Here’s the new album by Glenn Crytzer and his orchestra which was successfully funded on Kickstarter earlier this year.
Underneath the Mistletoe
Release date: November 20, 2019
Digital Album
Buy from: Bandcamp – USD 20 or more ･ Amazon – USD 17.98
CD
Buy from: Bandcamp – USD 22 or more
We recommend to purchase from Bandcamp. Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
About The Album From The Bandleader
Dear Listener,
In April 2019, the idea for a pretty Christmas ballad came to me. The song was finished within just a few hours, but I was starting to feel quite jolly and I began writing more Holiday music! Within three weeks I had composed 11 new songs, and so I thought “Well, I suppose we should make an album!” This release is exciting for me because it marks not only my first opportunity to create a full-length Christmas album, (my 5 song EP called A Little Love This Christmas was released in 2013), but my first opportunity to arrange for big band with an added string section.
During June and July of 2019, fans generously and enthusiastically contributed more than $20,000 to our Kickstarter project to fund the album while I spent all summer holed up in my apartment writing the arrangements. Christmas music has always been very special to me, and I’m excited to share these new songs and arrangements with you. I hope they will become some of your perennial favorites and you’ll enjoy them anew each year!
Happiest of holidays to you and yours,
Glenn Crytzer
Taken from the the liner notes. Check out the link to learn more about the album incl. biography and notes & lyrics to every single song.
Personnel
Glenn Crytzer (g, bj, dir, a, v, v3); Sam Hoyt, Jason Prover (t); Mike Davis (t, c, v3); Rob Edwards, Jim Fryer (tb); Joe McDonough (tb, bb); Jay Ratman (cl, as, ss); Dennis Lichtman (cl, as, bj); Dan Block (cl, as, ts, fl); Matt Koza (cl, ts); Ricky Alexander (cl, bcl, as, bar, v3) Gabe Terracciano, Meg Okura, Victoria Paterson, Caroline Drexler, Francisco Salazar, Akiko Hosoi (vn); Benni von Gutzeit (vl), Tom Valdez (vc), Kathryn Andrews (h); Bryan Reeder (p, cel); Ian Hutchison (sb); Andrew Millar (d); Hannah Gill, Dandy Wellington (v).
Vocals: Tracks 5, 9, 18 by Glenn Crytzer; Tracks 7, 13, 17 by Glenn Crytzer, Mike Davis, and Ricky Alexander; Tracks 2, 8, 15, 20 by Hannah Gill; Tracks 3, 11, 16 by Dandy Wellington.
Recording Techniques
If you know Glenn then you know that he also spends a lot of time on the recording side of a project.
Here’s his approach on this album (also taken from the liner notes):
The album was recorded at Oktaven Audio in Mount Vernon, NY on 9/12/2019.
My sonic goal was to achieve the balance, timbre and blend that is an integral part of swing music, while maximizing fidelity.
Thus, this recording was not made by the common, current method (micing each instrument individually with many of the musicians in different rooms listening to each other on headphones).
That style distorts the acoustic blend of a big band’s sections and also gives you only a close-up sound on every instrument, this makes the instruments sound very different from how they sound acoustically.
To record the big band all our musicians were in one room playing live.
One mic was used for certain types of solos that are meant to be heard on a close mic, one mic was used for each of the 3 sections – brass, saxes, and strings, one mic was used for the piano, and because our celesta is not very loud, a separate mic was used for the celesta.
Vocals were done separately in a booth.
All of the mics used were vintage or vintage reproduction ribbon mics to achieve the warmth that classic ribbon mics give a recording.
Recording/Mastering
Musical Direction and Arrangements: Glenn Crytzer
Producer: Glenn Crytzer
Associate Producer: John Tishov
Session Engineer: Todd Whitelock (Recorded 9/2/19 at Oktaven Audio)
Vocal Engineers for Hannah Gill: Nathaniel Sellin, Rylan Sunseri, Glenn Crytzer
Mixed by: Glenn Crytzer and Duff Harris
Mastered by: Steve Turnidge at Ultraviolet Studios, Seattle
Artwork
Cover Illustrator: Isaac Herrera
Cover Models: Zelma Elm and Darlene Elkanick
CD Jacket Design: Holly Zmijewski
Liner Notes: Glenn Crytzer (wr); Amy Winn (ed)
Photos: Jonathan Smith (Big Band), Tom Moore (Glenn), Don Spiro (Cover)
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