Wednesday, December 10, 2008

"...We wish you the merriest, the merriest, the merriest, the merriest..... New Year!..." -
For this Les Brown composition, "We Wish You The Merriest," Frank enjoys the additional voices of brother and sister team and good friends, Father Charles and Laurie Mangano as they blend voices in this rousing, straight-ahead swing tune. The song is flavored by the trumpet sounds of Glenn Drewes, talented Tony Tedesco on the drums, and Palma, who is playing and singing, and who arranged this fun, swinging Christmas song. This one is a duet with Frank and Fr. Charles, and it has the outstanding vocal embellishments of both Laurie and Palma.
(top photo:Frank Rendo - second photo, Laurie Mangano & Frank Rendo) - Tony Tedesco really "cooks" on this one, as only he can. His touch is so great on everything I've ever heard him on - never trying to be a "showy" player, rather Tedesco is a "tasteful" player. His work is so well executed. (pictured: Tony Tedesco).
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Glenn Drewes basically plays several different trumpet parts - all with himself. His overdubbing makes him sound like an entire trumpet section, and that, in part, is due to the amazing engineering of Tiki Recording Studio's owner, Fred Guarino. Drewes' work is executed masterfully - each part incredibly in-sync with the next, and the next, and the next!!! Nicely done, Glenn. (pictured: Glenn Drewes & Fred Guarino)
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Palma adds a lot of spice to this one, as well. First, her arrangement is stellar - what can I tell you? The woman "swings." There are several parts being sung by several people - some are singing the melody line while others sing harmony to that melody line. Yet others are singing counter-melodies in harmony; perhaps a shoobie-doo or maybe a doo-wah here and there. The song just swings and so does everyone involved!
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So, how do I describe it? The way it's arranged, it's a very vocally layered song. It builds dynamically as the vocal layers are added as this passage is sung: "...We wish you the merriest, the merriest, the merriest, the merriest New Year..."
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Instrumentally, as the song starts, we hear the drums, a bit of rhythm guitar, and the dynamics of the trumpet(s), along with those great vocals.
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As I said, this song is really a duet between Frank and Father Charles. They throw the lines back and forth to each other while Palma and Laurie add the frills.
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At one point, the song jumps into 3/4 time, and the vocals here are even more playful than before. Some interesting backing vocals that seem to emphasize the time signature change.
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A neighing horse sound (played by Glenn), leads back into the swing feel, and this one goes out after a rousing tag, where again we have a fun build of voice over voice, and a finale that gives this writer a "theatrical" feeling. A well-done, well delivered "fun" song amidst a CD of beautifully sung Christmas ballads, that tell the truly important stories of the birth of Jesus Christ, and His family here on earth. Nicely done, everyone!!!
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It is most difficult for me to choose a favorite on this CD, in a way. That is....there is nothing on this entire compilation that I don't like, or that I would classify as "filler." If I was forced to try and choose a musical favorite, it would have to be the next selection - a Palma Pascale original composition entitled "Much Less Than Christmas."
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This is one of the very first "roughs" that I received in 2006 when Frank and Palm began working together on REMEMBERING CHRISTMAS. I knew then only that Palm had composed it, but few other details. It was also my "introduction" if you will, to the incredible vocal styling of one 'Frank Rendo'! (Also...bit of trivia, here - this track was almost completed when my wife and I visited Long Island in the Fall of 2007...I got to record this song (just for fun) with Frank's track...how generous these people are. Truly, a highlight for me)!
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I know now, that "Much Less Than Christmas" was written in 1973, and was intended, actually, for the Carpenters to record. Awwww....too bad that never happened. Never fear, however - Frank and Palma put a definite Carpenteresque feel to this arrangement, and it is gorgeous. (pictured: Palma Pascale)
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The song is a ballad with a lovely message:
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"....If this is Christmas, why do I feel this? Why don't I look for a tree?
Why does the tinsel seem more artificial than it ever seemed to be?
It's something you wait for all year long....and now that it's here, the feeling's all wrong!
It seems like very much less than Christmas than I have ever known. Than I have ever known..."
