SNL Celebrates Hanukkah

Every Saturday from Thanksgiving through New Year's Eve we dig deep into the vaults of NBC's Saturday Night Live and select a classic holiday sketch to share. Tomorrow is the first night of Hanukkah, and in honor of the festivities this week's SNL flashback is a collection of clips about Hanukkah. Best wishes to all those who celebrate this holiday.

We'll be back with another SNL clip next Saturday on Christmas Eve!

C'est Noel, Part 5 (Tracks 13-16)

Time to get back to work with our continuing review of the 35 tracks in my latest holiday mix, C'est Noel! I've already shared some background and thoughts on the first dozen tracks, and today we're going to tackle the next four tunes. Hold on tight, because here we go:

Track 16
Woody Guthrie's Happy Joyous Hanukkah, by The Klezmatics (2006)


The Klezmatics (L to R): Frank London, Matt Darriau, Lisa Gutkin, Lorin Sklamberg, Paul Morrissett (Photo: Joshua Kessler)

Even many longtime fans of the late folk singer and social activist Woody Guthrie were caught off guard when the Grammy Award-winning American klezmer group The Klezmatics released their eighth album in 2006, Woody Guthrie's Happy Joyous Hanukkah. "Wait a second," you could almost hear people thinking. "Woody Guthrie was Jewish?" No, he actually wasn't, but his second wife, Marjorie, was, and during the late 1940s and early '50s, the "Dust Bowl Troubadour" quietly established a lively partnership with his Jewish mother-in-law, the well-known Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt. Guthrie and Greenblatt shared both a love for the written word and a passionate commitment to social justice, and their collaboration and mutual encouragement resulted in a sizable number of poems, song lyrics and other writings that celebrated the history of the Jewish people and the joy of their customs and holidays. Guthrie didn't do much with these works during his lifetime, but when they were discovered by his daughter, Nora Guthrie, some 30 years after Woody's death, she gave the lyrics to The Klezmatics to see if they might be turned into something. The first batch of lyrics were eventually developed into a set of songs that were recorded as Wonder Wheel: Lyrics by Woody Guthrie.  Released in 2006, the album won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album in 2007. Later in 2006, the group released Woody Guthrie's Happy Joyous Hanukkah, of which this song is the title track.

 

It's a fascinating album that on first listen seems weighted toward lighthearted tunes and songs for children. Guthrie's own children figure prominently in the lyrics, and each song seems full to overflowing with good cheer. Woody Guthrie's life was not always easy, but this record is a genuine celebration, and a revelation as well. 

Hear NPR Music Critic Robert Christgau discuss the album HERE.

Murray Horwitz hosts an NPR broadcast featuring highlights of a 2007 holiday concert by The Klezmatics from Los Angeles’ Disney Concert Hall. Listen HERE.


Track 15

1913 Massacre (Excerpt), by Woody Guthrie (1941)

Exactly 100 years ago this Christmas Eve, 73 people, including 59 children, were crushed to death at a holiday party in Calumet, Michigan in what has come to be known as the Italian Hall Disaster, or the 1913 Massacre. Calumet was a coal mining town, and as the holidays approached that year, it was in the midst of a bitter labor dispute. The strike had been spurred by the introduction of the one-man drill, which led to fear among the workers of one-man teams and reduced work. Employees of the Calumet and Hecia Mining Company (C&H) had only just recently organized, and they were striking primarily for an eight-hour day and for a daily wage increase to $3.50. Strike leaders had scheduled a Christmas party for December 24 to rally the troops, and hundreds of striking workers and their wives and children assembled at Italian Hall to celebrate the season. At one point in the festivities, someone apparently yelled "Fire!" and while no fire existed, scores of people were crushed trying to escape through a non-functioning exit. Although it has never been definitively established, many believe that one of the thugs on C&H's payroll was responsible for falsely yelling the warning.

