Review

Traditional
8 Swinging Christmas Carols:

Arranged by Keith Terrett


Halberstadt, , Germany
Publisher: Musikverlag Bruno Uetz
Date of Publication: 2010
URL: http://www.uetz.de/music

Primary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - with piano

This is a collection of arrangements of the traditional Christmas carols “Ding Dong Merrily on High,” “Silent Night,” “We Three Kings,” “Away in a Manger,” “God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen,” “Deck the Halls,” “Good King Wenceslas” and “Joy to the World.” “Swinging” is a misleading adjective for these arrangements: at no time is swing indicated and the trombone part ornamentation is extremely stiff and awkward. A few of the arrangements, like those for “Ding Dong Merrily on High,” “We Three Kings” and “Away in a Manger” are so highly varied that the average listener will have a tough time recognizing the tune. Some runs are unreasonable, as in the extremely quick “Good King Wenceslas.” It’s hard to determine the arranger’s intent: a challenging collection for advanced players, written out arrangements for the non-improviser, or “jazzy” versions for younger ones. In any case, it falls short of the mark.
 
-Chris Buckholz
University of Northern Iowa