New Orleans Christmas

New Orleans Christmas
Putumayo · 2006 · 58,3 Mb

01. Santa Claus is Comin' to Town - Big Al Carson with Lars Edegran
02. Christmas in New Orleans - James Andrews
03. 'Zat You, Santa Claus? - Ingrid Lucia
04. Silver Bells - Heritage Hall Jazz Band with Gregg Stafford
05. I'll Be Home For Christmas - B. Gibson & The NO Hot Jazz
06. Please Come Home for Christmas - Papa Don Vappie's
07. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Ellis Marsalis
08. White Christmas - John Boutté
09. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Topsy Chapman
10. Santa's Second Line - New Birth Brass Band
11. Holiday Time in New Orleans - Dukes of Dixieland




Pass: jazzcompilation




From the liner notes
New Orleans residents celebrate Christmas with customs that are both old and new, borrowed and invented. The faithful still attend Christmas Eve mass at St. Louis Cathedral in the Vieux Carre, or French Quarter. In olden days, this would be followed by a long, elaborate dinner known as reveillon, a meal that is still served in parts of France and Canada. Today, many of New Orleans' finest restaurants offer reveillon throughout December.

Twinkling electric lights and flickering holiday candles can be found everywhere in the city, recalling the French custom of fete des lumieres, when candles are placed in the windows of every house in a village. In downtown New Orleans, the block-long lobby of the Fairmont Hotel is dressed every year in a cloud-like canopy of angel hair and holiday lights, while in New Orleans' City Park, strings of more than two million lights decorate the limbs of the majestic old oak trees.

All along the bayous of the countryside outside New Orleans, bonfires known as feux de joie are lit on Christmas Eve-reminding residents of their European ancestors and providing Pere Noel with enough light to find every child's home.

The music of New Orleans at Christmas time also reflects this love for making holiday traditions new again. Well-known songs are sung with a different feeling, while newly composed songs fondly recall favorite holiday memories. The warmth of the holiday flavors, the unique character of the music; why, is the Christmas season so special to the people of New Orleans? Because it combines three basic elements-celebration, family gatherings, and generosity-all of which can be found in great abundance in New Orleans and throughout Louisiana.


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