 

Guthrie read about the incident some 25 years later and wrote "1913 Massacre" as a result. It's a haunting and powerful song, in which the narrator welcomes each listener into the Hall to experience the tragedy first-hand:

 

1913 Massacre, by Woody Guthrie

(Press HERE to listen)

 

Take a trip with me in 1913,
To Calumet, Michigan, in the copper country.
I'll take you to a place called Italian Hall,
Where the miners are having their big Christmas ball.

I'll take you in the door, and up a high stairs,
Singin' and dancin' is heard everywhere,
I'll let you shake hands with the people you see,
And watch the kids dance round the big Christmas tree.

You ask about work and you ask about pay,
They'll tell you they make less than a dollar day,
Workin' the copper claims, riskin' their lives,So it's fun to spend Christmas with children and wives.

There's talkin' and laughin' and songs in the air,
And the spirit of Christmas is there everywhere,
Before you know it, you're friends with us all,
And you're dancin' around and around in the hall.

Well, a little girl sits by the Christmas tree lights,
To play the piano, so you gotta keep quiet.
To hear all this fun you would not realize,
That the copper-boss thug-men are millin' outside.

The copper-boss thugs stuck their heads in the door,

One of them yelled and he screamed, "There's a fire!"
A lady, she hollered, "There's no such a thing!
Keep on with your party, there's no such thing."

A few people rushed, and it's only a few.
"It's just the thugs and the scabs foolin' you."
A man grabbed his daughter and he carried her down,
But the thugs held the door and he could not get out.

And then others followed, a hundred or more,
But most everybody remained on the floor.
The scabs and the thugs they still laughed at their joke,
While the children were smothered on the stairs by the door.

Such a terrible sight I never did see,
We carried our children back up to their tree.
The scabs outside still laughed at their spree,
And the children that died there were seventy-three.

The piano played a slow funeral tune,

And the town was lit up by a cold Christmas moon, 

The parents they cried and the miners they moan,
"See what your greed for money has done."

I opted to include only a short excerpt of this song on my 2013 mix. On the one hand, it's an important piece of history and Guthrie's telling of it is nothing less than brilliant. But it's also a horribly grisly story, and it's bound to be upsetting, especially for small children at Christmas. Of course, the families who suffered so terribly a century ago were spared nothing on that horrible evening. I can't help but notice that the same pernicious forces that caused this tragedy are once again abroad in our country this holiday season. It's evident as WalMart, one of the most successful companies in the world, solicits canned goods for the benefit of its underpaid employees. They are present while the party of Theodore Roosevelt allows the federal government to close in its rabid zeal to deny basic health care to millions of our citizens. If Woody Guthrie were alive today, you can bet he'd be writing lots of new songs, any one of which might easily conclude with the same stark observation with which he ends this song:

"See what your greed for money has done."

 

Track 14
Clean for Christmas, by James Brown (1999)
Dubbed "the hardest working man in show business," James Brown died on Christmas Day in 2006, which is sadly appropriate, as he left behind an amazingly colorful body of Christmas music. Brown essentially recorded four albums of holiday tunes: Christmas Songs (1966), Soulful Christmas (1968), Hey America (1970)  and The Merry Christmas Album (1999), as well as The Complete James Brown Christmas (2010), a posthumous compilation. I say "essentially" because his songs have been repackaged and reissued in so many different combinations over the years that it's practically impossible to make a definitive count. Even when Brown was alive, a couple of his holiday records were packed with non-Christmas hits to goose the sales up a little. But there's still something special here – special and unique. While the Christmas records many artists release are typically regarded as separate and apart from their regular catalogue, Brown's Christmas albums ignore that distinction. The holiday records use holiday themes and props, of course, but the musical style is pretty much the next step on Brown's evolving vibe. What's also striking is how much the holiday songs reveal about Brown's background and personality, for while there's lots of strutting, ego-powered funk, there are also a number of sad, plaintive tunes that speak in an outsider's voice. Some of Brown's seasonal selections are laughably bad, with a few bordering on self parody. Others seem to have been thrown together quickly, with minimal care. Frankly, I'm not sure exactly what to make of "Clean for Christmas." It was recorded relatively late in Brown's career, by which time his difficulties with drugs had not only cramped his style but harmed his reputation as well. I'm inclined to believe that this song speaks to that issue, and represents Brown's commitment to getting clean for the holidays. Of course, he might just be needing a shave and some clean clothes. I've added an unrelated clip to the start of this track from a 1968 episode of the TV crime series Adam-12. It involves the arrest of one James Brown, and a potentially illegal search and seizure. (Press HERE to watch the full episode of that dreadful drama. It was produced by Dragnet czar Jack Webb, but that should be instantly clear to most viewers. The final Christmas show of the series, which aired in December 1974, is available HERE.) 

