Holidays II

JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH For each Big Band Holidays tour, the orchestra members work hard to arrange classic holiday songs that we then collaborate on with great singers.

I’ve enjoyed every moment of with us. Joe Temperley is one whom arranging some of those songs, I always think of during the holiday including “Sleigh Ride,” “Winter tours. He made us happy with every Wonderland,” and “Brazilian Sleigh moment of his sound and his wry humor, Bells.” The tour is a time when we keeping our spirits up during long tours. reflect on a successful year and get ready for the ensuing year of music. The holiday season is about family and soulful music—it doesn’t get any better! Without fail, it also calls to mind the JLCO members who are no longer

—Carlos Henriquez

2 3 4 5 One would think coming up with a Kim Burrell, but Cécile McLorin Big Band Holidays show would be as Salvant put her own tasteful spin on easy as writing a letter to the one and it to complement Gardner’s intricate only Santa Claus. Come up with a arrangement. That was one of those few Christmas carols and play them, moments that made us realize that right? If only it were that simple. We our ensemble has an embarrassment arrange, orchestrate, conduct, and of riches that we sometimes take for play all kinds of Christmas tunes, granted. from the simplest and catchiest to the I enjoyed working with obscurest and hardest. Sometimes, There’s no shortage of tunes that we’ll the JLCO because it was a we get tunes assigned to us that even perform for any audience; Christmas major challenge to keep up. the oldest human being on Earth is brings the best and worst out of unaware of. people, and we bring those feelings to The JLCO presents music time I opened my fruition when we perform on the road at high levels of excellence mouth, and the orchestra Nevertheless, each and in . A good way and complexity. Each band both pushed and supported arrangement is prepared to enjoy this album is to treat each member has skills and me in my efforts. and played as if we were arrangement like a Christmas present. imagination both deep and the original composer. I hope you enjoy listening to Big Band The Big Band Holidays Tour is wide. My challenge was to Take Vincent Gardner’s Holidays II like we enjoyed playing a high point of my musical life. try and reach the level on arrangement of “What Child and arranging the music. which this orchestra functions. Is This?” He specifically I needed to hit the mark every wrote it for gospel songstress time. I was challenged every —Audrey Shakir —Chris Crenshaw

6 7 It is not only a dream come true to be Theater—the “House of Swing”—in on this album and to have done this the heart of New York, performing tour with the at Lincoln Center the music of Christmas, redefined my Orchestra, but it also feels like a meaning of the phrase “holiday spirit.” homecoming. For me, this music is literally my roots, and to have the As we grow older, we are always opportunity to share this music’s spirit trying to capture the magic we felt as during the time of the year when children; and, for the first time in my peoples’ spirits are at their highest adult life, I felt that magic, and I think felt like a dream. Then, to be in Rose we spread it around for all to feel.

—Veronica Swift

8 9 It’s a dream-come-true to sing with During our tours and concerts in New Wynton Marsalis and JLCO! There York City at Rose Theater, I would is no better jazz orchestra in the stand at the side of the stage for every world. To me, there is nothing better show, in between my songs, to soak up than combining new big band every note! arrangements with songs associated with the holiday season. I was asked to I love the collective sound of JLCO and bring tune suggestions, and found total the Big Band Holidays program. BBH collaboration with the arrangers within concerts bring people together. There’s JLCO. Each arranger wanted to make something for everybody–all ages and sure I was happy and comfortable cultural backgrounds. The musicians as we moved forward. We also had really take care of the audience with fun on stage, and there was a good love. The experience was one of the feeling all around. highlights of my career!

—Catherine Russell

10 11 12 13 1. It’s the Most Wonderful Time 4. O Tannenbaum 7. What Will Santa Claus Say? 9. Silver Bells of the Year (feat. Aretha Franklin) (When He Finds Everybody (feat. Catherine Russell)

