Tag Archives: James Brown

Non-traditional Holiday Tunes

This time of year it’s hard to go out into the world without being bombarded by holiday music; whether you’re a fan or not, it can get tiring hearing the same tunes over and over again. As a balm for the holiday music assault, our music and film specialists at the Main Carnegie Library offer these suggestions for seasonally appropriate music that’s a little off the beaten path. Read their suggestions below!

Tara

james

Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto” / James Brown

Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin” / Albert King

Back Door Santa” / Clarence Carter

Purple Snowflakes” / Marvin Gaye

A Five Pound Box of Money” / Pearl Bailey

Christmas in Jail” / The Youngsters

I’m actually a fan of holiday classics like Nat King Cole’s Christmas album. But when I need a change of pace, or want to put my dancing shoes on, nobody gets me in the holiday mood like James Brown. We also have a lot of soul holiday compilations, available on CD or through Freegal, with hidden gems like Pearl Bailey’s “A Five Pound Box of Money.”

 

Rebekah

duke

Hansel and Gretel / Engelbert Humperdinck

Three Suites / Duke Ellington

Though Hansel and Gretel does not have a Christmas theme, it is often staged by many opera companies, including the Metropolitan Opera, at this time of year.  It does have gingerbread cookies… well, ok, children turned into cookies.  The music is fantastic and instead of Santa you get a creepy witch.

If you think Tchaikovsky needs a little swing, then Duke Ellington’s “Nutcracker Suite” from his album Three Suites  is for you.  Ellington and Pittsburgh’s own Billy Strayhorn put their stamp on a holiday classic.  Try the “Sugar Rum Cherry” track for a sample.

 

Amy

rundmc  diehard

Christmas in Hollis / Run D.M.C.

“Christmas in Hollis” is a cheerful song about the benefits of not stealing Santa’s wallet – though now that I think about it, the song never does tell us how Santa got his driver’s license back (it must have been a Christmas Miracle). It also mentions macaroni and cheese, and is featured in my favorite Christmas movie of all time, Die Hard.

 

Tim

mercyfulfaith

I made my feelings known about the month of December in my Deathcember blog post a few years back, but I am still happy to help you find either the wholesome Christmas with Perry Como album or a blasphemous album by Mercyful Fate.

 

Kirby

xtina

My Kind of Christmas / Christina Aguilera

Whenever I need a break from traditional Christmas song fare, I listen to the fabulous remix version of Mel Torme’s “Christmas Song” (you know…”chestnuts roasting on an open fire…”) as conceived by Christina Aguilera on her My Kind of Christmas CD!  It’s a thrilling combination of driving rhythm track with a smooth, slow melodic line on top! How about combining a traditional Latin text with a non-traditional 20th century poly-tonality (different keys + major and minor all at the same time), sung by a choir?  Check out Daniel Pinkham’s joyous “Gloria in Excelsis Deo” from his Christmas Cantata with the Washington Chorus and National Capital Brass on CLP’s Naxos Music Library streaming site.  Listen for the tremendous high B in the tenor section on the last chord!  

 

Julie

americanfolk

Traditional Christmas Carols / Pete Seeger

American Folk Songs for Christmas / Mike, Peggy, and Penny Seeger

These CDs include seasonal folk songs collected and arranged by Ruth Crawford Seeger which were first published in a songbook called American Folk Songs for Christmas in 1953. Ruth’s children, Mike, Peggy, and Penny Seeger recorded a double CD of these carols (released in 1989). Ruth Crawford Seeger’s step-son Pete chose three songs from her collection for his 1967 recording of folk carols. 61 years since the songbook was published, the selections and arrangements remain fresh and uplifting.

 

David

pogues

Fairytale of New York / The Pogues

This story of a man spending Christmas Eve in the drunk tank, thinking about a relationship torn apart by alcoholism and addiction, is one of the most popular Christmas songs in the UK. Performed in the style of an Irish folk song, the duet is sung by the Pogues’ lead singer, Shane MacGowan, and Kirsty MacColl, daughter of legendary English folksinger Ewan MacColl.

~ Happy holidays from the Music, Film & Audio Department

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Take It to the Fridge!

Or, rather, take it out of the fridge: today is National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day. Only a select few holidays can legitimately claim the word “national,” but anyone with a fun idea and an internet connection–or a reason to sell something— can give the rest of us a temporary day-brightener. This is a good thing, because I know my fridge could probably use a pre-company scrub-down, and I’m guessing yours could too.

No judgement here. Just useful resources.
(This sign actually hangs in my kitchen.)

My gift to you, on this auspicious occasion, is a quick and dirty list of books and resources on getting clean and staying safe.

Kitchen Basics

Because not everybody is Martha Stewart.

The Organized Kitchen, Brett McWhorter Semper

The Germ Survival Guide, Kenneth A. Bock, et. al.

Joey Green’s Kitchen Magic, Joey Green.

Can Your Kitchen Pass the Food Storage Test?,  Paula Kurtzweil. Also available online.

Green Housekeeping

All of the clean, none of the toxins.

Squeaky Green, Eric Ryan.

Green Housekeeping, Ellen Sandbeck. [I eventually bought this one after checking it out multiple times–definitely a keeper!]

Green-up Your Cleanup, Jill Potvin Schoff.

Clean Naturally, Sandy Maine.

Food Safety

Because the five-second rule will only take you so far.

The Safe Food Handbook, Heli Perrett.

Nutrition and Food Safety, Terry L. Smith.

Just the Facts: Food Safety, a Learning ZoneXpress production.

Emergency Measures

Food safety for doomsday preppers:

Emergency preparedness fact sheets from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Food and Water Safety Tips from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Food and Water Sanitation Tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And, on a more practical note, storage times for the refrigerator and freezer, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

If that doesn’t inspire you to crank up the tunes, pour yourself a refreshing beverage, and get to scrubbing, I don’t know what will. But, whether you choose to observe this whimsical “holiday” or not, rest assured that, even if you don’t feel like doing it right now, you’ll always have the data you need to make informed decisions about whether or not those gummy bears you threw in the freezer last summer are still viable.

Leigh Anne

too tired/happy from last night’s Neil Gaiman lecture to discuss anything overly serious.

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