Our Review
Ah, vibraphone virtuosity! The very first "live" Christmas performance in memory was my elementary school's holiday concert. I can still vividly recall the hot white spotlight as I played "I Saw Three Ships" solo on a small vibraphone for the large audience of family and friends in the gymnasium qua concert hall. It was an electric moment; perhaps that is why that song and that instrument remain near and dear to my heart today.
Sadly, Brad Stirtz did not include "I Saw Three Ships" on his excellent Christmas Vibes album, but that's OK. In every other respect, his CD "sings" on a higher plane; this is one terrific holiday offering. Stirtz actually has two Christmas albums, this one and another released in 2004 (Caribbean Christmas, also reviewed on this site). Both provide marvelous, easy-listening moments.
I know what you're thinking. The VIBRAPHONE (for the uninitiated, a vibraphone is like a big xylophone with metal bars)? You may be imagining some boring lounge act, leisure suits, and hopeless sounds from another era. And you would be so wrong. First, we are not just talking about the vibraphone here. Stirtz is joined by great support on guitars and other percussion (Kraig McCreary/guitars; Larry Kohut/bass; and Mark Walker/drums & percussion), so the vibraphone has excellent company. Second, this vibraphone is often of the no-holds-barred, smokin' variety. No snoozin' allowed when this crowd is around!
Christmas Vibes presents 12 dynamic tracks, including 11 holiday favorites and one Stirtz original (a nicely melodic "Not Quite Home"). The song selection tends towards the serious (no "Frosty the Snowman" here); still, the overall ambiance is a smart combination of jumpin' jazz and mellower moments. The rhythmic "Joy to the World" is way cool, with a percussive drive and guitar riffs that will make you definitely dance for joy. And Stirtz is a master with the mallets; his vibraphone steals the show again and again.
Have mallets in hand? Make Christmas Vibes your personal "hit"! Go ahead; take a swing at those beautiful metal bars. But if the hot white Christmas concert spotlight is not to your liking, just leave the work to Brad Stirtz and his friends; they're more than up to the task.
--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2005)
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From the liner notes:
Brad Stirtz: Vibraphone & Piano
Kraig McCreary: Guitars
Larry Kohut: Bass
Mark Walker: Drums & Percussion
Mastered by Scott Steiner
Produced by Brad Stirtz
This Recording & All Arrangements by Brad Stirtz
The great melodies of Christmas transcend the vagaries of musical style and fashion. The beautiful plainsong heard in "Of the Father's Love Begotten" is one of the oldest known melodies of the Western world. The musical settings on this album, although they act as springboards for a bit of improvisation, are intentionally transparent, so that the beauty of the Christmas songs might shine through.
Brad Stirtz
Christmas Vibes
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Label: Brad Stirtz
Length: 50 minutes
Genre: Lounge
Release: 2002
Track List
| Song Title |
|---|
| Oh Come, All Ye Faithful |
| It Came Upon a Midnight Clear |
| Do You Hear What I Hear? |
| Joy to the World |
| His Child |
| What Child is This? |
| Away in a Manger |
| Of the Father's Love Begotten |
| God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen |
| Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming |
| Savior of the Nations |
| Once in Royal David's City |
| Not Quite Home |