It feels appropriate to string the lights and turn on the Christmas tunes now that Thanksgiving has come and gone. Treat yourself to a copy (download) of my hands-down favorite Christmas album, Rosemary Clooney's White Christmas which caught my eye in the late 90's with it's glitter case.
This is quintessential Clooney. There is something about her voice that evokes the past while managing to simultaneously capture the timeless spirit and joy of Christmas.
I'll continue my holiday tradition this year--writing out Christmas cards while watching the classic 1954 film from Paramount, Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Vera-Ellen, and of course, Ms. Clooney. Every time, it makes me long to live in an old farm house in Vermont, wake up to a white, snow-covered landscape on Christmas morning, and see a musical revue in an old barn with a stage and some old-fashioned music and entertainment.
I had the great blessing of seeing Rosemary perform at Feinstein's in New York somewhere in the late 90's. It is a small venue and the intimacy of the room made her presence and voice a thing of great memory for me.
Rosemary's phrasing and interpretation of the Great American Songbook are unparalleled. After Christmas is over, listen to her last album, aptly entitled The Last Concert. This beautiful album was recorded live in Hawaii and was the last she would make after a 55 year singing career.