George Gee Swing Orchestra: “Winter Wonderland” (2023) CD Review

The holidays can bring on different moods, and there is music to fit each of those moods. If you’re looking for some fun, energetic Christmas music, music to dance to, you’re going to want to check out George Gee Swing Orchestra’s Winter Wonderland, which was released last year. This is big band Christmas music, featuring a strong rhythm section as well as an exciting brass section. Half of the tracks are instrumentals, and the other half feature the vocal work of John Dokes. And if you need a breather, there are a couple of mellower numbers here for you. George Gee’s band is made up of David Gibson on trombone, Freddie Hendrix on trumpet, Andy Gravish on trumpet and flugelhorn, Michael Hashim on tenor saxophone, Anthony Nelson Jr. on alto saxophone, Patience Higgins on baritone saxophone, Steve Einerson on piano, Malik McLaurine on bass, and Chris Latona on drums.

Set your Christmas party in motion with this group’s energetic rendition of “Winter Wonderland,” the disc’s opening track, here titled “Winter Wonderland Mambo,” to give you a good idea of its vibe. Particularly exciting and enjoyable is that work by Freddie Hendrix on trumpet. Holy moly! This track also features some excellent drumming. Make sure there is room in your home for a dance floor before turning up on the volume on this one. That’s followed by a swinging rendition of “What Child Is This?” which really is a swinging rendition of “Greensleeves.” I don’t often hear this sort of approach taken with this song, but these guys make it work brilliantly. Of course the tone is quite a bit different from what we’re used to with regards to “Greensleeves,” and will likely give you a fresh appreciation of the song, of what it can be. This track also features some vibrant work on trumpet, and there is a cool sax lead. I also love the bass line. Really, the whole band shines here. Seriously. Check out that delicious piano lead toward the end.

The first vocal track of the album is “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” and though its opening moments announce it as a lively rendition, it does settle down for the vocals as you might expect, for this is a sadder song. And while it is a sadder song, the cheerier line “Hang a shining star upon the highest bough” is used in this version (rather than the original “Until then, we’ll have to muddle through somehow”), and that’s okay here. It’s what you would expect on a swing album. It’s good to hear someone tell us, “From now on, our troubles will be miles away.” It sounds like a promise, doesn’t it? I am hopeful. The vocal delivery contains warmth and perhaps a sense of certainty. The sadness of the song is all but gone. The Fates seem to have promised to allow us all to be together. Then as the musicians settle into “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” it quickly takes on a cool vibe. Comfort and joy, indeed! I want all my holidays to sound like this. What wonderful work on sax! There is an excitement to the delivery of this song, especially in certain sections. This is one of the best versions of this song I’ve heard.

It is interesting to me that a band delivering joyous, high-energy music would choose two of the saddest Christmas songs to cover. In addition to “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” they do “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.” As on “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” John Dokes joins the group on vocals, and also like the group’s rendition of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” all inherent melancholy is drained – or shaken – from this song. This is a bright, lively version that moves at a fast clip (I’m digging that bass work). We get the feeling that he is just as thrilled to be home only in his dreams as he would be to be there in person. It’s all good, right? For here everything seems right, especially during that piano lead. John Dokes and Hilary Gardner then provide the vocals on the group’s rendition of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” The group here delivers a fairly traditional version, which is fine, and chooses to open it the way Ray Charles did. It’s the vocalists who drive the song, and the two do a delightful job, completely embracing the spirit of the thing, the playfulness of it, the fun of it (just listen to the way John delivers the line “It’s up to your knees out there”). There are some different musicians performing on this track, including Ed Pazant on alto saxophone, Tony Lustig on baritone saxophone, Marcus McLaurine on bass, and Willard Dyson on drums.

Vocalist John Dokes also joins the band on “The Christmas Song,” turning in a warm, beautiful performance. This track too is largely in line with what we normally expect from this song, the band choosing to not take many liberties with it, so it’s mellower than most of this album’s tracks. In addition to that wonderful vocal performance, it contains some nice work on saxophone. That’s followed by “O Tannenbaum,” this one featuring some great stuff on trombone. The band adds its own special touches to this song. I particularly like the drumming here, which kind of sets the tone, the direction of the track. This is another of the disc’s highlights. “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” is the final of the album’s vocal tracks, featuring another strong vocal performance from John Dokes. This track also features a wonderful sax lead. The band wraps up the album with a fun, hopping rendition of “Jingle Bells,” with something of a New Orleans vibe, particularly in the rhythm. “Jingle Bells” has never been one of my favorite Christmas songs, but these guys really deliver an excellent, totally enjoyable rendition. They give the thing fresh life, and more spirit and pizzazz than it probably deserves. Enjoy!

CD Track List

1. Winter Wonderland Mambo
2. What Child Is This?
3. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
4. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
5. I’ll Be Home For Christmas
6. Baby, It’s Cold Outside
7. The Christmas Song
8. O Tannenbaum
9. What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?
10. Jingle Bells

Winter Wonderland was released on November 1, 2023.