Track 13

Merry Christmas, James Brown! by The Peanuts Gang (c. 2002)

 

This is a rarely heard track that was originally released in 2002 or thereabouts* on an album titled National Lampoon’s Off-White Christmas, Volume 2. National Lampoon was once a very successful franchise. Founded by former members of the Harvard Lampoon, the name was first applied to a monthly humor magazine whose first issue hit the streets in 1970. The magazine thrived during the 1970s, when it was known for its brash parodies, and the founders expanded their reach to produce books, radio and television show, record albums, plays and movies. Over time, the success of these endeavors led many of the most creative people to cash out or accept better opportunities, and the enterprise began to slip through the 1980s and ‘90s. The last edition of the magazine was published in November 1998. The brand also appears on a number of movies, although exactly what constitutes an official National Lampoon movie is open to some debate. National Lampoon’s Animal House, one of the most successful comedies of all time, featured a number of the magazine’s key players among the credits list. National Lampoon’s Vacation series, including National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, also did well. The Off-White Christmas series of CDs included four separate releases, none of which seems to be commercially available today. I first found this track on the Traitor Vic 2009 Low-Budget Xmas Mix, and it actually made me laugh out loud. Still, I must admit to a certain amount of ambivalence about including this one on one of my mixes. While Brown certainly had some verifiable personal shortcomings, it doesn’t seem quite right to capitalize on them after his death. In the end, however, I decided to use this track because it really is funny and it pokes fun at Brown with a relatively light touch. I’d be interested to hear from anyone with thoughts about whether this track should have been removed for being overly disrespectful. 

__________
*Until just the other day, my best information suggested this song was first released in 1998, but the correct date, I believe, is actually 2002. Most of the CDs I’m distributing this year list the date as “c. 1998.” Do you suppose that by putting the abbreviation for circa in front of the date that I bought myself enough wiggle room to cover myself?

 
 

Here Comes Santa Claus, Part 3

My latest holiday mix is called Here Comes Santa Claus, and a couple of days ago I started sharing some of my thoughts about the 38 individual tracks that appear on it. I plan to review a few tracks each day until done, and while I'm reviewing the tracks from first to last, each day's post will proceed in reverse order to yield a final list that runs from 43 to 1 without bouncing back a few spaces at the start of each new post. Today, I've got some background on Tracks 7, 8 and 9:

Track 9
Honky Tonk Hanukkah, by Honky Tonk Confidential (2006)

Bob Scheiffer with his band, Honky Tonk Confidential

I featured a great track by Honky Tonk Confidential (HTC) called Christmas Prison on my 2011 holiday mix, and "Honky Tonk Hanukkah" was a relatively easy choice for the follow-up. It's easy to see why this song is their best-selling download, for like "Christmas Prison" it's got an infectious melody and the band really plays the hell out of it. Based in Washington, DC, HTC's had a lot of press the past couple of years because of their association with Bob Scheiffer, occasional presidential debate moderator and host of CBS's Face the Nation. Scheiffer's one of the few real honest-to-God professional journalists left in Washington, and while he did a fine job moderating the third and final debate this Fall between President Barack Obama and that other guy, he seems to be enjoying himself even more when he's onstage with "his band." Sure looks like fun to me. Incidentally, I wrote a little bit about holiday surf rock instrumentals in yesterday's post and was thrilled (and a little surprised) to discover that this fine country bluegrass band has stuck its collective toe in that water, too. So put on your baggies and check out HTC's surf rockin' version of O Come O Come Emmanuel.