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This rubato intro sets the stage for our story pretty clearly, don't you agree? The song is tinged with sadness about the fact that the storyteller is not with the one he loves. (Frank tells me when he introduces the song at a concert... "I tie in the fact that so many of our loved ones are overseas right now involved in military action, much like during WWII, when the great songs of longing where composed...and I liken this one to "I'll Be Home For Christmas," since it has the same feel to me. People parted for whatever reason over the holidays). -
"....If I could be with the one I wait for - Christmas would hold the love that God created it for..."
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A single, soft string, which builds to a nice level, begins the song and that lone string is soon coupled with beautiful electric piano. An oboe enters several measures in, adding a warmth and a color and a celestial sounding harp plucks a lovely arpeggio chord to a dramatic ritard. The rolled cymbal crescendos are a perfect touch of drama, and they enhance the piece, though used sparingly, in all the best spots.
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The beautiful Carpenteresque-sounding backing harmonies really bring the song to life for me. Beautiful ooos and aaahhhs frame brilliantly the perfect vocal of Frank Rendo. Ooofah! He's SO good! Palm incorporates some vox voices into her instrumental mix, and this allows for a real big "choir" effect, which is a cool addition.
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"...If I should buy things, why can't I find things with meaningful thought wrapped inside?
Nothing I'd give or I'd get holds the promise of making me feel satisfied.
This is the time you want to make last...now that it's here, it's going so fast!
And, it feels like very much less than Christmas than I have ever known....."
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The backing vocals are beefed-up as the strings lead us into the bridge, with its thought provoking lyric:
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"...Maybe this is how God feels on His day, when seeing how His people have forgotten Him.
All I know is I'm so low, no matter where I look or go, I can see (ritard) I can touch (ritard more)...but I can't really feel too much..."
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I just LOVE it!!! A well-timed modulation now brings us into our final verse, complete with those outstanding backing harmonies, and a brilliantly executed suspension (you know by now how those suspensions thrill me, when done well - and this one is)! (pictured: Frank Rendo & Palma Pascale)
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"...Not enough wrapping...not enough ribbon to hide what I have in my heart.
How can I open the present I'm missing without tearing myself apart...?"
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(I have to tell you here that that last bit of the lyric is my favorite of this piece - I think Palma writes these lyrics so cleverly).
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I get hit by that proverbial "chill factor" listening to this one. Frank's voice is so perfect for this sort of ballad - he sings it with such warmth and beauty - it seems to just "glow!" The arrangement is stunning and the backing vocals and instrumentation, as always, compliment Franks striking interpretation of this Palma Pascale original.
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"...It feels like very much less than Christmas, and I am SO alone. I wish that you'd come home..."
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Truly, a masterpiece!
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Oh! Alright then, they are, each and every song, a favorite in their own wonderful Christmas style..... okay? Well, I must be honest, cause this next selection is a favorite, as well! (Funny, but I just checked the other writings of REMEMBERING CHRISTMAS, and found that Joseph's Song was my absolute favorite! So see, EACH one is a masterpiece, in and of itself).
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The spectacular SOMEDAY, is next in the line-up. Never were any more beautiful, sweet, perfect lyrics penned to tell this story. It can be performed by either male or female, and the story is as beautiful one way as another.
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Recall "Joseph's Song" - a lovely rendition offered to us by our Mr. Rendo a bit earlier. I'm reminded a bit of it with this piece, because it is told from Joseph's perspective. SOMEDAY is also expertly delivered, and with such emotion...such intense feeling, that it brings that familiar "lump" to my throat and those white-hot tears to my eyes. I have repeatedly told Frank that his intimate reading of this one just grabs, and won't let go! And, there are always tears.
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Palma does this one with a minimal amount of instrumentation. I can hear that the piano has center stage, with cameo appearances by a cello, clarinet, viola, and a flute - each having their own "say" as they enhance the smooth, broken chords being played behind Frank's powerful vocal.  There is, at one point, a beautiful swell of a rolling, crashed cymbal, followed by the entire orchestra of a beautiful choir of strings, emphasizing the storyline so dramatically.  Between the two of these talented individuals, they have arranged this one exquisitely.  
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Sandi Patty has recorded and performed this song, and she, of course, delivers it flawlessly, as per usual. Her interpretation is of course, from Mary's point of view; Frank's from Joseph's perspective. The story goes like this:
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"...Someday, when this night is over...and the star has faded...and the angels fly.
