The Capitol Hill Chorale, best known for its performances of Rachmaninov and other Eastern European choral repertoire, turned to the American songbook for Jazzy Christmas, presented December 3 and 4, 2011 at Lutheran Church of the Reformation in Washington, DC. Artistic Director Frederick Binkholder led the Chorale alongside the David Jellema Quintet — David Jellema on cornet, Eric Apland on piano, Henning Hoehne on clarinet, Dallas Smith on bass, and Russ Wilson on drums — in jazz and swing arrangements of holiday standards.
The printed program traced the songs’ own histories, from Irving Berlin’s White Christmas and Mel Tormé’s The Christmas Song to Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane’s Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, alongside older carols freshly arranged in a playful swing style, including a Czech carol performed in English as Rocking. The concert was dedicated to the memory of longtime Chorale bass William A. Niskanen, who had died that October.
Program
- White Christmas — Irving Berlin (arr. Kirby Shaw)
- The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) — Mel Tormé
- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas — Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane
- Santa Claus Is Coming to Town — John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie
- Snowfall — Claude Thornhill
- Christmas Time Is Here — Lee Mendelson
- Jolly Old Saint Nicholas — traditional
- Sing We Now of Christmas — traditional
- Bring a Torch, Jeanette Isabella — traditional
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen — traditional
- Jajej, nunjej (Rocking) — traditional (Czech carol)
Jinsun Cho, the Chorale’s Assistant Director, served as accompanist for the program.
