A Kaleidoscope Christmas

Last updated
A Kaleidoscope Christmas
A-Kaleidoscope-Christmas.jpg
Studio album by
Michael Falzarano and Extended Family
ReleasedNovember 24, 2020
StudioChris Laybourne Studio
Genre Country rock, Christmas [1]
Label Hypnotation
Producer Michael Falzarano
Michael Falzarano chronology
I Got Blues for Ya
(2014)		A Kaleidoscope Christmas
(2020)

A Kaleidoscope Christmas is an album by Michael Falzarano, credited to "Michael Falzarano and Extended Family". It contains eleven original Christmas-themed songs, plus a jam band-style cover of "Jingle Bells". It features Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady, Pete Sears, Jeff Mattson, Jason Crosby, and Kerry Kearney. It was released on November 24, 2020. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Michael Falzarano is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is perhaps best known as a member of Hot Tuna and the New Riders of the Purple Sage.

Critical reception

In Americana Highways John Apice wrote, "The foot-stomper swayin' music is arranged with expertise with illuminating performances. Nothing hokey-pokey – it's well-done & engaging. Few Christmas songs today match the classics from the '40s through the '60s but this is a worthy addition to that household.... This isn't your grandma's Bing Crosby or Johnny Mathis Christmas songbook except for maybe the lone cover "Jingle Bells", decorated brilliantly in a Hot Tuna decor." [3]

In Glide Magazine Doug Collette said, "When is a seasonal album not a seasonal album? When the artist who made the record, in this case, the Michael Falzarano Extended Family, illustrates how the sentiments permeating the music are worth savoring at times beyond the holiday proper.... Michael Falzarano hardly hogs the spotlight here, but it’s clear he set the tone for these sessions with a distinct lack of artifice." [4]

In American Blues Scene Don Wilcock wrote, "But wait. There's more, as they say on the TV ads. There's a Santa's sleigh full of 13 other great musicians including such San Francisco heavyweights as Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady, Pete Sears, and Professor Louie... Kaleidoscope Christmas is perfect for the veteran music aficionado who wants their seasonal cheer a little deeper than the usual kitsch." [5]

On Grateful Web Nicole Lise Feingold said, "I especially like when renowned artists develop holiday albums. It demonstrates they aren't pretentious, but rather have a playful perspective appealing to a cross section of generations. Falzarano's twelve tunes build upon the genres of blues, country rock, boogie woogie and improvisation jams making the music familiar but still uniquely his." [1]

Track listing

All songs written by Michael Falzarano, except "Jingle Bells", traditional, arranged by Falzarano

  1. "Yes It's Christmas Time Again"
  2. "Ho Ho Ho"
  3. "The Tree Nobody Wanted"
  4. "Jingle Bells Jingle Jam"
  5. "4:20, 12/24"
  6. "The Eggnog Shuffle"
  7. "It's a God Almighty World"
  8. "A Psychedelic Cowboy Christmas"
  9. "Bethlehem Requiem for Diana"
  10. "Christmas Blues"
  11. "Boogie Woogie Christmas"
  12. "You're Still Standing"

Personnel

Musicians

Production

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot Tuna</span> American blues rock band

Hot Tuna is an American blues rock band formed in 1969 by former Jefferson Airplane members Jorma Kaukonen (guitarist/vocals) and Jack Casady (bassist). Although it has always been a fluid aggregation, with musicians coming and going over the years, the band's center has always been Kaukonen and Casady's ongoing collaboration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Casady</span> American bass guitarist

John William "Jack" Casady is an American bass guitarist, best known as a member of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna. Jefferson Airplane became the first successful exponent of the San Francisco Sound. Singles including "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit" charted in 1967 and 1968. Casady, along with the other members of Jefferson Airplane, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Falzarano</span> American guitarist, singer, and songwriter

Michael Falzarano is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He has been a professional musician since the 1970s, most notably in Hot Tuna, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, and the Memphis Pilgrims, a Memphis-style rock and roll/blues band that he founded in 1986.

<i>Rusted Root</i> (album) 1998 studio album by Rusted Root

Rusted Root is the fourth studio album by Rusted Root, released in 1998.

