“Christmastime is Here” (Guaraldi/arr. Trentadue)

A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of those timeless classics that’s stuck with me over the years. As a kid, I would spend part of every Christmas season digging out the old VHS tape* my family owned, popping it into the VCR*, and becoming entranced by the first few seconds of snowfall and music that would set the tone of the special. The music in particular - a combination of re-arranged Christmas carols as well as Vince Guaraldi’s well-known jazz score - is one of those elements of A Charlie Brown Christmas that continues to stand the test of time.

To have been invited by Jordan VanHemert, Christopher Fashun, and the members of the Hope College Orchestra to create a special arrangement of Guaraldi’s classic tune Christmastime Is Here for their recording project was a special treat this year, and an immensely gratifying experience.

*…..well, NOW I feel old.

Navona Records’s album DASHING, VOL. 2: MORE SOUNDS OF THE SEASON, now available on CD and all streaming platforms, includes this new arrangement of Christmastime Is Here. The recording personnel is as follows:

Hope College Orchestra (Dr. Christopher H. Fashun, conductor)
Jordan VanHemert, saxophone
Lisa Sung, piano
Rodney Whitaker, bass
Jeff Shoup, drums

My sincerest appreciation and gratitude to all of these artists for this opportunity.