Track 8
Happy Holidays Jingle
I have no idea who produced this track or where it came from, but I've had it kicking around on my computer for at least five or six years and it seemed like a fun little addition to this year's mix.

Track 7
Here Comes Santa Claus, by Esquivel (1959)

Esquivel

The title track of this year’s compilation is a genuine Christmas classic, written in 1947 by Gene Autry and Oakley Haldeman, and while it’s been recorded by hundreds of different artists and was cited by ASCAP several years ago as the 21st most frequently performed Christmas song of all time, this is the first and only time it’s turned up on one of my mixes. The song was inspired by Autry’s participation in the annual Santa Claus Lane Parade, now known as the Hollywood Christmas Parade. Autry was a fixture at the annual event, and as he rode his horse along the route in 1946 he heard crowds of children wherever he was shouting “Here Comes Santa Claus!” From that line, he says, the song was born. Autry's first public performance of the song was on the Gene Autry Melody Ranch Radio Show before a live radio audience on November 30, 1947 (65 years ago tomorrow). The song quickly became a big hit, ultimately reaching #7 on the Billboard singles chart that winter. It’s subsequently been recorded by a wide range of artists including Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, Billy Idol, Bob Dylan, and Ludacris, and Autry himself released two additional versions of the song in 1953 and 1957. The version I used for this year’s mix is by the late Juan Garcia Esquivel, better known simply as Esquivel. Originally recorded in 1959, Esquivel’s version was first released that same year as part of the RCA Victor compilation “The Merriest of Christmas Pops,” but it made a bigger splash when it was re-released 37 years later on the last album Esquivel worked on, Merry Christmas from the Space Age Bachelor Pad. In the interim, Esquivel had slowly built an impressive following with his signature blend of quirky instrumental pop that ultimately became known as “sophisticated lounge” or “space age bachelor pad” music. Marked by its wordless vocals, exotic percussion and deliberately overstated dynamic shifts, Esquivel’s style is often described in jazz-related terms, but in contrast to most modern jazz, it tends to be tightly arranged and carefully scripted. I've used stuff from Esquivel on two of my previous mixes – "Stop Singing Those Dreadful Songs," which featured holiday greetings from the artist, and "Hooray for Santa Claus," which included Esquivel’s version of "Auld Lang Syne." He was a cool cat and a solid hipster whose stuff was always in orbit.

Incidentally, the Gene Autry website has a wealth of Christmas-related material in a special section called Gene Autry's Cowboy Christmas. In addition to "Here Comes Santa Claus," Autry recorded dozens of other holiday tunes, and in 1949 his version of Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer hit #1 on the Billboard singles chart. It's the only song in Billboard history to ever fall off the chart completely from the #1 position. You can read more about Autry's other holiday releases and even download lots of free stuff including some great desktop backgrounds from the Autry site. But don't delay! There's no guarantee it will remain up past Christmas.

Four Tunes for the Last Night of Hanukkah

Tonight marks the final evening of Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Maccabean Revolt in the Second Century BC. In honor of the holiday and all who observe it, this post features several Hanukkah-related songs for your listening (and viewing) pleasure. The first is "Miracle," the latest holiday song from Yeshiva University's all-male a cappella group, the Maccabeats. Their song "Candlelight," which was featured as Track 17 on my latest holiday CD, tells the story of the Maccabees, who were instrumental in the events that Hanukkah celebrates. I posted a little background on that issue on December 12 (see HERE). From the feedback I've received to date, "Candlelight" appears to be the most popular song on this year's CD! I think "Miracle" is equally terrific:



The next song is by Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart from last year's Grammy-winning A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!

