“We wanted to do something interesting with a traditional Christmas carol, so we changed up the chorus to include some descending blues chords and added the horn section along with Tony Pulizzi’s funky guitar part and Jamey Tate's Steely Dan-like shuffle on drums. Picture the Saturday Night Live house band laying it down on a traditional Christmas carol at 2am and that pretty much sums it up,” described Braun about the single that will be serviced to radio stations in November.
Braun crafted a clever arrangement for “The Coventry Torch Song,” seamlessly blending the English Elizabethan “The Coventry Carol” and the 17th century French “Bring a Torch, Jaenette, Isabella.” In the studio, he layered tracks of his trumpet, flugelhorn and valve trombone, adding John Dickson’s regal French horn to the mélange of culture and beauty.
“I had so much fun doing this arrangement that includes multiple modulations, full orchestration, and even a little piccolo trumpet playing from yours truly. If I had to play someone one track from the project, this would be it. I love the sound of a brass group and orchestra, and I had so much fun exploring the harmonic possibilities of these two well-loved songs. To me, the antiphonal brass ending of this piece is the quintessential sound of Christmas,” said Braun, who will return to Spaghettini for a five-night extended stand this Thanksgiving weekend (November 29-December 2) during which he will showcase special guest stars guitarist Peter White, saxophonist Richard Elliot and pianist Keiko Matsui on different nights.
Braun and Saisse’s sterling arrangement of the classic “The Christmas Song” is poignant and exquisitely decorated by a four-chair string section, David Finck’s supple upright bass, and Joe La Barbera’s gentle drumming. Saisse’s elegant grand piano illumines Braun’s flugelhorn lead.
“When we recorded this song, we knew we had something special. It’s a magical musical take of one of the most beautiful Christmas songs ever written. Whenever I want to just close my eyes and feel the spirit of Christmas in the most classic of ways, I put this track on. I envision the flugelhorn taking the place of Frank Sinatra or Nat King Cole as that old-school vocal over top of a beautiful arrangement,” Braun said.
“Do You Hear The Angels” is a medley of four Christmas chestnuts – “Do You Hear What I Hear?,” “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “Oh Come All Ye Faithful,” and “Deck the Halls” – imaginatively arranged by Braun. Accompanied by bassist Darryl Williams and drummer Gregg Bissonette, Braun forms his own brass section on the track that grew beyond his initial vision.
Braun said, “I had no idea this was going to turn into a full-on orchestral Christmas Disney extravaganza complete with timpani when I started it, but it quickly grew and grew and grew into exactly that. Many years ago, I learned to orchestrate, and it's been a long time since I've used that skill. But I enjoyed dusting off the rust and digging into all the modulations and color changes that make up this medley. I picture this version being performed by the LA Philharmonic at Disney Hall or as the opening theme for a Christmas movie.”
The mood shifts to steamy and sensual on a mashup of “We Three Kings” and “Good King Wenceslas.” Braun explains, “This track is a sultry, smooth, funky musical journey
traveling across a moonlit desert following a beautiful star. All is cool and calm on the journey, thanks to Nate Phillips’ probing bass. This song pairs nicely with a glass of cabernet at the end of Christmas Day.”
During the pandemic, Braun began playing with a group of fellow brass men and wine lovers, calling themselves the Pinot Noir Brass. Together, they released a Christmas album last year, “Pinot Noir Brass Christmas.” The ensemble – Braun (trumpet), Jeff Bunnell (trumpet), Dickson (French horn), Doug Tornquist (tuba), and Nick Lane (trombone) - reunites on “God Rest Ye Merry Gents” deftly arranged by Lane.
“Christmas is a season where the overuse of brass is not only tolerated but encouraged. And there is a heaping helping of brass on this track,” laughed Braun.
For something completely different, Braun croons a finger-popping “White Christmas” in a doo-wop setting accented by a wawa trumpet to add even more character and flair to the track colorfully seasoned with dashes of New Orleans and Gypsy jazz, the latter courtesy of Craig Sharmat’s guitar. Braun derived inspiration from a number of legendary sources on this one.
“From The Drifters to one of my all-time trumpet-playing heroes, Louis Armstrong, this version of ‘White Christmas’ is a bit tongue in cheek. I patterned my vocal performance after the great Dean Martin, and I chose to break out the plunger for my trumpet solo to create that old-school wawa sound,” explained Braun.
The title track is the first of two new songs Braun wrote for the album. He sings in storyteller manner with a full and grateful heart recalling Christmases spent with his family. Braun paints the picture.
“Picture that scene in ‘The Christmas Story’ when Ralphie and Randy have gone to bed and Mom and Dad are enjoying a glass of wine by the fire. Snow is falling and the Christmas tree fills the room with a warm glow as the soft sound of music fills the background. Another Christmas well spent with family celebrating a wonderful holiday together. This song didn't start out as a vocal but as I was writing it, lyrics started coming to mind. It is the story of our 27-year marriage with our two kids and all the holidays we've celebrated together while looking forward to many more,” said Braun who is flanked by Williams and drummer Eric Valentine.
Whistling through the opening, “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” references the Tim Allen Christmas movie, “The Santa Clause.” While that may make you think it’s a whimsical tune, Braun’s version is a serious straight-ahead jazz number bopping like John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” with elastic acoustic bass work from Luca Allemano.
“I wrote this song using some of the changes from that great John Coltrane classic. It starts off with me whistling the melody and quickly modulates keys to trumpet taking over. The song continually modulates throughout, and it was my goal to just keep an old simple song as interesting as possible with different textures and key centers. The ending is a tip of my hat to the great Vince Guaraldi,” shared Braun.
The “It’s Christmas” album concludes with a second Braun composition, “Christmas Eve Waltz,” on which he duets with himself on flugelhorn and piano while handling all the instrumentation, including the string arrangement.
“I have written several songs over the course of my career that feature flugelhorn and piano almost exclusively. Those two instruments playing together create such a beautiful sound. On this one, I added an intimate string section and wanted to leave everyone with a quiet moment and a gorgeous melody to take with you throughout the Christmas season. It felt like the right way to close the record,” said Braun.
Thirty years ago, Braun released his first holiday themed set, “Christmas Present.” A dozen years ago, he issued a second Christmas disc, the big band jazz vocal album “Swingin’ In The Snow.” He summarized “It’s Christmas” by saying that the project is “a high spirited, genre-transcendent holiday collection that explores an expansive range of styles.”
An Allentown, PA native who has long been based in the Los Angeles area, Braun spent many years touring and recording with pop-rock royalty, including Rod Stewart, Sade, Tina Turner, Natalie Cole, Tom Petty, Glenn Frey and War. He debuted as a solo artist with 1992’s “Intimate Secrets,” and quickly became a core contemporary jazz artist and a seminal smooth icon. To date, he’s amassed thirty Billboard No. 1 hits as an artist and a producer for other genre giants such as White, David Benoit, Marc Antoine, Jeff Golub and Elliot, the latter with whom Braun formed RnR, spawning a hit-filled album and a powerhouse touring combo. Braun teamed with superstar saxman Boney James for an album of duets, “Shake It Up,” propelled by the fan favorite “Grazin’ in the Grass.”
Braun’s “It’s Christmas” album contains the following songs:
- “Deck Those Halls”
- “The Coventry Torch Song”
- “The Christmas Song”
- “Do You Hear The Angels”
- “The Good Kings”
- “God Rest Ye Merry Gents” featuring the Pinot Noir Brass
- “White Christmas”
- “It’s Christmas”
- “The Santa Clause”
- “Christmas Eve Waltz”
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