Review and More

Our Review

Craig Chaquico is an incredibly talented guy. Originally a lead guitarist with Jefferson Starship (later just "Starship"), he also became one of the group's main songwriters. In his post-Starship life, Chaquico began producing adult contemporary music, new age/smooth jazz works of the highest caliber. And that is what Chaquico's Holiday is all about. These sophisticated, multi-layered instrumentals largely convey a buoyant, upbeat spirit.

This album holds 12 tracks, including three of Chaquico's own creative gems (with Ozzie Ahlers). The rest are largely traditional holiday numbers that have been reworked and given a gorgeous new gloss. For example, the recording opens with a sparkling version of "Angels We Have Heard on High," a piece that grabs listeners in the first bar and takes them on a glorious ride. The centerpieces of Holiday are two cuts, "Ashes of the Fall/Winterflame/Embers Still Aglow (Medley)" and "Jingle Bells/Jingle Bells (slight return)"; this pieces are over seven minutes each and together constitute about one-third of the album's overall length. Chaquico's medley is a superbly-constructed instrumental narrative of autumn's close and the inevitable movement into winter with the roaring hearth; at the close, you actually sense the embers holding on as the fire dies. Wonderful! "Jingle Bells/Jingle Bells (slight return)" is an entirely different affair, a bluesy and brash interpretation that may be my favorite rendition yet. Very, very cool.

Holiday ends well with "Nonesuch/Ladies' Bramzel," which holds some fresh vocals from The Siskiyou Waldorf School in Ashland, Oregon. This is a wonderful round featuring traditional lyrics about the changing seasons; like everything else on this album, the performance is professional, polished and winning. Chaquico is donating royalty proceeds from this number to the school.

What fun! Thank you, Craig Chaquico (and The Siskiyou Waldorf School), for a remarkable holiday album!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2005)

More

From the liner notes:

Produced by Craig Chaquico, Ozzie Ahlers, and Bill Heller

Craig Chaquico: guitars
Ozzie Ahlers: keyboards
Bill Heller: additional keyboards, drum programming, loops, and musical arrangements, bass, piano and organ on "Angels We have Heard On High," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," and "Jingle Bells."

Kevin Paladini: sax
Jim Reitzel: bass
Wade Olson: drums
Marquinho Brasil: percussion

Dan Miranda: bass on "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"

"Nonesuch/Ladies' Bramzel" features students and a teacher from the Siskiyou Waldorf School, Ashland OR.
Molly McKissich: harp
Saba Buser and Izabel Austin: vocals
Saba Buser: violins
Craig Chaquico: piano

Craig will donate his royalty proceeds from this song to the school as an annual gift.

From the Web site:

[Craig Chaquico] has engaged and inspired two generations of pop music fans as the lead guitarist and most prolific principle song writer for Jefferson Starship/Starship and, with 20 Gold records combined between the Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Starship, he was instrumental in making that combination one of the most successful bands in history. According to the RIAA this prestigious position is shared only with Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand, The Rolling Stones, Neil Diamond, The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Elton John, Bob Dylan. Craig's music has always inspired and borne a deep, spiritual vision and, by the 1990s, after finding himself at the top of the national charts in each of 3 consecutive decades ('70s, '80s, '90s) as a songwriter and band member, Chaquico left the fast-paced pop world and reinvented himself as an award winning solo contemporary instrumental artist, songwriter, producer, and band leader again at the top of the national charts in a fourth decade and a new millennium.

Craig Chaquico

Holiday

Order from Amazon

Track List