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Band of Other Brothers' 'This Year At Christmas' (Ear Up Records) As summer turns to autumn and autumn to winter, few cultural aesthetic shifts are as iconic as the sounds of radio, coffee shops, and individual playlists alike. As the weather gets brisker, more and more turntable needles begin touching down on the beloved records of Vince Guraldi and Frank Sinatra, and “Linus and Lucy” once again become a dominant hit on the airwaves. For acclaimed pianist Jeff Babko, the lead-up to the festive season is one of his favorite times to be a musician. From the cherished tradition of bringing the holiday vinyl crate down the attic stairs to the endless joy found onstage playing Christmas tunes with friends, Babko finds beauty and joviality amidst the familiarity and nostalgia of the tried-and-true repertoire of the season. In the Spring of 2024, Babko received a text from friend and fellow Band of Other Brothers member, bassist, and vocalist Will Lee. The text simply read, in a non-negotiable, matter-of-fact manner, “Band of Other Brothers needs to do a holiday record.” Babko reports, “It was a statement, not a request! And when Will states something, it is basically a truth.” Babko, in his enthusiasm, ended up immediately writing the piece, “Christmas Ain’t Christmas” in about 15 minutes after receiving the text via his phone’s notes app and voice memos as he was walking into work at Jimmy Kimmel Live! in Hollywood. From this first seed, the rest of the forest rapidly grew into This Year At Christmas, the utterly jubilant take on the Christmas tradition by the jazz supergroup Band of Other Brothers. Shortly into the arranging process for this album, saxophonist Jeff Coffin contributed multiple ideas to the mix. “This Year at Christmas, ” which became the title track of the album, he had already written with a friend in Nashville and as Babko began playing with the piece in his studio, he began to hear it come to life in a Stax Records kind of way. Adding the collective brilliance of their bandmates drummer Keith Carlock and guitarist Nir Felder into the mix led to a melting pot of ideas, influences, and interpretations that allowed the tracks to change from being simply fun Christmas music to being an exhibition of creative brilliance that remains imminently approachable as it stays blanketed in the familiarity of the holiday season. Much of the arranging and compositional process for This Year At Christmas was a game of “what if we do this?” and then proceeding to try unconventional combinations of genre and artist style. With each member of the band being a top-tier name in the industry in their own right, they were able to jam up incredible ideas on their own and then send the demos to each other to continue to play around with and add their own spins on remotely. This process of playing over each other’s works-in-progress helped them iron out ideas ahead of the studio date to further develop what would work and eliminate what would not. This can be seen prominently on the track “Good King Wenceslas”. As it appears on the record, this piece is a high-caliber modal masterpiece, yet it started as an idea by Babko to turn The Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows” into “Holly Jolly Christmas”. As Babko and Lee played through ideas in Babko’s studio, one thought led to another and “Good King Wenceslas” ended up being what landed on the record. This remote collaborative model served the band well, with each member contributing demos, clips of live recordings, and riffs that had stuck with them, using these as the inception for the larger arrangements and new compositions present on the record. Both “Silent Night” and “Little Drummer Boy” began as demos that Coffin created in Nashville, while “Christmas Comin’ On, ” a new piece by the band, started as a smattering of ideas - some lyrics and the music box opening - that Lee sent to Babko via voice memo. “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Jam” began with clips from an extended live jam that Lee had done in Europe that he and Babko then took and used as the foundation for this record’s new track. Dorough’s “Blue Xmas” was pushed as a necessity by Coffin, and was a challenge that Babko rose to meet as an arranger. With the original being an eternal Gil Evans arrangement, Babko was initially daunted before realizing that Dorough’s lyric and style has an aesthetic similarity to Steely Dan with regards to snark and wit. With that link made, as well as realizing the poetic perfection of the similarity since Keith Carlock is the current drummer for Steely Dan, Babko jumped fully into creating a Steely Dan-style take on the tune, drawing particular inspiration from “Time Out Of Mind” to accomplish the task. One of the many aspects of This Year At Christmas that makes it stand out is the earnest spirit with which it was created. The title evokes this idea perfectly: by stating “This Year”, the album leans not only into the spirit of Christmas and the traditions people hold dear from days past, but asks listeners the question, “What new traditions and memories will be made in the here and now?” These ageless ideas of cherished memories and time with loved ones is further emphasized by the personnel on the album itself. If one reads the liner notes, one will see that the entire Carlock family is present as a choir on the fade. Similarly, Coffin suggested that Babko bring in his son, 12-year-old Theo Babko, to play baritone saxophone on “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Jam” and the sheer wonder and excitement - as well as great tone - that this offering adds to the track is palpable. The family dynamic is further emphasized through the string section. Babko’s wife, Songa Lee, led the string section and organized the entire string quartet for the record. While the five core members of Band of Other Brothers - Jeff Babko, Will Lee, Jeff Coffin, Keith Carlock, and Nir Felder - are unchanging, This Year At Christmas also showcases a rotating cast of guests who supported and enhanced the record immensely with their contributions. These musicians are: Songa Lee and Daphne Chen (violins); Stefan Smith (viola); Giovanna Clayton-Moraga (cello); Greg Kessler (background vocals, handclaps); Theo Babko (baritone saxophone); and the Carlock Choir, comprising Zia, Ayla, Rome, Lynne, and Keith Carlock on handclaps and choir vocals. Notably, this album features the contributions of featured guest lead vocalists Lucy Woodward on “This Year at Christmas, ” and Ben Sidran on “Blue Xmas”. As per their usual modus operandi, Band of Other Brothers has once again outdone themselves, creating something that marvelously remains of a striking musical caliber while being unequivocally accessible to all listeners. Riddled with joy and steeped in mirth, This Year At Christmas is a holiday record that is destined to reach listeners’ ears for decades to come. This Year At Christmas releases November 15, 2024 via Ear Up Records. |
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