<i>Jefferson Airplane Loves You</i> 1992 box set by Jefferson Airplane

Jefferson Airplane Loves You is a three-CD boxed set of recordings by the San Francisco rock band Jefferson Airplane with extensive liner notes by Jeff Tamarkin, author of the Jefferson Airplane history Got a Revolution: The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane.

<i>Double Dose</i> (Hot Tuna album) 1978 live album by Hot Tuna

Double Dose is the eighth album by the American blues rock band Hot Tuna, and their third live album. The album was originally released as a double-LP as Grunt CYL2-2545. After their 1977 tour, Jorma Kaukonen moved on to a solo career and Jack Casady joined the new wave band SVT. Hot Tuna would not perform together again until 1983. The album had its highest peak at #92 on the Billboard charts.

<i>And Furthurmore...</i> 1999 live album by Hot Tuna

And Furthurmore... is a live album by the American rock band Hot Tuna. It was recorded on the 1998 Furthur Festival tour. It was released on October 12, 1999.

<i>Pair a Dice Found</i> 1990 studio album by Hot Tuna

Pair a Dice Found is an album by the American blues rock band Hot Tuna. Released in 1990, it was their first studio album since Hoppkorv in 1976.

<i>Live in Japan</i> (Hot Tuna album) 1997 live album by Hot Tuna

Live in Japan is a live album by Hot Tuna recorded in 1997 in Yokohama, Japan. Originally the band planned to play an electric set as part of their Japanese tour, but the venue in Yokohama was too small and there wasn't any room for an electric setup. The band played acoustic, and afterwards Jack Casady suggested to Jorma Kaukonen that the recording was good enough for a new live album. Michael Falzarano and Kaukonen listened to the tape and decided that Casady was right, and a new album was released. The album was Hot Tuna's last release on Relix Records. In 2004 Eagle Records remastered the album and re-released it with previously unreleased performances of "Parchman Farm", "Follow the Drinking Gourd", "Keep Your Lamps Trimmed & Burning" and "Folsom Prison." Three of the tracks from the initial release were dropped from the remaster: "Hesitation Blues", "Candy Man" and "Keep on Truckin'".

<i>Live at Sweetwater</i> 1992 live album by Hot Tuna

Live at Sweetwater is a live Hot Tuna album recorded in 1992 at Mill Valley, CA. It was their first new recording made for Relix Records, although they had previously released older performances with Relix. Appearing on the album with Hot Tuna was Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, blues-singer Maria Muldaur, and keyboardist Pete Sears who ended up staying with the band until 2000. In 2004 Eagle Records re-mastered and re-released the album with several added tracks, and some previous tracks shortened in length.

<i>Live at Sweetwater Two</i> 1993 live album by Hot Tuna

Live at Sweetwater Two is a live Hot Tuna album recorded at the same time as the album, Live at Sweetwater, but contains no tracks from the previous release. The live performances feature Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, blues-singer Maria Muldaur, and keyboardist Pete Sears. Also included is the previously unreleased studio track "Endless Sleep" from the Pair a Dice Found sessions. In 2004 Eagle Records re-mastered and re-released the album with several added tracks, and without the studio track included.

<i>Classic Hot Tuna Acoustic</i> 1996 live album by Hot Tuna

Classic Hot Tuna Acoustic is a Hot Tuna album released in 1996 and is an expansion of the A-side of the previous vinyl release Historic Live Tuna. The B-side of the previous release was expanded as Classic Hot Tuna Electric and released at the same time as this album. The tracks are taken from a live acoustic performance played on KSAN radio in 1971.

<i>Splashdown Two</i> 1997 live album by Hot Tuna

Splashdown Two is a 1997 CD release and expansion of the previous Hot Tuna vinyl release from 1984, Splashdown. It is a recording of a live acoustic performance from the mid-1970s that had played on the short-lived radio station WQIV.

