Our Review
Not a Creature Was Stirring is a great name for a holiday album; it evokes a quiet house on Christmas Eve and the anticipation of something exciting about to happen. Quiet? Well, not anymore! In the distance you hear the simple strains of a magnificent guitarist bringing his own subtle, yet sophisticated, style to nine holiday chestnuts. Vincent Varvel's understated instrumental album is a folk/classical treasure that will bring value for many holiday seasons to come.
Quite a few guitar albums litter the holiday music landscape, and Varvel's simple, yet remarkably complex, work deserves a distinctive place in that group. The opening cut "O Come O Come Emmanuel" has a moody and almost mystical feel. By the time you reach the rhythmically wonderful "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," you know that this disc is very special indeed. It's not just Varvel playing the acoustic guitar; it's also Varvel using electric guitars for flexible effects and inventive guitar box percussion, and it is R. Scot Bryan adding exotic sounds (dumbek, djembe, ubu, tambourine, huevos). Varvel's arrangements are marvelous, generating excitement about holiday classics you have heard a million times before.
From stem to stern, everything on Not a Creature Was Stirring impresses. My favorite tracks include the clip-clopping "Winter Wonderland" and the pristine "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," which may just bring tears to your eyes. Pick up this album for the holidays, and Vincent Varvel may end up stirring something profound in you.
--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2005)
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From the liner notes:
Vincent Varvel: acoustic & electric guitars, guitar box percussion (tracks 6&7), cat toy (track 6)
R. Scott Bryan: dumbek, djembe, ubu, tambourine, huevos (tracks 2,3,7)
Produced by Vincent Varvel
From the Web site:
Born and raised in St. Louis, Vincent started playing music early on, taking lessons on piano, clarinet, and organ. He began playing guitar at age 16 and attended college at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, where he had the opportunity to perform with jazz greats such as Michael Brecker, Peter Erskine, and Dan Gottlieb. He graduated in 1984 with a Bachelor's degree in Jazz Performance. Varvel began his professional career while in college, freelancing with many different performers in the St. Louis area. Artists he has worked with recently include Peter Mayer, Sarah Cloud, Autumn's Child featuring Mark Holland, Erin Bode, and Dan Rubright. He.. is currently teaching jazz guitar at Washington University in St. Louis.
Vincent Varvel
Not a Creature Was Stirring
Artist site
Label: Little Flock Music
Length: 32 minutes
Genre: Jazz
Release: 2004
Track List
| Song Title |
|---|
| O Come O Come Emmanuel |
| God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen |
| What Child Is This |
| Silent Night |
| Do You Hear What I Hear |
| Winter Wonderland |
| We Three Kings |
| Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas |
| The Holly & The Ivy |