Holiday Hits: Faith Levy Chanukkah Tune & Charlie Brown Xmas

Once upon a time, there was "The Dreidel Song." Then Adam Sandler added "The Hannukah Song."  But what else was there for kids? Mama Doni added "Hanukkah Fever" and the LeeVees did a whole CD of clever tunes. But you had to KNOW they existed. Now Alison Faith Levy has added to the limited collection, thanks to a desire to learn the ukulele.

Alison yearned to play the ukulele like her friend and bandmate Karla Kane. So she bought one and taught herself to play it. Now they have released the holiday duet, “All I Want For Chanukkah Is a Ukulele.” Talk about synergy! You can find the tune on Soundcloud, Apple Music, and Spotify, and enjoy it with the whole mishpucha.

Two of the most iconic holiday songs fall under the jazz category, performed by the Vince Guaraldi Trio – “Christmas Time is Here” and “Linus and Lucy,” which is often misidentified as “The Peanuts Theme.” The songs are part of the classic  “A Charlie Brown Christmas” which is the second–best-selling jazz title in history. This year, you can even purchase a special green vinyl edition.

The soundtrack features music from the 1965 animated television special and includes “O Tannenbaum,” the two aforementioned tracks, and a bunch more. “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was the first television special based on the Peanuts comic strip, created by Charles M. Schulz. Controversial at the time due to overtly religious content, it is now considered mild (although if Schulz had Linus read from the quran, I'm sure it would be banned from American airwaves to this day).

A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS is available from Amazon and Apple Music.

Here is the video for the song, "Christmas Time Is Here":

Quick Hits: Jazzy Diana Panton, Mellow Again Again

Canadian jazz performer Diana Panton loves the classics and her second release for children, A CHEERFUL LITTLE EARFUL, is chock full of tunes many adults have either never heard or forgot a long, long time ago. It's a tranquil rainy day diversion, and a way to get children interested in the burgeoning field of jazz for juniors (if I may coin a phrase).

Panton covers such well-known composers as Hammerstein and Rodgers ("Happy Talk"), Sammy Cahn ("Pocketful of Miracles"), Cole Porter ("Experiment"), Ira Gershwin (the title track), among others. It's definitely a time warp for older listeners (although my eightysomething stepfather took a power nap as we all listened on a drive home from Connecticut). The kids were similarly amazed that I knew the lyrics to album-closer "Hush-a-bye Island," which has appeared on at least five Frank Sinatra compilations. There are also songs you "know" but were unfamiliar with the composers – "Sing a Rainbow" by Arthur Hamilton and "Red Red Robin" from Harry Woods, for instance.

Musicians Reg Schwager and Don Thompson fill the songs with gentle instrumentation and verve. Panton makes sure you don't miss any of the underlying emotion as she turns a phrase, even on such well-trod ground as Jeff Moss's "I Don't Want to Live on the Moon." As Ben pointed out "Ernie sings that!" If you're in the mood for vibraphone and singalongs, A CHEERFUL LITTLE EARFUL gives kids a wistful education of bygone days that a handful of musicians are striving to turn into a fanciful future.

A CHEERFUL LITTLE EARFUL is available from Diana Panton's website, Amazon, and Apple Music. 

Jennifer Cook and Anne Montone's LISTEN. LOVE. REPEAT. is both a coloring book and a children's CD. Both halves complete a collection they hope will help kids develop harmoniously in both heart and mind. The duo record as Again Again, a mnemonic that is both cute but also extraordinarily hard to search on Google. Their strongest Web presence is on Facebook (and the Soundcloud link was both broken and, when truncated, showed no songs to play).

LISTEN. LOVE. REPEAT. is a preschooler's collection of ambient, peppy tunes, from "The Kids Are Here (First Day of School)" through "Wrap Your Arms Around Your Family" to "Camping Song (Lullaby)." Their priorities are blended families, sharing, and being progressive. If I were conservative, I'd ask how much crunchy granola was served during the making of the CD. However I strive for inclusivity as well, so I admire their vision of serving up Joni Mitchell and Kate Bush for kids. Another influence, Bette Midler, on the other hand, might incorporate something with a more nuanced message for adults. Jennifer and Anne are also collaborating on an Again Again podcast about "adulting with children." I might just stick with Childish from Alison Rosen and comedian Greg Fitzsimmons. Again again, that's just a matter of tastes.

LISTEN. LOVE. REPEAT is available from CDBABY, Amazon, and Apple Music.

Here is their song "The Kids Are Here (First Day of School)" on YouTube:

Quick Hits: Nobel Nobel-Inspired Tunes, Songs for Pete's Sake

There's a "new jazz" movement inside children's music. Unlike rock and folk, which have a stranglehold on most radio formats, jazz requires a more concentrated education. It's not all scat singing and celebratory horns; sometimes it depends upon a child's ability to sit still and listen. That level of commitment harkens an exceptional student.

