Big Band Wonderland is jazz vocalist Gary Williams's eighth album, recorded in Kenilworth Studios in 2015. It is a collection of Christmas classics, recorded with full big band and featuring duets with Clare Teal and Michael Feinstein. More than half of the money for the album was raised with a crowd-funding appeal.[1]
| Big Band Wonderland | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 14, 2015 | |||
| Recorded | Kenilworth Studios | |||
| Genre | big band | |||
| Length | 39:33 | |||
| Label | BOS Records | |||
| Gary Williams chronology | ||||
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This is how Williams described his love of Christmas: "I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, so I didn't celebrate Christmas till I was sixteen years old. When all my mates where out singing carols I was sitting at home cataloguing my stamp collection! Maybe that's why I love Christmas so much now, I'm making up for lost time."[2]
His live Christmas show was given five stars by the London Evening Standard which described Gary as "…the UK's leading standard bearer for the supercool era".[3]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" | 2:19 |
| 2. | "Mistletoe and Holly/Marshmallow World" (with The Patriot Girls) | 4:05 |
| 3. | "The Christmas Waltz" (with Clare Teal) | 2:47 |
| 4. | "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" | 2:39 |
| 5. | "The Christmas Song" (with The Patriot Girls) | 2:42 |
| 6. | "Caroling Caroling" | 2:54 |
| 7. | "Snowbound" | 3:34 |
| 8. | "Let It Snow" | 2:13 |
| 9. | "(Everybody's Waitin’ for) The Man with the Bag" (with Michael Feinstein) | 2:30 |
| 10. | "Winter Wonderland" | 2:58 |
| 11. | "Sleigh Ride" | 2:34 |
| 12. | "Jingle Bells" | 2:15 |
| 13. | "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" (with The Patriot Girls) | 3:00 |
| 14. | "I'll Be Home For Christmas" (bonus track – download only) | 3:03 |
| Total length: | 39:33 | |
Personnel
editPerformers
- Gary Williams – vocals
- Matt Regan – piano
- Joe Pettitt – bass
- Kevin Campbell – drums
- Jon Russell – guitar
- Tom Walsh – trumpets
- Simon Marsh and Jay Craig – saxes
- Chris Traves – trombone
- Anthony Kerr – vibes
- The Patriot Girls (Jo Gibb, Joanne Pullen, Marissa Dunlop)
- Backing Singers: Luke Evered, David Hilton, Victoria Keal, Iain Mackenzie, India Moynihan, Andy Playfoot, Patrick Smyth.
Technical
- Producer and Studio Engineer: Chris Traves
- Executive Producer: Gary Williams
- Backing vocals arranged, directed and produced by Clive Dunstall
- Backing vocals recorded and mixed at Big Al’s studio by Alex Bourne, and Tileyard Studios by Sean Hargreaves
- Arrangers: Phil Steel (tracks 1, 2, 3); Paul Campbell (tracks 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12); Andrew Cottee (tracks 7, 13); Callum Au (tracks 6, 9)
References
edit- ^ "Gary Williams and Big Band Wonderland". February 26, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
- ^ "Official Gary Williams web site: Big Band Wonderland". garywilliams.co.uk. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
- ^ Ben Walters (December 18, 2013). "Christmas cabaret in London – Theatre – Going Out". London Evening Standard.