You
have to give Rasmussen credit for starting with “Go Tell it on the Mountain,”
instead reindeer or snowman. There is no “War on Christmas” here. Rasmussen’s
arrangement gives it a hard-charging swing worthy of the vintage Basie band. Vocalist
April May Webb brings out the inherent gospel flavor of the lyrics, while baritone
saxophonist Andrew Hadro further cranks up the funkiness. One of the cool
things about American Christmas is
the it identifies each band-member during their respective solos, so everyone
gets their due credit.
Rasmussen’s
chart for “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” has some Oliver Nelson-ish colors to
it, which is high praise again. Generally, this is a rather dour carol, but Webb
and the band perform it as an upbeat, up-tempo groover. Again, there are legit solos
(maybe somewhat brief by club standards, but quite fully-developed for
television), in this case, from Dave Pollack delivering on tenor and Richard
Polatchek keeping it real on trumpet.
“Deck
the Halls” is maybe even a tad too fleet, but it is nice vehicle for Rasmussen’s
guitar and Joe Spinelli on drums. “What Child Is This” is probably their gutsy
choice, given how many listeners might be familiar with John Coltrane’s
recording of “Greensleeves,” but conductor Charlie Dougherty’s arrangement
definitely takes it in a brassier, more swinging direction. It is a
surprisingly fun performance (devoid of the usual folky moodiness), propelled
by the impressive power and clarity of vocalist Candice Reyes’s voice.
“Jingle
Bells” is probably the most straight-over-the-plate, sing-along-if-you-want-and-happen-to-know-the-later-verses
rendition, but it is followed by an original. “Christmas Card Blues” is a
pleasant and sometime rather clever lampoon of the year-in-review letters some
people include in their Christmas cards. Rasmussen and Kate Victor perform it
with just the right degree of theatricality (a little, not a lot), while Billy
Test shows all kinds of taste and touch during his piano solo.
