This Time of Year
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| This Time of Year | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1961 | |||
| Recorded | January 1961 | |||
| Studio | Capitol (Hollywood) | |||
| Genre | Vocal jazz, Christmas music | |||
| Label | Capitol[1] | |||
| Producer | Bill Miller | |||
| June Christy chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
This Time of Year is a 1961 Christmas album by American jazz vocalist June Christy, arranged and conducted by Pete Rugolo and released by Capitol Records.[4][5]
Christy's only Christmas album, it consists entirely of original songs, unusual for its time. The recordings bear a similarity of having a melancholy tone to the album, all composed by the husband-and-wife songwriting team of Connie Pearce and Arnold Miller.
Critical reception
[edit]AllMusic called the album "unjustly neglected," writing that it "is that rarest of things -- a winter concept album of all new material that can be listened to even when the holidays are over."[2]
Record collector Tim Neely, author of several Goldmine record collector guides, said in 2023 it was a "largely ignored Christmas album until the 1990s, when [The Merriest] became something of a staple on both easy-listening and jazz-oriented CD compilations. Even with that exposure, it didn’t really catch on."
CDs includingThe Merriest include:
- ”Ultra Lounge: Christmas Cocktails Part 2” Capitol 1997
- "A Swingin' Christmas" EMI Capitol Music 1999
- "yule b' swingin' too" Hip-O 2000
- "A Capital Christmas" Capitol Records 2018
Track listing
[edit]- "Christmas Heart" – 2:57
- "Ring a Merry Bell" – 3:05
- "Hang Them on the Tree" – 2:21
- "The Little Star" – 3:08
- "The Merriest" – 2:09
- "This Time of Year" – 3:34
- "Seven Shades of Snow" – 3:32
- "Sorry to See You Go" – 2:24
- "The Magic Gift" – 3:26
- "Winter's Got Spring Up Its Sleeve" – 2:36
All compositions by Connie Pearce and Arnold Miller.
Personnel
[edit]- June Christy – vocals
- Frank Beach – trumpet
- Don Fagerquist – trumpet
- Dick Nash – trombone
- Kenny Shroyer – bass trombone
- Jim Decker – French horn
- Vincent DeRosa – French horn
- Richard Perissi – French horn
- Red Callender – tuba
- Sam Rice – tuba
- Bob Cooper – tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, oboe
- Bud Shank – alto saxophone, flute
- Paul Horn – flute
- Ted Nash – flute
- Victor Arno – violin
- Israel Baker – violin
- Robert Barene – violin
- Anatol Kaminsky – violin
- Dan Lube – violin
- Alfred Lustgarten – violin
- Lou Raderman – violin
- Albert Steinberg – violin
- Gerald Vinci – violin
- Virginia Majewski – viola
- Ray Mehennick – viola
- Stanley Harris – viola
- Edgar Lustgarten – cello
- Eleanor Slatkin – cello
- Catherine Gotthoffer – harp
- Russ Freeman – piano
- Al Viola – guitar
- Joe Mondragon – bass
- Red Mitchell – bass
- Gene Estes – drums, vibes, celeste, bell
- Shelly Manne – drums
Tracks 1, 4, 6 Recorded Capitol Tower, Hollywood, 12 January 1961
Tracks 7, 9, 10 Recorded Capitol Tower, Hollywood, 19 January 1961
Tracks 2, 3, 5, 8 Recorded Capitol Tower, Hollywood, 23 January 1961
References
[edit]- ^ Popoff, Martin (September 8, 2009). Goldmine Record Album Price Guide. Penguin. ISBN 9781440229169 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b "This Time of Year - June Christy | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 2. MUZE. p. 358.
- ^ Jazz, All About. "Jazz news: June Christy: This Time of Year". All About Jazz News.
- ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (October 23, 1961). "Reviews of New Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. – via Google Books.
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