Liberace

Artist: Liberace

LP: Christmas at Liberace's - Vol. III (7" EP)

Song: "Ave Maria"

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 Song: "Star Bright"

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I hope you've all had a lovely Christmas...but not TOO lovely, like the ones the Liberace family used to have. If you did, then you're probably one of those billionaires I heard about on the news who recently became an octillionaire during the COVID-19 pandemic, making money hand over fist while millions of Americans all over the world are struggling even to pay their rent! Shame on you!! ...unless you festooned your holiday celebration with a bunch of fabric and decorations you found in the attic, from the days when you were still only a billionaire, the way the Liberaces used to do back when the kids were young.

Wouldn't it be fun to have been included as one of the guests at the Liberace family Christmas party...back in the days when Angelina was still just Liberace's sister, and not his personal secretary?

[ Liberace: May 16, 1919 — February 4, 1987 ]

John Klein

Artist: John Klein at the Carillon Americana® with Orchestra and Chorus

LP: A Christmas Sound Spectacular

Song: "White Christmas"
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Medly: "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" / "Carol of the Bells"
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If the name John Klein rings a bell, maybe you saw him at the Seattle World's Fair in 1962, where he was the official carillonneur. According to this website, he also did quite a bit of carillonning at the New York World's Fair a couple of years after he left Seattle. He certainly does invite the holiday spirit into the home with his 1959 "A Christmas Sound Spectacular" Carillon Americana® LP with Orchestra and Chorus. 

In the liner notes included below you'll learn everything you ever wanted to know about the Carillon Americana® but were afraid to ask. It's also revealed that, when he's not busy playing the Carillon Americana® at a world's fair or at an international music festival somewhere, John Klein "operate(d) an antique shop in Rahns, Pennsylvania, which specialize(d) in his particular interests—American furniture and folk-art of the Eighteenth century, and English ceramics." Why is it that people so much more interesting 50 years ago than they are today? You can read more about Mr. Klein in Dutch here, with English translation here.

[ The noisiest drapes on earth. ]

[ John Klein: February 21, 1915 — April 30, 1981 ]

Polyteknikkojen Kuoro

Artist: Polyteknikkojen Kuoro

LP: Joulupukki

Song: "Tonttuparaati" 
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Song: "Talven Ihmemaa" 
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This 1972 record from Finland sat on my shelf for over a year before I realized it was actually a Christmas album. Then it took me at least another year to figure out that that's an abstract depiction of Santa Claus on the cover, with a black tassel hanging from the point of his cap. The music on the LP was recorded by the 1971 version of the Polytech Choir, which had just been taken over by conductor Heikki Saari, who went on to lead the choir for the next 13 years. You can read all about Polyteknikkojen Kuoro here and go here to see the 2011 version of the choir with opera singer Placido Domingo (the Polytech "Nikkojen" Choir has been around since 1900). Photos of the 1971 choir members and conductor Saari are included below, along with mysterious Finnish notes that I've been unable to decipher.

[ Heikki Saari: Conductor of Polyteknikkojen Kuoro, 1971-1984 ]

Walt Jacobs

Artist: Walt Jacobs

LP: Santa's Own Christmas

Song: "Stories About the North Pole"

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Song: "Up on the House Top"

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The holidays are here! As far as I can tell, this Walt Jacobs Christmas record was designed to help ween adolescents off Santa Claus by making him seem socially undesirable. I mean just look at the cover—you can practically smell the liquor from here! Still, it's obvious Walt had good intentions, even if he can't carry a tune. There's lots to read about Capitol Records' big plans for this Yuletide release in an article from the November 11, 1967 issue of Billboard magazine below, along with a personal note from Santa Claus.

 [ Walt Jacobs ]

Mariachi de Román Palomar

Artist: Mariachi de Román Palomar

LP: Navidad Con Mariachi
Song: "Blanca Navidad"
[ listen ]

After my piano lesson Thursday night, I realized I needed to buy some milk and some cereal, so I pulled into the Safeway (grocery store) parking lot.

Suddenly out of nowhere I was overcome by the festive holiday scent of fresh pine needles! then the smell went away and I got out of my car and looked around. there, propped up in the far corner of the lot, was a bunch of Christmas trees just waiting to be taken home. I was amazed that the smell of the trees could enter my car with such force from such a distance, and determined it must be the magic of Christmas.

or maybe it was because I had the car heater on full blast. the temperature in Seattle has dropped about 25 degrees in the past 24 hours. In any case, the glorious smell of those trees hit me across the face with the Christmas spirit, which had so far eluded me this holiday season. It also made me realize that I should be mixing some Christmas music in with my postings over the next few weeks.

I looked for something on YouTube that featured the Mariachi de Román Palomar in action, but all I found was [this] instead.