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Our Review

Expatriate New Orleans composer and pianist Richard Carr couldn't have cooked up a more appropriate set of Christmas music if he had come to my table and taken my order. His latest seasonal release Christmastide, Christmas Around the World is tastefully garnished and served over easy, with all the fixings.

In addition to a number of well-placed favorites, his offering is leavened with several new seasonal numbers unfamiliar to me. Not only was I grateful that these selections had no umlauts, tildes, acute accents or grave (that so often mar my data entry experience), they consistently delivered uniquely pleasurable musical experiences. I particularly enjoyed the beautiful polish melody Mizerna Cicha (Only a Manger Bed).

Carr's play is rich, textured, soft-spoken and elegant. Listening to it puts me in a very peaceful place. Christmastide is warm and sweet, without ever becoming syrupy or tepid. This is no mean feat with holiday music, which too often lends itself to the manufacture of homilies and false cheer.

--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2005)

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From the liner notes:

All music arranged, composed and performed by Richard Carr

Recording engineered by Lenny Bertrand

Mastering by Lenny Bertrand at Oh My Dar-Len Productions

Graphic concept and design by Tonia Taffaro

Recorded in March through May, 2005 in the Dixon Annex Recital Hall on the campus of Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Replication by Linear Logic, Nashville, Tennessee

Richard records on Steinway pianos

Richard Carr

Christmastide,
Christmas Around the World

Artist link

Track List