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Our Review

Tom Grant's Santa Claus Is Going to Town is a jazz holiday album for adults, all smooth jazz and modern pop. This super-talented pianist-singer-composer puts it all together here with a lucky 13 cuts of mostly modern fare, including five excellent instrumentals. The atmosphere tends to be brightly upbeat, and the production values are top notch.

I have listened to over 1,000 holiday albums, and I can honestly say that Grant's offering presents something I have never before heard. On the first track "Santa Claus is Going to Town," the artist has actually captured Santa Claus tap-dancing, a skill I never knew the grand old man possessed. Somehow, Grant managed to record Santa doing some smart soft shoe during clever interludes. In addition to this amazing coup, the artist also presents a novelty-laden "Sleigh Ride" in which he does a humorous talky take on the vocal role ("This nag is a dud!"). Grant also manages a coy chemistry with Rebecca Kilgore on a terrific interpretation of "Baby It's Cold Outside," and takes a distinctly country turn in "Blue Christmas." The music alternates between the intimate ("White Christmas") and the fully orchestrated ("I'll Be Home for Christmas").

Santa Claus Is Going to Town is a clever album, beginning with the title and including its fine execution. Tom Grant's offering will brighten the season for jazz lovers everywhere!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2005)

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From the liner notes:

Tom Grant (piano all tracks; vocal on tracks 2,3,5-7,10,12)
Rebecca Kilgore (vocal track 2)
Marilyn Keller (vocal tracks 8,10)
Ron Steen (drums tracks 2,3,9,13)
David Captein (bass tracks 2,3,9,13)
Jeff Minniwether (drums tracks 5,10)
Phil Baker (bass tracks 5,10)
Tim Ellis (guitar tracks 5,10)
Stephanie Schneiderman (vocals track 5)
Steve Christofferson (melodica track 10)
Santa Claus (tap dancing track 1)

Produced by Tom Grant
Engineered by Tom Grant (except track 10)
Track 10 arrangement by Steve Christofferson with string arrangement by Michael Eliot.

Tom Grant

Santa Claus is Going to Town

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Track List