Our Review
Here's a snappy little number that takes full advantage of the wonders of electronica to give a total listening experience. Composer Randall Ames has wrought a bracing wall-of-sound, an incomparably beautiful set of lush arrangements of Christmas carols and standards. His aesthetic speaks to my own musical vocabulary, such as it is, and he knows how to embellish a tired old melody with playful beats and "instruments" galore. Early on, I turned it up loud and listened with the headphones. Among the highlights were Do You Hear What I Hear (Our Song!), all with latin horns, and piano fortissimo drama (Ole!), and the equally nimble Angels We Have Heard On Hight, a song with a unique capacity to so boldly carry this type of latinization.
With catchy instrumental mixes and lots o' flamenco strings and subtly masculine rhythm, Christmas Lights and Latin Nights has The Weather Channel written all over it!
--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2006)
Our Review
ĦAy caramba! As soon as Randall Ames' Christmas Lights and Latin Nights opened, I had to ask myself, "Where's the bull fight?" His Carol of the Bells explodes off the mark with crowd noise, trumpet fanfare, and great percussion accents, all thanks to the magic of software synthesizers and digital recording equipment. Ames is a one-man band, and he cleverly works his way through 13 holiday classics, applying a serious, but playful, Latin slant to every number.
For me, Ames' stylings are most effective on the up-tempo pieces like O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (which includes some excellent improvisational jazz lines) and Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree. The album ends very appropriately with Jose Feliciano's fine Feliz Navidad.
Christmas Lights and Latin Nights is an entertaining instrumental offering for those who enjoy their familiar holiday offerings with a dash of salsa.
--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2006)
More
From the liner notes:
All arrangements by Randall Ames
A piano book is available through Centerstream Publications
Email: Centerstream@aol.com
Randall Ames
Christmas Lights and Latin Nights
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Label: Mockingbird Productions
Length: 39 minutes
Genre: New Age
Release: 2004
Track List
| Song Title |
|---|
| Carol Of The Bells |
| Do You Hear What I Hear? |
| Angels We Have Heard On High |
| Away In A Manger |
| O Come, O Come, Emannuel |
| Up On the Housetop |
| Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree |
| O Little Town Of Bethlehem |
| We Three Kings |
| What Child Is This? |
| Little Drummer Boy |
| Silent Night |
| Feliz Navidad |