Thursday, August 06, 2026

Christmas In July 2026-Part 37

Day 37, I'm really dragging this out, but I think in this case it's a good thing. How can you go wrong with more Christmas music? Here are another ten tracks for the collection.

1. Leonard Bernstein With The New York Philharmonic, The Camerata Singers-Abraham Kaplan, Director-Thanksgiving And/Or Forefathers' Day (Leonard Bernstein Conducts Charles Ives' "Holidays" Symphony, 1967)

Another Thanksgiving track I didn't have until recently. This should have gone in with all the Thanksgiving music on the first day of the month, but that didn't happen. And it's a long one, too. Pretty sure I've shared this one out before but it's been a long time.

2. Eddie Higgins-Piano With Milt Hinton-Bass And Bobby Rosengarden-Drums-Sleigh Ride (By Request, 1986)

Another record that I've shared before, but it's so good that I had to grab another copy when I saw it recently. A great version of Sleigh Ride here that opens with a medley of other Christmas songs at the beginning before building to a rousing piano-led version of this classic. I like it, you'll like it. I even made it the lead-off LP cover of the day I liked it so much.

3. Eddie Fisher-Arranged And Conducted By Jerry Fielding-Count Your Blessings (When I Was Young, 1965)

I threw this one in because some people think of it as a Christmas song, and I guess you could make that case. I usually ignore it but as the season drags out and I get desperate for more music I tend to look upon it a little more favorably. Wish I'd found a stereo version, but this one will do for now. The conductor, Jerry Fielding, released a scarce Christmas record back in the day, you can download it from me right here if you're interested. It's a good 'un.

4. Joe Maphis With Rose Lee & Dale-Snowflakes (Dim Light, Thick Smoke (And Good Old Country Music), 1978)

From the guy that brought you the country classic of the LP title (though the hit version was released in the early 50's), this is a nice little song sung by a lady I believe was his wife.

5. The Shawnee Choir-Earl Willhoite, Director-Jesus, Jesus We Adore Thee (Christmas And Concert Songs For Mixed Chorus)
6. The Shawnee Choir-Earl Willhoite, Director-O Listen To The Angels' Song (Christmas And Concert Songs For Mixed Chorus)

Two more tracks from this publisher's demo LP. There are plenty of records out there by these folks in addition to this one. I think I've got three or four of them recorded already this year for possibly sharing near Christmas. So if you really like this sort of thing, don't forget to come back at the end of the year.

7. Janet Baker, Mezzo-Soprano-Ave Maria! Jungfrau Mild, D.839 (Ave Maria! Maiden Mild) (Janet Baker Sings Schubert, 1971)

If you like the sort of music where they have to tell you what range the singer is singing in, then this is for you. I rarely care unless it's some good basso-profundo from Thurl Ravenscroft or J.D. Sumner.

8. Unknown Artists-Shepherds Leave The Hillside (Songs For Kindergarten Children, 1970)

First of two from this LP with some vague connection to the Mennonite community. Short but sweet.

9. Jenson Publications And Purifoy Publishing-That Holy Night (Choral Celebration Vol. VI, 1984)

Yet another publisher's demo track, and thankfully the only one from Jenson in the pile today. Have I mentioned lately that we're getting near the end finally? Trust me, it's coming.

10. Unknown Artists-O Come, Little Children (Songs For Kindergarten Children, 1970)

And a second track from the kindergarten record. Why didn't I list both of these together? I don't know, the software puts the tracks in some sort of order and I rarely bother to mess with it. 

Aaaaaaaand I think that's it for today. Better grab this download while it's hot, you wouldn't want it to get old and stale. And speaking of old and stale, there are a lot of old and stale Christmas in July shares still in the archives and available for download. Here are links to the first day of sharing from July of 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 & 2025. (There were a lot of Christmas in July celebrations before these, going all the way back to 2005, but these are the only ones where the downloads are still good.) You can work your way down through the month by just hitting the 'Newer Post' text near the bottom of the page. Some seasons lasted longer than others, but they all have a minimum of 31 days of good songs for you. Well, I think there's one year where I didn't have much at all to share and I did some second-best-of collections and whatnot, but those are worth revisiting as well. Enjoy, but don't forget to grab the collection for today before you go down that rabbit hole of links.

MEGA







17 comments:

  1. What the heck kind of guitar is Dale Maphis holding? It looks like it has 24 strings.

    You and I have discussed that Jerry Fielding record and its lack of a stereo equivalent twice before, so I thought I'd keep the string going here.

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    1. It does look odd. I count 9 on each side, so a total of 18, and three strings per course. Google isn't helping me because I don't know what to call such a monster.

      Yeah, wish there was a stereo version of that Jerry Fielding record. I did just notice there was no Discogs entry for a stock copy, so I just created it. :)

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    2. Oh yeah - 18 total; proves I still can't count at my advanced age. So 12 resonating strings, which ought to be plenty.

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    3. I did eventually find some stuff out there about a luthier who made 18-stringed instruments and provided several of the to Joe Maphis. I don't think the idea caught on, but it's a neat thing.

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  2. Recently discovered Eddie Higgens and wow, what an amazing artist - so much music put out and (almost) everything is piano jazz at it's finest - right up there with Beegie, André Previn, pete jolly and others - I do tend to get lost with Brubeck what with the time changes and such but eddie seems to keep it straighter for me for sure - nice share

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    1. I was pretty surprised when I realized he was a big-name artist. I thought he was a local guy who had put out an LP, but clearly I was wrong.

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  3. A lot of people count "Count Your Blessings" as a Christq

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    1. Christmas song because it was featured promienently in White Christmas. Eddie did record that song sometime during his peak-RCA period in the mid-'50's; I have the 45 in my collection. This re-recorded version is just as good. Like you, I also have a Mono version of the album as well. Found it at a flea market in the Summer of 2011.

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    2. Yeah, I know the history of it, it's just never been on my list. All I can blame that on is personal preference. I also don't like What A Wonderful World as a Christmas song, but it seems to have firmly taken hold of that description for some reason.

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    3. Than you'll have to start looking for a copy of Tony Bennett's Something album, because he does do a version of that song on there. A non-Christmas music note: I actually prefer the Bert Kaempfert-styled version of "Anytime" on the Fisher album over his original RCA recording. Dot also reissued that album a few years later as "Eddie Fisher--His Greatest Hits."

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    4. I'm not sure it's something I want to find a lot of and use. Maybe. It's just not too appealing to me, which is odd...

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  4. I know Rosemary Clooney and Tammy Wynette included that song on their Christmas albums. With Rosemary, it was on the Holiday/Mistletoe/Springboard Christmas album, and it is a really good version. Of course, I am one of the few fans of her 1977 Christmas album being that it was one of the first Christmas albums I listened to when I was a kid in the mid-'80's.

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    1. I wish Rosie had done a major label Christmas album back in the day. The smattering of stuff here and there just doesn't suffice. Imagine what she could have done with Nelson Riddle when they were together!

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  5. Oh YES! Now you are talking. That would have been an amazing album. She also did do some yule sides for Columbia that were reissued on CD a few years ago.

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    1. I think there was even a duet with her sister on Columbia, but the name escapes me. So much stuff still needs dug up.

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    2. The title is easy to remember. It's "Sisters" and it does appear on the White Christmas soundtrack album Rosie made for Columbia that Real Gone Music reissued on CD a decade or so ago.

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    3. No, I think I'm thinking of a solo Christmas single by Betty Clooney...

      https://www.discogs.com/master/2848846-Betty-Clooney-Lets-Go-Home-For-Christmas

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