<i>The Land of Heroes</i> 1995 studio album by Jorma Kaukonen

The Land of Heroes is a Jorma Kaukonen studio album recorded and released in 1995. It was his first new solo album since the mid-1980s. The album incorporated the work of several other musicians, including Michael Falzarano, who had joined Hot Tuna and produced remastered versions of Kaukonen's older Relix Records vinyl releases. Falzarano also produced the new album, and co-wrote some tracks.

<i>Christmas</i> (Jorma Kaukonen album) 1996 studio album by Jorma Kaukonen

Christmas is a Jorma Kaukonen studio album released in July 1996. It was the only themed album Kaukonen recorded and was a departure from the usual Rev. Gary Davis influenced tunes. It included new Christmas-themed compositions as well old hymns such as "Silent Night." Like the previous album, The Land of Heroes, Christmas incorporated the work of Michael Falzarano and Fred Bogert. Kaukonen's wife Vanessa also performed vocals and co-wrote one song. It was also the only time Kaukonen performed keyboards on an album.

<i>Too Many Years</i> 1998 studio album by Jorma Kaukonen

Too Many Years is a Jorma Kaukonen studio album released in August, 1998. It was his last studio album on Relix Records. Michael Falzarano returned to play guitar and help produce. He also sang lead on several tracks. The keyboard work was now handled by former Jefferson Starship keyboardist Pete Sears, who had been playing with Hot Tuna since 1992. After this album, the three began to perform as the "Jorma Kaukonen Trio" and recorded a live album for Relix, Jorma Kaukonen Trio Live.

<i>Jorma Kaukonen Trio Live</i> 2001 live album by Jorma Kaukonen

Jorma Kaukonen Trio Live is a live album taken from performances from Jorma Kaukonen's 1999 solo tour, and his last album for Relix Records. Performing with Kaukonen were Michael Falzarano and Pete Sears who had both played on his previous solo album, Too Many Years, and had performed with Hot Tuna on their last release, And Furthermore... After the release of this album, Kaukonen and Jack Casady began to perform as "Jack & Jorma, The Original Acoustic Hot Tuna" and Falzarano and Sears performed less frequently with Hot Tuna and Kaukonen's solo act, with Sears finally leaving in 2001 and Falzarano leaving in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Sears</span> English rock musician

Peter Roy Sears is an English rock musician. In a career spanning more than six decades, he has been a member of many bands and has moved through a variety of musical genres, from early R&B, psychedelic improvisational rock of the 1960s, folk, country music, arena rock in the 1970s, and blues. He usually plays bass, keyboards, or both in bands.

<i>We Are All One</i> 2008 studio album by Michael Falzarano

We Are All One is an album by Michael Falzarano. It was released by Woodstock Records on October 28, 2008.

<i>I Got Blues for Ya</i> 2014 studio album by Michael Falzarano

I Got Blues for Ya is an album by guitarist and singer Michael Falzarano, who is best known as a member of the New Riders of the Purple Sage and, before that, Hot Tuna. His first album in six years, it features Falzarano and his "extended family" of fellow musicians playing ten original blues rock songs and two covers. It was released on the Hypnotation Records label, distributed by Woodstock Records, on July 22, 2014.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Feingold, Nicole Lee (November 14, 2020). "Michael Falzarano – A Kaleidoscope Christmas – Review". Grateful Web. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  2. ↑ Browne, David (December 14, 2020). "Song You Need to Know: Michael Falzarano's "The Eggnog Shuffle"". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Apice, John (November 19, 2020). "Michael Falzarano & Extended Family "A Kaleidoscope Christmas" is Foot-Stomper Swayin' Filled with Cheer". Americana Highways. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  4. 1 2 Collette, Doug (December 18, 2020). "Michael Falzarano Extended Family Generates Rootsy Holiday Buzz on 'A Kaleidoscope Christmas'". Glide Magazine. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  5. 1 2 Wilcock, Don (December 15, 2020). "Michael Falzarano and Extended Family's 'Kaleidoscope Christmas' Is a Perfect Blend of Christmas Cheer". American Blues Scene. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  6. ↑ Adelberg, Ron (November 13, 2020). "NRPS' Michael Falzarano and Extended Family Release "A Kaleidoscope Christmas"". Grateful Music. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.