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Our Review

I swear I meant to send these to Carol, but in spite of past vows I have made to avoid all animal noise CDs, I am having a wonderful time with these. And Carol of the Birds (ha!) is the best so far. This fellow Gary Sattazahn is not playing this for laughs (though there are some). He is a composer of arrangements featuring birds. Or, he is an arranger of compositions, featuring birds. But either way these are mesmerizingly beautiful syntheses of bird song inside crisp instrumental renditions of Christmas principals.

It's all good, but Parade of the Wooden Soldiers stands as a great arrangement, birds or no birds, crackling with energy. There are 14 well-chosen classics, and each plays better than the last. There's Carol of the Birds (of course!), and a very tasteful embirdening of the obligatory Silent Night. There are some almost over-the-top moments in the finale, We Wish You A Merry Christmas, but this CD never takes its primary technique too far. It gives you birds in sufficient measure, and wanting just a bit more. And there's a lot more than just birds.

This CD may not be for everyone, but there is something here for traditionalists and hipsters alike. Kids will dig it, for sure. Cutting-edge and new, this feels. I didn't want to enjoy listening to this, but I did.

--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2006)

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From the liner notes:

AniMelodies creates whimsical, music CDs with real animals singing the melodies and backgrounds to well-known songs and classical compositions.

AniMelodies performers include:
The Avian Chorale
The Safari Singers
The American Wildlife Minstrels

Professionally orchestrated accompaniments feature the FowlHarmonic and Jungle Bell Orchestras.

The Avian Chorale & Fowl Harmonic Orchestra

Carol of the Birds
And Other Christmas Tweets

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Track List