Barnaby Music Corp. (ASCAP) Traditional Swingin’) Sony-ATV Harmony (ASCAP) (feat. Catherine Russell) Written by Edward Pola & George Wyle Written by Ernst Anschütz Written by Ray Evans & Jay Livingston Chappell-Co Inc. (ASCAP) Arranged by Wynton Marsalis Arranged by Ali Jackson Soloists: Wynton Marsalis (trumpet), Soloists: Vincent Gardner (trombone), Written by Louis Prima Victor Goines (clarinet), Chris Crenshaw Ted Nash (flute), Dan Nimmer (piano) Arranged by Chris Crenshaw (trombone), Dan Nimmer (piano), Soloists: Paul Nedzela (baritone Ted Nash (flute) 5. Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow saxophone), Ali Jackson (drums) Traditional 10. Snowfall Arranged by Ted Nash 2. Cool Yule Chappell-Co. Inc. (ASCAP) Soloist: (trumpet) (feat. Catherine Russell) 8. Brazilian Sleigh Bells Written by Claude Thornhill Meadowlane Music Inc. (ASCAP) Drolet Music & Universal Polygram Arranged by Sherman Irby International Publishing Inc. (ASCAP) Soloist: Wynton Marsalis (trumpet) Written by Steve Allen 6. (Everybody’s Waitin’ for) Arranged by Sherman Irby Soloists: Walter Blanding (tenor saxophone), The Man with the Bag Written by Percy Faith Sherman Irby (alto saxophone) (feat. Veronica Swift) Arranged by Carlos Henriquez Soloists: Wynton Marsalis (trumpet), 11. Silent Night Morley Music Co. (ASCAP) Bruce Harris (trumpet), Sherman Irby (feat. Denzal Sinclaire) (alto saxophone) 3. We Three Kings Written by Harold Stanley, Irving Taylor Traditional (feat. Denzal Sinclaire) & Dudley Brooks Arranged by Walter Blanding Written by Franz Gruber & Joseph Mohr Traditional Soloists: Veronica Swift (vocals), Arranged by Victor Goines Vincent Gardner (trombone), Soloists: James Chirillo (guitar), Written by John Henry Hopkins, Jr. Sherman Irby (alto saxophone) Kenny Rampton (trumpet) Arranged by Carlos Henriquez Soloists: Dan Nimmer (piano), Paul Nedzela (baritone saxophone) 14 15 Personnel

THE JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH WYNTON MARSALIS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Assistant Label Manager WYNTON MARSALIS Jake Cohen Front of House Engineer Product Manager Reeds Trumpets Rhythm Section David Robinson Madeleine Cuddy Sherman Irby alto and soprano Marcus Printup Dan Nimmer piano Recording Engineers Marketing Manager saxophones, clarinet, flute; music director (2015–16) Kenny Rampton Carlos Henriquez bass Rob Macomber for SiriusXM Nicole Morales and James P. Nichols music (2015–16) drums Product & Marketing Assistant Ted Nash alto and soprano Wynton Marsalis Ali Jackson director (2017–18) Post Producer and Mixing Engineer Benjamin Korman saxophones, clarinet, flute *Marion Felder (2017) drums Todd Whitelock at Amplified Art and Sound (2017–18) Music Administration Victor Goines tenor and soprano *Ryan Kisor *Charles Goold (2018) drums Editor Kay Wolff, Christianna English saxophones, clarinet; *Greg Gisbert (2016) music director (2018) Gloria Kaba Music Copyists *Bruce Harris (2016) Production Assistant Jonathan Kelly, Michael Sailors, Kate Sain, Walter Blanding (2015–17) tenor Featured Guests saxophone, clarinet, shaker *Tatum Greenblatt (2017) Wes Whitelock Sherman Irby, Geoff Burke, and Victor Goines Aretha Franklin vocals Mastering Engineer Concert Line Producer Paul Nedzela baritone and and piano soprano saxophones, bass clarinet Mark Wilder at Battery Studios, NYC 2019 Justin Bias Trombones Catherine Russell vocals Label Head and A&R Audio Archivist *Camille Thurman (2018) tenor Vincent Gardner and soprano saxophones Audrey Shakir vocals Gabrielle Armand Ben Carbone Chris Crenshaw Denzal Sinclaire vocals Label Manager Photography Elliot Mason Aaron Bisman Frank Stewart, Lawrence Sumulong, Veronica Swift vocals (2015–2016, 2018) and Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images Art Direction James Chirillo guitar (all rights reserved) *Sam Chess (2017) Ron Jaramillo, Brian Welesko

*Eric Miller (2 018 ) Design Recorded on December 17–19, 2015; Iris Dai, Patricia Encarnación December 14–18, 2016; December 13–17, Legal 2017; and December 19–23, 2018 at Jazz Daphnée Saget Woodley, Wesley Friedman, at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall. *Indicates substitute orchestra member and Allison Job Veronica Swift appears courtesy of Mack Avenue Music Group. 16 17 18 19 Blue Engine Records would like to thank Sabrina Garrett Owens and the Aretha Franklin Estate, Gwen Quinn, Ken DiCamillo, Lisa Davis, Denny Stilwell, Lucille Hunt, Ryan Paternite, and Paul Kahn.

Support for Blue Engine Records is provided in part by the Arnhold Family, Jay Pritzker Foundation, Dalio Foundation, and Boulé Foundation.

Additional support is provided by Diana and Joseph DiMenna, Robert and Helen Appel, Lisa Schiff, Leonard and Louise Riggio, and David and Thelma Steward.

The mission of Jazz at Lincoln Center is blueenginerecords.org • jazz.org to entertain, enrich, and expand a global community for jazz through performance, education, and advocacy.