I will look at You with wonder...dreaming of this first night when I heard You cry.
Someday, You'll take your tiny fingers and with just a touch will...will cause the blind to see.
Someday, You will walk with strangers, but tonight I'll rock You....stay a while with me..."
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A modulation is executed here, then:
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"....Someday, they will call You Savior - hope of all the people...light and life divine.
Someday, you will speak the words and touch the hearts of many, as you now touch mine.
You will speak in love and wisdom...prison doors will open...we all will be set free.
Someday, You will walk among us...but tonight I'll rock you... stay a while with me, my son...
Let me rock you, stay awhile with me..."
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Oh my goodness, friends - this one will reach into your heart and tug! So poignantly sung by Frank, and so carefully arranged by Palma, this stunning performance, heartfelt and elegantly executed with a rubato feel throughout for maximum effect gives us a look from yet another angle of Mary and Joseph; and it certainly gives me yet a clearer understanding of what might have been going through their minds and hearts on that first Christmas night so long, long ago. -
"...let me rock you..............stay a while with me!..." -
O, HOLY NIGHT - (Cantique de Noel) is a well-known Christmas Carol composed in 1847 by Adolphe Adam, to the French poem "Minuit Chretiens" by Placide Cappeau, a wine merchant and poet. According to Wikipedia, O, HOLY NIGHT has become "a standard modern carol for solo performance, with an operatic finish." It was translated to English in 1855. This particular arrangement is copyrighted by Pasland Music, Inc., Palma's publishing company, since the song itself is considered "Public Domain."
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The carol has been recorded by artists ranging from Bing Crosby to today's "Point of Grace." I think it's safe to say that the majority of artists who perform at Christmas time has undoubtedly sang or played O, HOLY NIGHT at one point or another in their career.
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This song is opulently orchestrated both with instruments and voices, and of course, Frank sings this famous carol with his usual flair. It is stunning, and Frank has no problem reaching those "operatic" notes - seems as easy as 1...2...3! Brilliant!!
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Our next selection, the memorable "God Help The Outcasts" (from the Disney film The Hunchback of Notre Dame) was first heard by Frank when one of his younger vocal students brought it to her voice lesson, wanting to learn it as a solo. It was one of those songs that immediately captured Frank from that very first "hear," as it were. Frank learned the song and incorporated it into his shows as a piano/vocal number.
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Good friend and musical director/partner Palma Pascale knew of Frank's penchant for the song (as he tells me she heard him sing it a LOT)! So, Palm gifted Frank with the remarkably beautiful, fully orchestrated "track" you hear on this CD. What an awesome gift that was!!!
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Frank recalled to me that he sings this song at almost every single concert he performs, no matter what time of year. I asked him specifically why he had included it on this, a Christmas album, and his response was this: "I felt the song had such a universal theme, and such a wonderful Christmas message as well - (this time of year: the homeless, the lost, the hungry...the outcasts) that I decided to put it with this collection."
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Well, BRAVO to you for doing so, Frank! And, big knowing nods to you, Palm. This is not a selection most would be wise enough to include in a Christmas collection, though it certainly works quite well.
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About the actual recording here - Frank's reading is somewhat haunting. I can tell, as the listener, that this is an important message being conveyed - one that comes from the heart and soul of our performer. Frank's "plea" for God to help the outcasts is very much like a fervent prayer - one that is unpretentious, and most important. Following are the full lyrics to this work:
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"...I don't know if You can hear me - or if You're even there.
I don't know if you will listen, to this humble prayer.
They tell me I am just an outcast - I shouldn't speak to You.
Still, I see your face and often wonder....were You an outcast, too?
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God help the outcasts, hungry from birth - seeking the mercy they don't find on earth.
The lost and forgotten, they look to You, still. God, help the outcasts, or nobody will.
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I ask for nothing - I can get by, but I know so many, less lucky than I.
God help the outcasts, the poor and down-trod - I thought we all were the children of God.
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I don't know if there's a reason why some are blessed, some not.
But still the few you seem to favor - they fear us, flee us....try not to see us.
