Search - Glenn Miller :: Christmas Serenade in the Glenn Miller Style

Great collection as done by original Glenn Miller singers

Kim K. | Bayonne, New Jersey | 11/28/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you enjoy holiday hits of the Big Bands; this is a must-have for your collection. These songs were recorded by Glenn Miller's original vocalists-Tex Beneke; Ray Eberle & of course The Modernaires featuring Paula Kelly. Every song is a true gem and you'll find yourself humming or singing along. Definitely fun to listen to while trimming your tree and it will have you in fine holiday spirits in no time. Also makes great background music at Christmas parties, whether at home or at the office. At this price, you can't go wrong so go ahead, add this to your shopping cart & buy it. Very highly recommended."

Two-thirds of a great album

Jeffrey J. Karpinski | King of Prussia, PA United States | 12/15/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This was supposed to be The Christmas Album Glenn Miller Would Have Made, and it really does have a lot going for it - the original Miller singers, including the Modernaires with Paula Kelly, Ray Eberle, Tex Beneke not just singing but conducting and blowing his sax, and a group of arrangements featuring both the original Miller scores and other charts updated by Alan Copeland.Several of the tracks are keepers: "Snowfall" is an homage to the famous Claude Thornhill theme, here featuring the Miller reed blend and Beneke's liquid sax; "Sleigh Ride" is a jumpin' piece with some more hot notes from Tex; and for my money the Henry Mancini-inspired performance of "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire") is worth the price of the album alone.However, what should have been a happy return to the Miller tradition is made sad by Ray Eberle's vocals. The recordings were done at an especially low point in his life and he was clearly in no condition to be in front of a band. I also have the original LP version of the CD and Eberle's picture on the cover is that of a man perhaps two decades beyond his actual mid-40's age. It's painful to listen to him straining and slurring his words - "I'm dreamin' of a white Chrishmushhh", for example. Fortunately he turned himself around and did some fine work in the last few years of his life, but his talent was not on display here.My advice? Buy the album in spite of its faults, listen to the good parts, and remember the genius of Glenn Miller and the legacy that Tex Beneke carried."