Kirk Whalum assembled a wide array of musical talent to perform 14 updated arrangements on this superior collection of hymns, Christmas carols, and holiday folk music.
While preserving the style of polyphonic modality (as in the ancient forms of caroling), Whalum updates the traditional carol "Little Drummer Boy" to "Little 'Ghetto' Drummer Boy" by using the two-part doo wop-flavored harmony of Kyle Whalum and Kevin Whalum atop a very hip beatbox rhythm loop to symmetrically structure a new setting.
Other outstanding arrangements include the opening track, "The First Noel," which features Whalum playing its improvised melody on tenor saxophone, the reggae backbeat added to "Do You Hear (What I Hear)," and the soulful lead vocals of John Stoddart on his original composition "Love from a Star." Whalum's original composition, "Christmas Message," is a sensitive duet that features the saxophonist's soprano voice beautifully accompanied by the contemporary Christian instrumentalist Phil Keaggy on acoustic guitar.
This holiday collection is commensurate with Whalum's previous inspirational and spirited instrumental offering, Hymns in the Garden, in that it offers a wonderful visitation to classic songs with a very different approach and touch.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The First NoelWilliam Sandys, Traditional | Kirk Whalum | Play | 05:49 | 13 MB | 37 MB |
| 2 | Do You Hear What I HearGloria Shayne Baker, Public Domain, Noël Regney, Leon X A Schleinger | Kirk Whalum | Play | 04:50 | 11 MB | 29 MB |
| 3 | Love from a StarJohn Stoddart | Kirk Whalum | Play | 05:07 | 11 MB | 32 MB |
| 4 | Cradle in BethlehemPublic Domain | Kirk Whalum | Play | 05:28 | 12 MB | 35 MB |
| 5 | O Holy NightAdolphe Adam, John Sullivan Dwight | Kirk Whalum | Play | 06:25 | 14 MB | 40 MB |
| 6 | The Little (Ghetto) Drummer BoyPublic Domain | Kirk Whalum | Play | 03:23 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 7 | Rise Up Shepherd and FollowPublic Domain | Kirk Whalum | Play | 02:06 | 4 MB | 12 MB |
| 8 | Sweet Little Jesus BoyTraditional | Kirk Whalum | Play | 03:04 | 7 MB | 15 MB |
| 9 | Amazing GraceJohn Newton | Kirk Whalum | Play | 05:04 | 11 MB | 30 MB |
| 10 | We Three KingsJohn Henry Hopkins, Jr. | Kirk Whalum | Play | 05:09 | 11 MB | 32 MB |
| 11 | The Christmas MessageKirk Whalum | Kirk Whalum | Play | 03:51 | 8 MB | 21 MB |
| 12 | O Little Town of BethlehemPhillip Brooks, Lewis Redner | Kirk Whalum | Play | 04:40 | 10 MB | 24 MB |
| 13 | Hark! The Herald Angels SingFelix Mendelssohn, Charles Wesley | Kirk Whalum | Play | 05:02 | 11 MB | 25 MB |
| 14 | Blott en DagPublic Domain | Kirk Whalum | Play | 04:51 | 11 MB | 25 MB |
| 64 mins | 148 MB | |||||
| 64 mins | 384 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adolphe Adam | Composer |
| 2 | Gloria Shayne Baker | Composer |
| 3 | Phillip Brooks | Composer |
| 4 | Victor Caldwell | Engineer, Mastering |
| 5 | John Sullivan Dwight | Composer |
| 6 | John Henry Hopkins, Jr. | Composer |
| 7 | Phil Keaggy | Guest Artist, Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Nylon String) |
| 8 | Sean McCurley | Drums |
| 9 | Felix Mendelssohn | Composer |
| 10 | John Newton | Composer |
| 11 | Cyndee Peters | Vocals |
| 12 | Public Domain | Composer |
| 13 | Lewis Redner | Composer |
| 14 | Noël Regney | Composer |
| 15 | Michael Ripoll | Guitar (Nylon String), Guitar (Steel) |
| 16 | William Sandys | Composer |
| 17 | David Santo | Bass (Electric) |
| 18 | John Santos | Percussion |
| 19 | Leon X A Schleinger | Composer |
| 20 | Ed Simonton | Engineer, Mixing |
| 21 | John Stoddart | Arranger, Composer, Keyboards, Piano, Producer, Programming, Synthesizer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 22 | Traditional | Composer |
| 23 | Charles Wesley | Composer |
| 24 | Kevin Whalum | Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 25 | Kirk Whalum | Arranger, Composer, Primary Artist, Producer, Programming, Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor), Synthesizer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |