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Nine singers banding together without instrumentation, intricately weaving melody lines and harmonies on extremely challenging songs of earthy spirituals, traditional early music, and contemporary classics--that is Chicago a cappella. The music is a mind-bending adventure; as I listened to each note, bar, phrase, and song, I continually marveled at the sophisticated arrangements and complex chord combinations. These are difficult vocal gymnastics, and Chicago a cappella meets the challenge impressively.

When I say that this music is challenging, let me explain further. Take a song like "Coventry Carol," which possesses a lovely and relatively well-familiar melody. In artistic director Jonathan Miller's hands, this song transforms itself into something entirely fresh and exciting, but radically different; according to the description in the liner notes, "This improvised, one-of-a-kind performance alters the usual flow of the piece by having each voice sing more than one note in turn, then holding a pitch until all the other parts catch up." As a result, "Coventry Carol" is lyrically in flux, moving from atonal discord to stately harmony. Remarkable!

This album is actually a compilation of holiday songs taken from live performances over the ensemble's first ten years. The production values for these live performances are generally superb, although there is an unusual background noise on "Immanuel oss I natt"; I swear it sounds like heavy trucks driving past the performance hall. Live concert recordings are notoriously difficult. The humongous liner notes (16 pages!) are wonderful, spelling out crucial information about each song, complete with background descriptions and translations, where appropriate.

"Holidays a cappella" is a generous CD (well over an hour of music); it provides 23 tracks, including five spirituals and three Chanukah songs. The rest are an eclectic mix, ranging from recent Icelandic music ("Immanuel oss I natt") to traditional Ukrainian ("Bah sja razdaje") and Swedish ("Kristallen den fina") numbers. Very few cuts are recognizable as holiday tunes, and most of those are a bit obscure ("Wexford Lullaby," Huron Carol," "Gaudete," "Coventry Carol," and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"). As a result, this album has excellent replay value throughout the year, long after Santa has parked his sleigh.

There is much to admire on "Holidays a cappella." My favorite tracks must include the always-lovely "Wexford Lullaby" and the jazzy rendition of "Funky Dreidl." The closing number, "Go Tell It on the Mountain," is an absolute show-stopper!

Excellent a cappella music is among the rarest and most wonderful of earthly pleasures. Let "Holidays a cappella" be your earthly pleasure this season, if you are up to the challenge.

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2002)

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From the liner notes:

Chicago a cappella:

Harold Brock
Amy Conn
Kathleen Dietz
Matthew Greenberg
Elizabeth Grizzell
Aaron Johnson
Jonathan Miller
Trevor Mitchell
Susan Schober

About the group:

Since its acclaimed debut concert in 1993, the nine-voice Chicago a cappella has gained an international reputation for ensemble singing of the highest caliber. With equal conviction and style, the group communicates the purity of early music, the passion of spirituals, and the intricacies of vocal jazz. The group is deeply committed to new works by composers and arrangers at the cutting edge and has performed more than three dozen world, U.S., or local premieres.

Under founder and artistic director Jonathan Miller, Chicago a cappella performs an eclectic and ever-evolving mix of music old and new. Each singer brings to the group a powerful solo technique, rare stylistic flexibility, and passion for choral blend. Chicago a cappella presents a yearly subscription series in the greater Chicago area and takes its innovative programs on tour and to the airwaves.

Chicago a cappella Live

Holidays a cappella

Artist link

Track List