Late Night Holiday Listening : Holiday instrumentals
We Three Kings
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Waiting For Christmas
The First Noel
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
O Come All Ye Faithful
O Holy Night
Good King Wenceslaus
Auld Lang Syne
All compositions, with the exception of "Waiting for Christmas", are public domain. All arrangements, production and performances by Van Cooper. "Waiting for Christmas" © Van Cooper 2006
Late Night Holiday Listening : © Van Cooper 2006
A review from CDbaby
author: Jim Lewin
"Mr. Cooper has given us a gift with this disc of innovations on traditional holiday classics. And he has done so by avoiding the easy traps that capture many artists when working with this material. He isn't just going up-tempo or "jazzing it up" just for its own, self-indulgent sake. There is respect for the original. At the same time, there is innovation in mood, in instrumentation and overall flavor. At times, you can almost hear him place his tongue firmly in his cheek when, for example, he pays homage to both Robert Burns and Peter Gunn on "Auld Lang Syne". This is a disc that your Mom would like. This is a disc that your daughter would like. And this is a disc that you will like very much. I'm looking forward to his next one!"
A review from ChristmasReviews.com
"Van Cooper's pleasantly mysterious ..late night holiday listening was heard by this listener at mid-morning, whilst going through a number of Web site chores. It was pleasant to the ear, quite eclectic for what I call new age fare, with a number of backgroundy type things that I often hear on movie soundtracks.
Cooper's composition Waiting for Christmas is a delightful offering to the holiday songbook. Dramatic, yet playful, its theme pays vague homage to Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker. I thoroughly enjoyed this piece, and it will remain on my holiday playlist for the duration.
With its novel arrangements of classics and a strong new composition, ..late night holiday listeningperforms the trick of reaching beyond its obvious appeal to New Age and contemporary listeners and makes it possible for me to recommmend to all holiday listeners."
--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2008)