Have yourself a jazzy little Christmas

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Various Artists, “A John Waters Christmas”
Warning: “A John Waters Christmas” should not be placed in a five-disc player set on random at a holiday party.

Not when a song such as “Here Comes Fatty Claus” could pop up, complete with its refrain about St. Nick carrying a sack of something (hint: it’s not toys).

This compilation, culled by eccentric film director John Waters, is the perfect antidote for those weary of hearing the same saccharine Christmas songs over and over (and over) again from November till January.

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The songs here include the famous (Tiny Tim) and the obscure (Roger Christian).

Anyone who listens to the overly earnest and unintentionally frightening Little Cindy giving her holiday prayer and doesn’t get a chill down their spine truly has no feelings. Her song, “Happy Birthday Jesus (A Child’s Prayer),” could fit just as well on a Halloween compilation as it does here.

But the coup de gras, without a doubt, is “Santa Claus is a Black Man” by AKIM & the Teddy Vann Production Company. According to Waters, he was searching his entire life for a copy before finding one on eBay “at a great deal of personal expense.”

Call it kitsch, Americana, or the stuff Fatty Claus is carrying around, “A John Waters Christmas” is sure to be a welcome break from the banality of the usual Christmas fare.
—Scott Bauer

SAVAE, “La Noche Buena”
When you think about old American Christmas songs, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” come to mind. But let’s go back a few more years, say, to the 16th century.

The San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble rummaged through the cathedral archives of Portuguese chapel masters and assembled Meso-American and European period instruments to capture some of the first Christmas music written in the Americas for “La Noche Buena.” The eclectic compositions draw from the music and languages of Indigenous Americans, such as the Aztec, Maya and Inca peoples, as well as recently converted African slaves. Lyrics include lines like “Be Joyful brother Anton/that Jesus is born in Guinea!”

SAVAE’s pristine a cappella work and thorough research imbues these songs with dignity and reverence. The percussion work is subtle but telling of the Afro-Latin influence. Try this CD at the holiday party to impress your friends and warm the atmosphere.
—Aimee Maude Sims

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