Into that forum enters the Lori Henriques Quintet and their prize-based LEGION OF PEACE: SONGS INSPIRED BY NOBEL LAUREATES. This is a real, serious, instructional CD with eight songs based on the lives and accomplishments of noted figures including Muhammad Yunus, Desmond Tutu, Malala Yousafzai, and President Jimmy Carter. The performers, such as pianist Joey Alexander, all have remarkable achievements. Alexander was an 11-year-old prodigy, complete with an appearance on 60 Minutes. Yunus founded Grameen Bank and more than 50 companies in Bangladesh and has received 112 awards from 26 countries (whew).

Sing for Hope, the organization behind the Legion of Peace project, is notable for its good works as well. In 2018, Sing for Hope placed decorated pianos throughout the five boroughs, making New York host to more street pianos than any other city in the world. But their musical contributions have global reach as well.

The songs themselves tell Stories (as opposed to Harry Chapin's little "story songs"). "Brave As a Girl" tells Malala's tale of courage in the face of intolerance and small-minded cultural limitations. "A Human Is a Human" recounts Tutu's efforts to end apartheid. "A Kinder Way" urges listeners to follow Carter's path of gentle community-building, including a marching/hammer-into-nail-driving Habitat With Humanity-esque beat. "When you give you get it back," sings Henriques, and you can believe she means it.

LEGION OF PEACE: SONGS INSPIRED BY NOBEL LAUREATES is available from Sing for Hope, Amazon, and Apple Music.

On the other side of the spectrum comes Tony Pete (Tony Halchak) and his debut CD, WHEN I GROW UP. A cross between Randy Kaplan and Billy Kelly (one of his friends), Tony performs his songs with a straightforward, sincere "this is how kids talk" delivery.

The first single, "The Backwards Alphabet Song" gets right to the point – here's another way to look at the 26 letters and Tony's gonna sing it that way all day, if you let him. "Kazoo Crew" seems like a natural live performance rave. Take a roomful of kids, hand them kazoos, and what's gonna happen? An instant cacophony of exploration and music-making.

There's a bit of predicability to the format, as the CD closes with "Time to Put Our Toys Away" into "Sleep Loved." But that's the organic flow I've experienced in many a first-time release. The best performers realize that their audiences can grow with them, and don't need reminders to wind down just because the sun begins to set. The chorus delivers a sweet sentiment with resounding clarity: "Sleep loved, little darlings, you are." Every parent likes to feel that there child has potential and that concept holds true for Tony Pete as well – that guy's got potential.

WHEN I GROW UP is available from Tony's website, Amazon, and Apple Music.

All the Jazz That Fits With Jojo & the Pinecones

Jazz hands everybody! Or rather, how about a hand for jazz? There seems to be a mini-comeback of the genre inside the venue of children's music. Between Lucy Kalantari, Jazzy Ash, Lori Henriques, and now JoJo and the Pinecones, there's a whole spectrum to educate your kids. I was fortunate enough to see the group perform at Hootenanny earlier this month (with Lucy, Jazzy, as well as Tim Kubart).

Joelle Lurie and musical partner Benjamin Gallina (whose website is a mnemonic for "brangelina") crafted their new CD, NIGHT & DAY, as part of their residency at Lincoln Center Education. The album is a amalgam of new and reinvigorated standards such as the title track and "Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'." For anyone who watched Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, the piano break in "Dream A Little Dream of Me" will remind you of the late Johnny Costa.

There are so many recordings of "I Can See Clearly Now" that it's pointless to make comparisons. But JoJo and company strive to make it downbeat and upbeat at the same time. You won't forget it's an album for your kids with such selections as "I Spy" and the cheery "Breakfast for Dinner," which is a rap short of being a Mista Cookie Jar song. Pizza for breakfast? Somebody is gonna give the tots some intriguing ideas.

NIGHT & DAY is designed in two sets, "Night" and "Day," with seven lighter, playful tracks that segue into seven to wind down from the hustle and bustle of school, homework, and chores. JoJo & The Pinecones take their childhood experiences and memories and run them through a tapestry of American Jazz stylings. Just when you think jazz is exclusionary, for a certain class of people, or just too cool for your tastes, along comes the closing track, "Farewell and Goodnight," a Smashing Pumpkins tune transformed from grinding guitars into a bluesy, horn-filled lullaby. Good night indeed. But not farewell.

NIGHT & DAY is available from JoJo & The Pinecones' website, Amazon, and iTunes.

Here is the video for their song, "Breakfast for Dinner":