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I just have one question for Jason & Nolan Livesay, identical violin-playin' twins raised in Southern California. Twenty-six minutes? Are you serious? Your Christmas release is simply outstanding, but it flashed by like Haley's Comet. Honestly, I could have listened for hours!

Jason & Nolan have crafted a delightful little powerhouse of an instrumental holiday release. These two work professionally scoring films, and their expertise is well evident here. The jazzy arrangements are innovative and exciting, and I loved every minute. The electric violins are top-notch, but the album also includes orchestral fluorishes that charge the entire presentation. Of the six tracks, three are multi-layered medleys, beginning with the Celebration Medley, a name that could not be more apt. The intro opens with electronic "snow," gentle notes that quickly build into an orchestral extravaganza not unlike, well, a blockbuster movie score. Celebration indeed.

Once you emerge from that amazingly high-energy first track, the remaining pieces reflect relatively low key new age stylings; they are contemplative, and intensely beautiful. The delicately flavored Snow Song/O Come, O Come Emmanuel has lovely chord shifts throughout, and the sweet piano stylings on December Dawn gave me the clean image of a crisp Minnesota winter morning (how did twins from Southern California manage that?).

This unassuming CD comes in a modest cardboard slip case, but don't let the cover fool you. The holiday music inside is excellent, albeit all-too-brief!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2007)

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From the liner notes:

Produced by Jason & Nolan Livesay and Jeff Hoeppner
All music arranged and orchestrated by Jason & Nolan Livesay and Jeff Hoeppner
Music recorded at Fairway Lane Studios, Laguna Niguel, CA, and Digitheads
"Snow Song" & "December Dawn" composed by Nolan Livesay

Jason & Nolan

Christmas

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Track List