Big Band Wonderland

Big Band Wonderland is jazz vocalist Gary Williams's eighth album, recorded in Kenilworth Studios in 2015. It is a collection of Christmas classics, recorded with full big band and featuring duets with Clare Teal and Michael Feinstein. More than half of the money for the album was raised with a crowd-funding appeal.[1]

Big Band Wonderland
Studio album by
Gary Williams
ReleasedSeptember 14, 2015
RecordedKenilworth Studios
Genrebig band
Length39:33
LabelBOS Records
Gary Williams chronology
Live in Brazil
(2013)		 Big Band Wonderland
(2015)

This is how Williams described his love of Christmas: "I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, so I didn't celebrate Christmas till I was sixteen years old. When all my mates where out singing carols I was sitting at home cataloguing my stamp collection! Maybe that's why I love Christmas so much now, I'm making up for lost time."[2]

His live Christmas show was given five stars by the London Evening Standard which described Gary as "…the UK's leading standard bearer for the supercool era".[3]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"2:19
2."Mistletoe and Holly/Marshmallow World" (with The Patriot Girls)4:05
3."The Christmas Waltz" (with Clare Teal)2:47
4."Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer"2:39
5."The Christmas Song" (with The Patriot Girls)2:42
6."Caroling Caroling"2:54
7."Snowbound"3:34
8."Let It Snow"2:13
9."(Everybody's Waitin’ for) The Man with the Bag" (with Michael Feinstein)2:30
10."Winter Wonderland"2:58
11."Sleigh Ride"2:34
12."Jingle Bells"2:15
13."Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" (with The Patriot Girls)3:00
14."I'll Be Home For Christmas" (bonus track – download only)3:03
Total length:39:33

Personnel

Performers

  • Gary Williams – vocals
  • Matt Regan – piano
  • Joe Pettitt – bass
  • Kevin Campbell – drums
  • Jon Russell – guitar
  • Tom Walsh – trumpets
  • Simon Marsh and Jay Craig – saxes
  • Chris Traves – trombone
  • Anthony Kerr – vibes
  • The Patriot Girls (Jo Gibb, Joanne Pullen, Marissa Dunlop)
  • Backing Singers: Luke Evered, David Hilton, Victoria Keal, Iain Mackenzie, India Moynihan, Andy Playfoot, Patrick Smyth.

Technical

  • Producer and Studio Engineer: Chris Traves
  • Executive Producer: Gary Williams
  • Backing vocals arranged, directed and produced by Clive Dunstall
  • Backing vocals recorded and mixed at Big Al’s studio by Alex Bourne, and Tileyard Studios by Sean Hargreaves
  • Arrangers: Phil Steel (tracks 1, 2, 3); Paul Campbell (tracks 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12); Andrew Cottee (tracks 7, 13); Callum Au (tracks 6, 9)

References
  1. "Gary Williams and Big Band Wonderland". February 26, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
  2. "Official Gary Williams web site: Big Band Wonderland". garywilliams.co.uk. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  3. Ben Walters (December 18, 2013). "Christmas cabaret in London – Theatre – Going Out". London Evening Standard.
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