Next, here's a clip of Adam Sandler singing his popular "Hanukkah Song":

And finally, while one doesn't necessarily identify comedian Sandra Bernhard with movingly beautiful religious-based pleas for peace, she wrote and performed one such song, "Miracle of Lights," which I featured on my 2008 CD, Home for the Holidays.  You can hear that song HERE. 

Best wishes to all who celebrate the Festival of Lights, and to all who value, pray and work for peace.

Gee Whiz ... It's Christmas (Again!), Part 9

Thanks for joining me today as I continue to offer inspired commentary on the 43 tracks from my latest holiday CD, Gee Whiz … It’s Christmas (Again!). We started this endless trek what seems like ages ago -- what? it's only been 10 days? Well, we've made a lot of progress anyway. After today, it'll be 37 down, 6 to go. With gratitude for your courage, I say let's press on!

Track 37

Christmas Lost and Found (Part 9), from Davey and Goliath (1960)

See Comments on Track 6

Track 36

Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah, by The Yule Logs (2009)

I’ve always loved this song, and I especially like this version of it by “the hardest working band in snow business,” The Yule Logs, from Chico, California. This high-energy, power pop foursome features Marty Parker on vocals and percussion, Kirt Lind on bass, Jake Sprecher on drums and Maurice Spencer on guitar. These guys have been getting together to play select holiday shows for something like six or seven years, and for the past three years they've celebrated each season by releasing a new album of rockin' holiday tunes. How awesome is that? Each of the three includes a mix of classic and original songs, and, happily, Hanukkah songs are well represented, too. My Track 36 comes from their 2009 self-titled debut album, which was followed in 2010 with Walked with a Reindeer, and, finally – no, let’s not say that – ah, yes, most recently, this year’s new release, You Ruined Christmas. This is an awesome band that deserves our support, especially as they have to pack a whole year’s worth of action into the all-too-short holiday season each year. Check out their website, or consider buying their music on iTunes, CD Baby or amazon. Unfortunately, their last gig for this season is tonight at the Chico Women’s Club (see their website for details), but I trust they’ll be back next year.

Here's a clip of The Yule Logs doing Christmastime Is Here (Again!) from their self-titled debut album:

Track 35

Merry Christmas, Boston, WBCN-FM Boston (1983)

I’m not sure I fully appreciated it at the time, but we had an embarrassment of riches on the radio in Boston when I was growing up. No matter what you were into, there was always at least one great station playing lots of it. As a youngster, I’d listen to whatever station broadcast the Red Sox, which I’m pretty sure was WHDH in those days. By the time I was 11 or 12, I was listening to WEEI-AM, which was a talk radio station before talk radio became big. I loved anything that had to do with politics. (Yeah, I was a nerdy little kid.) By age 13, I’d discovered rock music, and I listened to WBZ-FM every day after school and followed their Top 40 countdowns religiously. But from the time I started college until I left Boston for L.A., my station was WBCN-FM, the “Rock of Boston.” WBCN was one of the first free-form progressive rock stations in the country, which meant that the individual DJs enjoyed relatively wide discretion in deciding what to play. They were especially well known for playing stuff from struggling new and local bands, and the station is credited with helping to launch such groups as the Police, U2, Dire Staits, the J. Giels Band, and the Cars, among others. WBCN's on-air talent included such notable figures as Charles Laquidara, Ken Shelton and Carter Allen, while the gifted Billy West and Tom Sandman created a seemingly endless supply of comedy bits and promos that served as a great complement to the music. “Merry Christmas, Boston” is a track that was played for at least seven or eight years during the holidays, and listening to it makes me a little homesick for those 10°F December days. Not homesick enough to relocate, mind you, but a little wistful anyway. Here it is:



As a special treat for any other former Bostonian BCN junkies out there, here are a few more Billy West/Tom Sandman creations to make you smile:

Christmas in Kenmore Square

WBCN “Rockin’ in Boston” Promo

Selected Kick-Off Songs for Ken Shelton’s Mighty Lunch Hour

Don’t Get a Hearing Aid, You’re in Lynn, MA

With just six tracks left and seven days ‘til Christmas, I figure I can finish my commentary at a pretty leisurely pace. Unless anyone objects, I’m planning to throw in a few other holiday treats over the next week or so. It just doesn’t feel right to slack off too much while Santa and his team are kicking into highest gear.

