I just saw news online about the passing of Jim Nabors at age 87. Looks like he was still living in Hawaii after moving there many years ago, even turning in this soundtrack to a Christmas in Hawaii TV special he made in 1981. I first shared this with you
last year, and it took me many years to track it down. Many collectors of Christmas music are familiar with the albums he made for Columbia back in the day, both of which (and some single-only songs as well) were collected up recently and rereleased on
CD. But this record didn't make the cut there. You also get to hear the great Carol Burnett here, though not as much as you might hope. So if you missed it the first time around these parts, please download and give a listen to
Christmas In Hawaii With Jim Nabors (Bluewater SLP-725, Stereo, 1981). Rest in peace, Jim.
1. Christmas All Over The World-Jim Nabors
2. Doodle Ee Doo-Jim Nabors
3. Little Drummer Boy-The Brothers Cazimero
4. Twelve Days Of Christmas-Jim Nabors
5. O Holy Night-Jim Nabors And The Honolulu Boy Choir
6. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town-Jim Nabors & Carol Burnett
7. Jingle Bells-Jim Nabors & Carol Burnett
8. O Come All Ye Faithful-Jim Nabors
9. Aloha Kalikimaka-The Brothers Cazimero
10. Hasegawa General Store-Jim Nabors & Carol Burnett
11. The First Noel-Jim Nabors
12. Away In A Manger-The Honolulu Boy Choir
13. Silent Night-Jim Nabors
Zippyshare
gollllyyy. when i heard the news, i immediately thought 'poor ol gomer'. and then i had to wrestle with the fact that he ended up owning half of a hawaiian island. not so poor after all. not so stupid either. sha-zam.
ReplyDeletethink i'll go down to the fillin' station and get me a bottle of soda pop.
Ernie, Do you know an album called "Winter Sequence" by Ralph Burns? Made c. 1955, it consists of his arrangements of 8 songs by jazz critic Leonard Feather, each named after one of Santa's reindeer. It's a hip hoot. Couple that with Kai Winding's version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," from the trombonist's Xmas Ep of the same period (which I've never been able to find), and I think you would do all of your many jazz-listening followers a great service. In any case, thanks for your tireless thrift-store foraging on behalf of the Christmas muse. And please post Homer & Jethro's "Seasoned Greetings."
ReplyDeleteGood luck finding the original vinyl, but Winter Sequence isn's hard to find these days on CD.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.freshsoundrecords.com/ralph-burns-albums/4319-free-forms-and-winter-sequence.html
Now Kai Winding, I don't know...
Hi Ernie. So good to see you back again. Special thanks for this one, as it includes the fantastic "Hasegawa General Store" written by Paul Weston who became a legend in the Hana part of Maui as a result. It's one of the catchiest - and sweetest - Hawaiian tunes you can hear anywhere, and to hear it done by Carol and Jim is most special. Have a wonderful season, keep the faith, and thanks again.
ReplyDeleteIggy
"Christmas All Over the World" (from your rip, I might add) is the lead track on my comp this year, which was fully tracked a couple of weeks ago. The last couple of years the comps have been too full of obit/tribute tracks. Jim joins Glen and Tom this year, as well as Christina a year late.
ReplyDeleteDavid, I can find no mention of Kai recording Rudolph. Are you maybe thinking of Urbie Green? He recorded a super hard-to-find Christmas EP around that time, half of which I posted last year. It just happens to be the half featuring Rudolph.
ReplyDeletehttps://ernienotbert.blogspot.com/2016/12/50-of-jazz.html
Ernie,
ReplyDeleteI'll bet you are right about Urbie vs. Kai, both being trombonists. Also on the Ralph Burns LP. I have the Free Form album, but have never seen the Christmas item.
Thank you for this one once again. A fitting tribute. Rest in peace Mr. Pyle.
ReplyDeleteThanks this is one of my favorite Christmas albums. GO tell it on the Mountain by Jim was the very first song I ever bought on itunes - so thats says a lot about me. Its a pretty fun version.
ReplyDeleteErnie, You are right. The jazz version was by Urbie Green, and was included in a 2004 Bear Family compilation called "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." I have never been able to find the rest of the album. By the way, Urbie Green is featured on Ralph Burns' fabulous version of "Porgy and Bess," recorded for Decca in 1958 while Kai was featured on "Winter Sequence." I think, as Buster suggests, I got the two confused. But may I please request a post of the complete Urbie Green Xmas EP. By the way, thanks for posting "Seasoned Greetings." I always thought Homer & Jethro's 50's Christmas 45s superior to their 1960's LP. Now if someone will only compile all those wonder Spike Jones 50's Christmas 45s in one place. I have two of them ("A Barnyard Christmas" and "Socko, the Smallest Snowball") on a Jasmine CD set devoted to the Bell Sisters. And "I Want Eddie Fisher for Christmas" was included on a Westside "What Did They Do Before Rock and Roll?" Cd in 1998. O the things we do to get a hold of this stuff! Do you want me to compile them on a post and put it on WeTransfer? Can do in ma4 or 320.
ReplyDeleteGo here for the complete LP version of Urbie Green's "A Cool Yuletide," taken from a very clean pressing--although the two ballad tracks have pops and clicks, etc., from greater play. Nevertheless, it's at 320 and sounds superb. Merry everything but what Mr. Trump wants us to call it.
ReplyDeletehttps://depositfiles.com/files/tpq9h5pwv
Grow up, David Federman. Merry CHRISTMAS.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post. The link seems to be dead. Is it possible to re-up?
ReplyDeleteI apologize.... I found the link Sorry
ReplyDeleteYeah, there's a new link in the comments to this post:
ReplyDeletehttps://ernienotbert.blogspot.com/2016/12/it-was-different-time.html
I'd go crazy trying to get all the links on all the posts...