HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
John di Martino (piano), Noriko Ueda (bass), Reinhardt Winkler (drums), Aaron Heick (sax, clarinet), Geri Schuller (piano, hammond B3), Jamaaladeen Tacuma (bass), Philipp Kopmajer (bass) Herbert Pixner (diatonic acc), Philipp Egglmeier (diatonic acc.)
Recorded at Tom Tedesco Studio USA, Soundzimmer Graz, Geri Schuller Vienna
Mixed & Mastered by Dave Darlington, USA
www.linktr.ee/simonekopmajer
HOANZL Vertrieb
Bestellannahmen
Tel.: 01/588 93 – 11
1) It´s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
2) Santa Claus is Coming to Town - featuring Ana Milva Gomes
3) I´ll be Home for Christmas
4) Home - featuring Viktor Gernot
5) Christmas Each and Every Day
6) What Are You Doing New Year´s Eve?
7) River
8) Let it Snow
9) Hallelujah - featuring Anja Om
10) It´s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - featuring John Di Martino
11) Suesser die Glocken nie klingen
12) Erzherzog Johann Jodler - featuring Herbert Pixner
13) Rockin´ Around the Christmas Tree - featuring Aaron Heick
14) Happy XMas featuring Kinderchor
“She has a wonderful and warm voice, and now applies her talent to holiday material on her new album, Christmas. One thing I love about this album is that she includes some Austrian songs here in addition to the usual fare, and those tracks help make this album something truly special.”
Michael Doherty, USA 2020
“Simone knows how to grasp the magic of Christmas and this CD is to die for.”
““I can guarantee you that you’ve never heard a more unique album of christmas classics, than Simone and her players have put together for you.
I give Simone and all her players a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating!” ”
Single: Baby It´s Cold Outside - feat. Viktor Gernot
The Most Wonderful Time
The stunning vocalist Simone Kopmajer returns with 14 holidays songs, 2 of which are European traditionals, and she’s in fine company with an international cast that includes John Di Martino, Aaron Heick, and Jamaaladeen Tacuma, among many others.
Kopmajer starts the album with an elegant version of “It´s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas”, where sparkling keys leave an indelible mark, and she follows this up with the shuffling pace of the frisky and fun “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” featuring musical star Ana Milva Gomes as well as “HOME”, where Viktor Gernot lends his expressive, deep pipes on the romantic duet.
In the middle, “What Are You Doing New Years Eve” benefits from a soothing, lounge delivery, while “Erzherzog Johann Jodler” recruits Herbert Pixners diatonic accordion, Geri Schuller´s organ and Simone’s contributions on the cultured album highlight. “Hallelujah” features a beautiful choir sung by Anja Om and “Let it Snow” another stand out tune, puts a gorgeous and melodic spin on the festive standard.
Closer to the end, “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” offers a saxophone solo amid the light, agile musicianship, and “Happy Xmas” performed with a children choir finishes the affair with an emotive and stirring exit of radiant beauty.
A flawless Christmas album of songs we’ve all grown up with, and some that will probably be new to our ears, Kopmajer reworks them all with jazz and folk sensibilities that help make this essential listening for the holiday season.
- Tom Haugen, USA