Gee Whiz ... It's Christmas (Again!), Part 5

I've been sharing some background and thoughts over the past several days about the individual tracks on my latest holiday CD, Gee Whiz ... It's Christmas (Again!), which is available now for download from my principal website. Time now for some thoughts on Tracks 17 through 20:

Rev. Horton Heat

Track 20

What Child Is This? by the Rev. Horton Heat (2005)

This is the first appearance of this song on any of my holiday CDs, which is a little surprising to me as it’s always been one of my very favorite holiday tunes. I guess I’ve always been partial to songs that are written in minor keys. There are some interesting stories behind both the music and lyrics of this song, and still more to report about Reverend Heat and his unique interpretation. Of course, I can only scratch the surface here. The carol is credited to the English writer William Chatterton Dix. At the age of 29, Dix suffered a near-fatal illness that left him confined to bed for many months. This brought on a severe depression, which condition apparently spurred Dix to write several notable compositions, including this one. There are numerous different versions of the lyrics, and even two different versions of the title (“What Child Is This?” vs. “Whose Child ...?”) According to the Lutheran Service Book's version, the lyrics not only celebrate the birth of Christ but ultimately go on to preview the manner of his death in rather explicit language:

What child is this, who, laid to rest,

On Mary’s lap is sleeping,

Whom angels greet with anthems sweet

While shepherds watch are keeping?

This, this is Christ the King,

Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;

Haste, haste to bring Him laud,

The babe, the son of Mary!

Why lies He in such mean estate

Where ox and ass are feeding?

Good Christian, fear: for sinners here

The silent Word is pleading.

Nails, spear shall pierce him through,

The Cross be borne for me, for you;

Hail, hail the Word Made Flesh,The babe, the son of Mary!

So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh;

Come, peasant, king, to own Him!

The King of Kings salvation brings;

Let loving hearts enthrone Him!

Raise, raise the song on high!

The virgin sings her lullaby

Joy! joy! for Christ is born,

The babe, the son of Mary!

I was taken aback upon reading these lyrics for the first time several months ago. My church used a different set of lyrics that replaced the second half of the second and third verses with the second half of the first. The result sounds slightly repetitive, I suppose, but I like it better myself. Of course, we all know what fate had in store for Jesus, but I'm not so sure we need to make such a full disclosure while celebrating the day of his birth. 

The Ranger (Robert Bray) and Lassie

The lyrics are sung to the tune of a traditional English folk ballad titled “Greensleeves.” It’s a hauntingly beautiful piece of music. I remember it best as the theme for the television program, Lassie. I adored that show as a child, and even named our first cat "Timmy" after the young farm boy who owned Lassie on TV. At one point in the show, Lassie left the farm Timmy’s family owned to travel the West with an itinerant forest ranger. The intention, I’m sure, was to provide new plot ideas, but it took me awhile to get used to the change. Once I did, naturally, the producers killed off the ranger in a massive forest fire too big for even Lassie to control. I’m pretty sure that the haunting melody of Greensleeves was playing in the background as the flames consumed the forest. I was pretty upset after watching that episode, and I can still remember my parents trying to explain to me that death was simply another part of life, and that what had happened was only a story, in any case. I didn’t like their explanation then, and I don’t care much for it now.

You want to know more about Rev. Horton Heat? You're welcome to check out his website HERE. His version of this song is less melancholy and maybe a bit darker than most, which is kind of refreshing during certain moments of this festive season.  I'm neither a fine diner nor a wine drinker, but I guess it's like a spoonful of sorbet between courses to cleanse the palate.

