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Listening to Christmas Bright & Beautiful in the early hours of a late November morning, I had my first introduction to the Annie Moses Band, a unique family's love affair with strings. This instrumental album highlights violins, the viola, the cello, the mandolin, the string bass, and the harp, and almost every player shares the last name of Wolaver. How amazing is that? This gifted family has constructed a cool collection of a dozen holiday treats. I'm mighty impressed.

The musical moods vary on this release, although the musicality is consistently strong. On some pieces, the strings resound with an old-timey goodness reminiscent of what you might have heard on Lawrence Welk (anybody remember Lawrence Welk?). This was the case on O Little Town of Bethlehem. At other times, the band sizzles with hot fiddles (on Sussex Carol, which puts in mind a strings-centric Mannheim Steamroller. Away in a Manger has the most delicate star quality, and What Child Is This? is a mystical marvel, complete with great harp interludes. Many Wolavers have had classical training, and that stately taste infuses the flavor throughout.

What an outstanding blend of strings! The Annie Moses Band's Christmas Bright & Beautiful is a terrific instrumental offering, even if it ends much too soon (34 minutes).

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2009)

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From the liner notes:

Annie Wolaver: Violin 1
Gretchen Wolaver: Violin 2, Mandolin
Alex Wolaver: Viola
Benjamin Wolaver: Cello
Camill Wolaver: Harp
Bill Wolaver: Piano
Mario Sangermano: String Bass
Javier Santiago: Percussion

Produced by Robin Wolaver and Alex Wolaver
Music arranged by Bill Wolaver


From the artist's Website:

About the album: In the Wolaver household, the first order of Christmas business is to turn up the music. At the top of the heap, our undisputed favorite is Nat King Cole.

Nat's velvety voice coupled with the lush string arrangements--the way the ensemble, in close harmony and with spinning vibrato, swoops and turns and lands like only retro strings can do--soothes our string-playing souls. The string arrangements of today tend more toward minimalism, the strident edge of a cynical society. Not Nat's. His are from the bygone era of unabashed musical sweetness.

In the same tradition we bring to you Christmas Bright and Beautiful, the first instrumental offering of the Annie Moses Band. There is no singing -- just strings, harp, and piano. But you already know the words to these beautiful melodies, these carols of old never wear out.

And, once again, Bill Wolaver has created a series of stunning arrangements that resonate with peace and good will.

About the band: The Annie Moses Band is unlike any ensemble in America today.

This seems like a rather bold assertion. But the more you break it down, the truer it rings.

First, this is a family outfit, whose members include parents Bill (composer/arranger/pianist) and Robin (lyricist/vocalist) Wolaver and their children: Annie, Alex, Benjamin, Gretchen, Camille, and Jeremiah, in ages ranging from twenty-four down to ten.

Second, their background is in classical music. The older siblings trained in the Pre-College Program at the renowned Juilliard School of Music; the youngest are well on their way to similar distinction. All have studied with renowned instructors; most have earned performance awards that testify to the depth of their artistry.

Together, as the Annie Moses Band, they combine all their attributes: love for one another, prodigious talent, as well as a creative curiosity that goes beyond the classics, beyond even music, and into the great questions of life.

Plus - not coincidentally - because each specializes in specific instruments, they fit together neatly as a unit. ***

Named for the kids' great-grandmother, the band is poised to broaden its impact with Christmas, Bright and Beautiful. Scheduled to release for the Christmas season, this collection of holiday favorites offers the Annie Moses mix of traditional, contemporary, and adventurous aesthetics, down to an arrangement of "Sussex Carol" that swirls with an eclectic, celtic, campfire fun.

Annie Moses Band

Christmas Bright & Beautiful

Artist link

Track List