Halloween, Photography and CD Designs!

Halloween is so much fun!

I love to dress up, so it's a good thing it's Halloween.  I am dressed up as Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany's.  The best part is I didn't need a wig since I now have long hair--a change quite a few people have noticed!  Frankly, my hair just keeps getting longer and I love it!  Erik, my brother and sound engineer, dressed up as Frodo in his totally custom costume!

But even more than Halloween, I love Christmas, especially Christmas music!

And what would music be without the cover art?  Absolutely nowhere if you ask me!

Erik is not only an incredible sound engineer but he's a pretty nifty photographer, too!  On all of my previous album covers I'm not smiling.  But on Jazzy Christmas to You II I'm smiling a big, happy smile that seems to show how big my mouth is!

The SMILING Album Cover!

For this Christmas album, I wanted a design that was as bright and cheery as the smile Erik captured while taking pictures for it.  I love snow and the color blue, so to me, icy blues and whites mixed with snowflakes is bright and cheery!  One of the most bright and cheery people I know is my friend who is also a talented artist, Katie Payne!  So Erik and I made a mock up of what we envisioned and then asked Katie to make it look like art...instead of like a mock up of what we envisioned...!

And what a beautiful cover she made!  She did it so quickly and professionally, too!

Katie is an amazing person in addition to being an amazing artist!  She is now living in New York City with her husband who is also an artist.  I kept texting her as Hurricane Sandy neared the area.  I just wanted to make sure they were all right.  Of course, she joked then reassured me they were handling things just fine!

Fortunately, Katie agreed to do some other work for me, too!  So you will be seeing more of her work on upcoming projects.

Jazzy Christmas to You II on iTunes!

It has finally arrived! Jazzy Christmas to You II is now available from iTunes!

I know it's the day before Halloween, but really, can the joys of Christmas be contained to only after Thanksgiving?

Jazzy Christmas to You II features me on vocals and core band members Zach Wiggins (piano), James Archibald (bass and vocals), and Jesse Quebbeman-Turley (drums).  Also featured are Craig Alder (guitar), Linda Chaston (synth), and J Scott Rakozy (piano).  Looking ahead, next year's album will feature new band member Josh Larsen (bass) with the rest of us since James Archibald has moved away to Texas to be a physicist!

New, fresh arrangements of classic favorites abound in Jazzy Christmas to You II.  Jesse and Zach created a rhythmic instrumental underpinning for my vocal to swing above in a reworking of Santa Baby that is sure to catch your ear!

A personal favorite of the album's recording engineer, Erik Chaston, is I Wonder As I Wander, which is another rhythm-based arrangement from Jesse and Zach.  Take a listen and hear Jesse play a drum trap set as you've never heard one played before--seriously!  The harmonies Zach lays down have a decidedly Celtic flair.  My vocals weave seamlessly into the groove as I sing one of my favorite Christmas songs!

Not to forget my roots in the blues, the album features a new blues, Santa Blues, that I co-wrote with Justin Jensen.  I tell Santa I only want my man home for Christmas and I know that the jolly old elf is the only one who can make that happen!

Since no Christmas album is complete without a duet, James Archibald sings with me on Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!  Last year, he sang Baby, It's Cold Outside with me on Jazzy Christmas to You! and it was a hit!

Last Christmas (yes, THAT Last Christmas of WHAM! fame), gets more laid back with Craig Alder on acoustic guitar and Linda Chaston (my very talented aunt) on synth.  She created the obligato and bass line!  She is a natural talent plus has a degree in music from the University of New Hampshire at Durham!

And just for when you're sitting by the fireplace drinking hot chocolate, You're All I Want for Christmas comes on.  With supple piano harmonies played by J Scott Rakozy and using my velvety vocal range, this Christmas love ballad is sure to tug at your heartstrings!

Check out the rest of the album Jazzy Christmas to You II.  If you prefer listening to the physical CD rather than mp3s, Jazzy Christmas to You II will be available in my store in that format next week on Amazon!

Tomorrow I will tell you all about the album cover design and the artist who created it, my friend Katie, who is at this moment in New York City weathering through the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.