Every family has its special Christmas music, the stuff that gets hauled out year after year after year and becomes as much a part of the season as that lopsided star the dog once chewed that sits at a jaunty angle at the top of the tree.
In the household Alex Pangman grew up in in Mississauga, there were a couple of special records that got a spin once a year. “My Mom always played the New Christy Minstrels album and my Dad played the King’s College Choir. We also had a couple of those old K-Tel compilations.”
Now the Erin Mills jazz singer has her own freshly-minted contribution to the less-than-stellar genre, which - let’s face it - is generally long on emotional manipulation and short on hot musicianship.
In an era when you can’t go into a variety store without fear of exposure to ersatz Christmas muzak (It should be open season for hunting The Chipmunks), Pangman has produced a Christmas record that is raucous and musically rich.
Co-produced with Don Kerr, Ron Sexsmith’s touring drummer, Christmas Gift keeps you deliciously off guard.
It starts with a disarming version of Jingle Bells, influenced strongly by Ella Logan’s 1937 version of Jingle (Dingle) Bells. The Pangman version seems to change tempo at will and be slightly out of control, an approach that breathes new life into a too-familiar tune.
That seems to be Pangman’s modus operandi here, taking our expectations and turning them gently on their heads. She’s aided admirably in the endeavour by a raucous roadhouse band featuring Ross Wooldridge on clarinet and tenor sax, Kevin Clark on trumpet, Drew Jurecka on fiddle, Peter Hill on piano (but for two tracks), Sam Petite on bass and Chris Lamont on drums.
Strong bands are a fixture on all of Pangman’s recordings. This group shines brightest on the instrumental Winter Wonderland.
Many of these songs, like Patti Page’s Boogie Woogie Santa and Kay Starr’s The Man With the Bag are old gems that will be new to most listeners.
One of the duets on the CD features vocalist Tara Hazelton, whose husky timbre contrasts nicely with Pangman’s pipes. Unfortunately, nothing can redeem the material, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, a way-too-cutesy bit of candy floss.
The other duet, with Tory Cassis, is much more successful. Frank Loesser’s Baby It’s Cold Outside is a charmer that has been recorded by innumerable couples through the years. This version stands with the best, from Johnny Mercer and Margaret Whiting to Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan. Turcotte and Wooldridge follow the overlapping singing with some very effective overlapping jousting of their own.
This is an Xmas album that even has something for those who are depressed for the holidays. Christmas Spirits is the most striking thing on the album. It starts with a weird fiddle cacophony that works into a straight-ahead blues. “Merry Christmas to all and Happy New Year/ It’s all just a joke when Gabriel’s playing in your ear,” sings Pangman. A little reality therapy on a Christmas disc. Probably Santa’s favourite cut.
Pangman debuts the album Tuesday night at the Lulu Lounge in Toronto. You can sample and purchase it at www.alexpangman.com.
