammerstein, but it nonetheless never entered the popular repertoire.

Tony Martin is excellent in "Silent Night" - one of his best records. And Eddy Arnold's country hit "C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S" is appealing even though it is a corny alphabet song. Blog favorite Ralph Flanagan adds a Miller-styled "Winter Wonderland" that I much enjoyed.

The low point is the Three Suns' four-square rendition of "Silver Skates," which evokes the roller rink more than the ice house. Also, I could live without Eartha Kitt's overplayed "Santa Baby" (and the Madonna clone version, for that matter).

All in all, though, a fine record. The sound is very good, as usual with RCA Victor products.

More Organ Music for Christmas

Yesterday I was delighted to receive the annual Christmas compilation CD from fellow collector the CaptainOT, one of the true holiday music aficionados.

The good Captain is a generous fellow, and has sent me any number of 10-inch LPs over the years, just because he thought I might like them. So today I want to present my transfer of one of those albums with my thanks to him.

This is a unpretentious LP of familiar tunes played by organist Elmer Ihrke, who recorded three albums for Chicago's Rondo Records in the early 1950s. Ihrke was the music director of a Milwaukee radio station when these records were made. He was active as a musician as early as 1926 and as late as 1973.

In contrast to the mighty Aeolian-Skinner organ that Virgil Fox had at his command in my last Christmas share, Ihrke appears to be performing on a relatively modest Hammond B-3 electric organ - at least that is what he is playing on the cover.

Rondo made quite a specialty of organ records. Its biggest artist was Ken Griffin, who moved on to make many popular records for Columbia, many issued after his early death in 1956.

As you can see at left, Rondo issued the Ihrke LP on red vinyl with a green label. This is just the thing for Christmas - although the label actually issued all its albums with that color scheme.

Merry Christmas, Captain!

Chico Hamilton

We interrupt the Christmas shares for a quick tribute to a fine musician who passed away several days ago - drummer Chico Hamilton was 92 at the time of his death.

Hamilton was central to West Coast jazz, having been a member of the Gerry Mulligan group, and later founding a notable quintet of his own with flutist Buddy Collette, guitarist Jim Hall, cellist Fred Katz and bassist Carson Smith.

The drummer recorded this LP, his first as a leader, between appearing with those two ensembles. Like them, the trio had no piano, relying on Hamilton's interplay with guitarist Howard Roberts and bassist George Duvivier. The results are enduringly fresh.

This album is actually an expanded version of an EP that Pacific Jazz had recorded with the group in December 1953. Its success led to an additional session on October 1954 and this 10-inch LP the following year.

As always, the post is a transfer from my own copy of the original album. The sound is good.