Track 19

Alka Seltzer for the Holidays, TV Commercial (1979)

For the makers of Alka Seltzer, the coming of each new holiday season provides cause for celebration. This is, after all, an exceptionally busy time of year, and one in which eating and drinking -- even to excess -- is considered more acceptable than usual, even something to be expected. While the occasional night of holiday overindulgence is rarely cause for alarm, this time of year can be particularly difficult for those who suffer from alcoholism, chemical dependency or certain types of mental illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the rate of alcohol- and drug-related accidents and illness more than doubles during the holidays, not to mention the anguish of the millions of people each year whose holiday plans, marriages and relationships are ruined due to excessive drinking and drug use. If you or someone you love is affected by alcohol- or drug-related problems this year, help is available. Contact your local Public Health Department or Alcoholics Anonymous. For further tips on healthier living during the holidays, visit the special web page created by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). They've even created their own holiday song for the occasion, which is available HERE.  Incidentally, the part of Santa Claus in the Alka Seltzer commercial is played by none other than Sammy Davis, Jr.!

Track 18

Dean Martin's Christmas in California, NBC-TV Promo (1977)

During my interminable adolescence -- indeed, for some years afterward -- the annual Dean Martin holiday television special was as much a part of Christmas as the three wise men and Rudolph (although from what I recall, Dino was supposed to have had more in common with the latter). The premise of the shows might change from year to year, but whether it was Dean Martin’s Christmas Special, Dean Martin’s California Christmas or Dean Martin’s Christmas at Sea World, they all came with lots of print ads, radio spots and television promos. The clip featured on this year's CD promotes Dean Martin's Christmas in California, an NBC-TV "BIG EVENT" that was filmed "[a]gainst a lovely Hidden Valley setting" and aired in 1977. Growing up in New England, of course, I was fascinated by the notion of Christmas in California. I could barely imagine what it would be like to spend the holidays riding horses in one's shirtsleeves. It was 21 years later before I spent my own first Christmas in California, and I was thrilled to be able to call home to report that I had spent a good part of the afternoon playing miniature golf! Anyway, Dino's guests, while better known than my golfing partners, were no better than B- or C-list celebrities. I was never too keen on Jonathan Winters or Crystal Gayle myself, but Linda Lavin was OK, I guess. I’d never heard of Mireille Mathieu before stumbling on this promo, but I understand she was touted by the French press for awhile as the successor to Edith Piaf, who was, of course, formidable. (A little Christmas trivia: Dean Martin died on Christmas morning of 1995 at the age of 78. Although his public image suggested he was a heavy drinker and probably alcoholic, that was apparently only a comedic affectation. In reality, Martin was reportedly a moderate social drinker.)

Track 17

Candlelight, by the Maccabeats (2010)

The Maccabeats

Founded in 2007, the Maccabeats are an all-male a cappella group from New York’s Yeshiva University. Their song “Candlelight,” which I include on my 2011 mix, was a big hit on the internet during the 2010 holiday season. (That’s me, a dollar short and a year behind!) It’s apparently based on Mike Tompkins' a cappella version of the Taio Cruz smash "Dynamite," which was named Billboard magazine’s top Hot 100 Pop Song of 2011. The Maccabeats’ version tells the story of the Maccabees, a Jewish rebel army whose successful struggle against the oppressive Hellenic regime that ruled Judea approximately 150 years BC led to the founding of the Hasmonean dynasty. This was an important event for the Jewish faith, as it effectively reversed the trend toward assimilation that had begun under Hellenic rule and allowed the faithful to resume the open practice of Jewish rituals and tradition. “Candlelight,” like the song on which it was based, has the kind of infectious beat that sticks in your head after a single listen. If all of history could be taught this way, we’d sure have a few more historians walking around.

That’s it for now.  Stay tuned for another set of comments, hopefully tomorrow.