Christmas Around the World (Bradley Joseph album)
Encyclopedia
Christmas Around the World is Bradley Joseph
's fourth album, (see 2000 in music
), reaching NAV
's top 100 radio
playlist
.
"In a thousand different ways, people join together every year to celebrate Christmas with their own unique customs and traditions. Pianist Bradley Joseph has hand-picked songs from around the world and recreated them with his own unique style. Each melody contains history and meaning that has endured for centuries."
"A mix of world beat, smooth jazz
, soft piano
,and a splash of holiday".
took his characters Around The World In Eighty Days. However, musician Bradley Joseph takes us around the world in one play of this 51-minute long CD. Partially a conceptual project, Joseph presents World Christmas melodies that have endured for centuries making this a unique Christmas project that allows you to enjoy it all year long." While Debbage believes the concept clearly supports the continued "ambitious talents of this creative and warm musician", he does not think this album quite meets the high standard that is associated with Bradley Joseph, stating, "the concept is offset by a limited thin and sparse production", "...most evident via the upbeat 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing' that includes "poor use of loops and drum machines".
Debbage does go on to say that Joseph's stronger arrangements are via the less traditional ventures evident via the exotic Mexican-rooted carol "Riu, Riu Ciu" and the self-penned "Far Away On Christmas Day". "The latter shows influences of the fluid and flowing Bradley Joseph I have come to know and love", states Debbage. The only other self-penned composition is "A Minnesota Snowfall" that reflects a more "naked bare-boned ballad approach".
(History of each song: Christmas_Traditions)
Bradley Joseph
Bradley Joseph is an American composer, arranger, and producer of contemporary instrumental music. His compositions include works for orchestra, quartet, and solo piano, while his musical style ranges from "quietly pensive mood music to a rich orchestration of classical depth and breadth".Active...
's fourth album, (see 2000 in music
2000 in music
See also:* 2000 in music Record labels established in 2000-Events:*January – Gary Glitter is released from jail, two months before his sentence for sexual offences ends.*January 1**John Tavener is knighted in the New Year's Honours List....
), reaching NAV
NAV
- Organizations :* Navistar International, truck manufacturer; its stock symbol on the New York Stock Exchange is NAV* NAV CANADA, a non-profit organization that operates Canada's civil air navigation service-Government agencies :...
's top 100 radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
playlist
Playlist
In its most general form, a playlist is simply a list of songs. They can be played in sequential or shuffled order. The term has several specialized meanings in the realms of radio broadcasting and personal computers.-In radio:...
.
"In a thousand different ways, people join together every year to celebrate Christmas with their own unique customs and traditions. Pianist Bradley Joseph has hand-picked songs from around the world and recreated them with his own unique style. Each melody contains history and meaning that has endured for centuries."
"A mix of world beat, smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
, soft piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
,and a splash of holiday".
- "Far Away on Christmas Day" and "A Minnesota Snowfall" written by Bradley JosephBradley JosephBradley Joseph is an American composer, arranger, and producer of contemporary instrumental music. His compositions include works for orchestra, quartet, and solo piano, while his musical style ranges from "quietly pensive mood music to a rich orchestration of classical depth and breadth".Active...
.
Critical reception
In a review for Wind and Wire Magazine, Michael Debbage writes, "Jules VerneJules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
took his characters Around The World In Eighty Days. However, musician Bradley Joseph takes us around the world in one play of this 51-minute long CD. Partially a conceptual project, Joseph presents World Christmas melodies that have endured for centuries making this a unique Christmas project that allows you to enjoy it all year long." While Debbage believes the concept clearly supports the continued "ambitious talents of this creative and warm musician", he does not think this album quite meets the high standard that is associated with Bradley Joseph, stating, "the concept is offset by a limited thin and sparse production", "...most evident via the upbeat 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing' that includes "poor use of loops and drum machines".
Debbage does go on to say that Joseph's stronger arrangements are via the less traditional ventures evident via the exotic Mexican-rooted carol "Riu, Riu Ciu" and the self-penned "Far Away On Christmas Day". "The latter shows influences of the fluid and flowing Bradley Joseph I have come to know and love", states Debbage. The only other self-penned composition is "A Minnesota Snowfall" that reflects a more "naked bare-boned ballad approach".
Track listing
- "Quickly on To Bethlehem" (Przybiezeli do Betlejem) – PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
- "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" – EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
- "Ríu, Ríu ChíuRíu Ríu ChíuRíu Ríu Chíu, also known as Ríu Chíu, is a Spanish villancico that has attained some contemporary fame as a Christmas carol.-Sources:The villancico is attributed by some sources to Mateo Flecha the Elder, who died in 1553; it has also been described as anonymous...
" – MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of... - "Sheep Fast Asleep" (Hitsuji wa Nemureri) – JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
- "I Am So Glad Each Christmas Eve" (Jeg er glad hver Julekveld) – NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
- "Far Away On Christmas Day" – USAUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- "Praise The Lord O My Soul" – RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
- "Silent Night" (Stille Nacht) – AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
- "Joy To The WorldJoy to the World"Joy to the World" is a Christian Christmas carol.The words are by English hymn writer Isaac Watts, based on Psalm 98 in the Bible. The song was first published in 1719 in Watts' collection; The Psalms of David: Imitated in the language of the New Testament, and applied to the Christian state and...
" – GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... - "He Is Born" (IL est ne) – FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- "A Minnesota Snowfall" – USAUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- "Hark! The Herald Angels SingHark! The Herald Angels Sing“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” is a Christmas carol that first appeared in 1739 in the collection Hymns and Sacred Poems, having been written by Charles Wesley. This is not the version widely known today. A sombre man, Wesley had requested and received slow and solemn music for his lyrics, not the...
" – GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(History of each song: Christmas_Traditions)
Personnel
- All music arrangedArrangerIn investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...
and performed by Bradley JosephBradley JosephBradley Joseph is an American composer, arranger, and producer of contemporary instrumental music. His compositions include works for orchestra, quartet, and solo piano, while his musical style ranges from "quietly pensive mood music to a rich orchestration of classical depth and breadth".Active...
.
- Art and Design – Tony Horning
- Photography – Erin Horning
External links
- Official Website
- [ Christmas Around the World] at Allmusic
- Christmas Around the World at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Christmas Around the World at Wind and Wire Magazine
- Christmas Around the World at Last.fmLast.fmLast.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....