Hey! You! Get Off of My Roof! - Part 9

Two weeks from today is Christmas Day, and we're well past the half-way mark in our look at the 42 tracks on my latest holiday mix, "Hey! You! Get Off of My Roof!" Today I've got a little background on three more tracks including a new one by an old if somewhat out-of-tune friend. Without further ado, it's up, up and away . . .

Track 28
O Come All Ye Faithful, Johnny "Bowtie" Barstow (2005)

Few artists better typify the sound of my annual holiday mixes than the inimitable Johnny "Bowtie" Barstow, whose unique stylings have been featured on eight of my previous compilations. Sadly, there's not a whole lot of information out there about Barstow and his music, and I've already reported on most of it in previous posts on this blog. But while little of what I offer today is new, it's certainly a pleasure to repost some of the most relevant items again today.

Barstow was discovered in the early 1990s at an open mic night in a New York City neighborhood bar by keyboardist Larry Goldings. Goldings instantly knew that he'd found something special, or at least unique. What is it that separates Barstow from the rest? I guess that depends on your own individual taste and musical sensibilities. But from where I sit, jazz journalist John Kelman captured the magic of Mr. Barstow's oeuvre pretty well in his oft-cited 2005 review of Barstow's classic first (and, to date, only) album, published in All About Jazz:

Every now and then an artist emerges whose vision is so unique that it creates an entirely new musical paradigm. Stretching the realm of technique by introducing harmonic or rhythmic contexts far removed from the norm, they’re often unappreciated in their time, but the passage of years can ultimately bring recognition for their genius. Ornette Coleman was one such artist. Now we have singer Johnny "Bowtie" Barstow.

In the years following his chance discovery of Barstow at some low-end dive, Goldings worked tirelessly to capture the musical essence of this heretofore hidden talent for the enjoyment of a wider audience. The result, recorded in Goldings' home studio, was an album of Christmas classics and non-holiday standards called Johnny "Bowtie" Barstow:  A Bowtie Christmas and More.

The following 2008 infomercial gives the uninitiated a little peek at what they were in for:

As Kelman explained in his groundbreaking review:

Some musicians spend years on technique, working hard to hone accepted skills like pitch and time. Barstow dispenses with such limitations. His interpretive sense is so unorthodox that once you hear his renditions of classic Christmas tunes including "Joy to the World," "The First Noel," and the tongue-in-cheek "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer," you’ll never see them the same way again.

This year's "Bowtie" track offers a one-two punch combining his renditions of "O Come All Ye Faithful" in both English and Latin. It's not for the faint of heart, but if you can appreciate the occasional offbeat gem by the likes of Florence Foster Jenkins or Mrs. Miller, Johnny might well be for you, too. (Warning, there are still a couple of Barstow tunes I haven't yet shared, so there may be more to come.)

Hear Johnny "Bowtie" Barstow's "O Come All Ye Faithful"

Track 27

Jingle Bell Rock, University of Michigan Children's Psychiatric Hospital Band (1978)

Way back in 2007, one of my first holiday compilations featured a rather unique version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," the classic holiday song introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 film "Meet Me in St. Louis." The version I used in my 2007 mix "Let's Trim the Christmas Tree" was performed by patients in the Inpatient Music Therapy Program of the University of Michigan Medical Center's Children's Psychiatric Hospital. I'd found the song on the album "Christmas at C.P.H.," a 1978 release that contained 15 holiday songs performed by young psychiatric patients as part of their musical therapy. Track 27 of this year's mix is another of the 15 songs on that 44-year-old album, "Jingle Bell Rock."

In the 44 years since "Christmas at C.P.H." was recorded, music therapy has become more widely recognized within the medical community. In short, it uses music therapeutically to address physical, psychological, cognitive and/or social functioning for people of all ages. It is typically practiced by credentialed professionals that use clinical and evidence-based music interventions to help set and achieve individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship. Because Music Therapy is a powerful and non-invasive medium, unique outcomes are possible. I suspect that holiday music therapy can be particularly helpful, and it's certainly pleasant to hear.

Track 26

Holiday Greetings, Michael Caine

I've used these short little holiday greetings on pretty much all of my annual mixes as a way of breaking up the longer tracks and giving some quick recognition to various celebrities. But it isn't always easy to find as many of these clips as I'd like. I found a few more about a month ago, including one by famed English actor Michael Caine. Caine has been making movies since 1956, and while he's scheduled to turn 90 years old in March, he isn't ready to retire yet. To date, he's appeared in over 75 feature films, winning Academy Awards as Best Supporting Actor in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and The Cider House Rules (1999).

Caine relocated to the United States for nearly a decade in the 1980s due to escalating British income tax rates, but he has spent most of his life in the United Kingdom and is often cited as one of his native country's archetypical actors and cultural icons. In fact, Caine is frequently parodied for his speaking style and his habit of citing interesting but useless trivia in general conversation. His friend Peter Sellers often did impressions of Caine that frequently included the phrase "not many people know this," which has now become something of a catchphrase for him. 

I'm sure many Americans would happily return Caine's gracious holiday greetings and wish him the very best for 2023.

Hear Michael Caine's Raw Commentary on his film "The Muppet Christmas Carol"

I'll be back with more sometime soon. When will you be decorating your Christmas tree this year?