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God help the outcasts, the tattered, the torn...seeking the answer to why they were born.
The winds of misfortune have tossed them about - You made the outcasts - don't cast them out.
Poor and unlucky - the weak and the odd - I thought we all were the children of God...."
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Like each of the other important stories told within this outstanding Christmas compilation, God Help the Outcasts sheds light for us, the listener, on a new piece of the big-picture, as the children of God. A well-rounded set of lessons have been shared with us throughout the entire offering. What an awesome gift we've been given!
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You will enjoy God Help The Outcasts, I assure you. It's a heart rendering lyric, so engagingly done by Frank - and so resplendently orchestrated by Palma. Outcasts and others alike - it's true....we all are the children of God!
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A staple on my Christmastime movie list is the 1954 classic, WHITE CHRISTMAS, with music composed by Irving Berlin. The title song is another "tried and true" Christmas song for musicians all over the world to perform during the season. In the film, the original introduction written for this song was NOT used. I first heard it when it was recorded by the Carpenters, on their very first Christmas album. Frank includes it here, as well. Such a great intro:
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"...The sun is shining, the grass is green - the orange and palm trees sway.
There's never been such a day in Beverly Hills, LA.
But, it's December the 24th....and I'm longing to be up North...."
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A bit of trivia about the movie, if you will indulge me. Vera Ellen, one of the "Haynes Sisters" actually sang only TWO (2) notes throughout the entire movie; just two. She sang those as the quartet exits the train after having arrived in Pine Tree, VT, where they reprise the beginning of the song "Snow." So, for the fun song she did as a duet with her on-screen "sister," Rosemary Clooney, she lip-synced the part, which was overdubbed and also sung by Rosemary Clooney. I dunno....I thought that was some cool information about this old movie that I never tire of watching, season after season. Most interesting, me thinks.
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For those of us listening to this CD, Frank and Palma combine two of the highly familiar songs of the film: White Christmas and Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep). Another genre - another completely different sort of feel here; and it is done impeccably, as each of the rest have been.
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"...I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know where the treetops glisten, and children listen to hear sleigh bells in the snow..."
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Frank's most handsome, full voice so smoothly "croons" to us of his longing for a White Christmas, with an understated and lovely piano, only, accompaniment by Palma.
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As they segue into "Count Your Blessings" they keep that alluring "simplicity" of piano and vocal only; except that there isn't anything "simple" about either Frank's fabulous vocals, or Palma's beautifully woven arrangement of broken chords played so expertly behind him. Frank tells this thought provoking story beguilingly. This is such a captivating way to conclude the CD, with the classicality of piano and voice, only. BRAVO!!! Well, well done, all.
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REMEMBERING CHRISTMAS is, by far, my most favorite Christmas CD out there. My hat is off to Frank Rendo for the loving interpretations with that tremendous voice of his; to Palma Pascale for her genius at arranging, orchestrating, composing and her beautiful singing - and, last but certainly NOT least, to Fred Guarino for his accomplished "knack" at putting all of these quality pieces together, into one overall incredible package. (pictured R: Fred Guarino - L: Frank Rendo)
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As you have read, this well-crafted treasury of songs and the stories told will, beyond question, stir your heart and soul and you will find yourself filled to overflowing with Christmas love.
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Stop back by Ramblings Regarding RENDO, as I will be waxing poetic about other of Franks amazing songs - from "Inspired" and "How Can You Say No To This Man" and "SHINE." And, oh yeah.... there's MORE. I'll be writing for a time here, and these blogs are written just to help you, perhaps, gain a different perspective about the songs - give you maybe just a little more in-depth look at the inner workings of the songs, and the artists who perform/compose/play/record and arrange them.
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And...whatever you do, don't forget to order your OWN copy of this incredible CD, REMEMBERING CHRISTMAS. Order yours at CDBaby, http://www.cdbaby.com/ or by contacting Frank at frankrendo@yahoo.com.
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Merry Christmas to each of you reading through this blog - and for now, I leave you with this thought.....
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"...May I suggest the secret of Christmas is NOT the things you do at Christmastime...
But the Christmas things you do ALL YEAR THROUGH..."
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Lots of Christmas love-
~Martini

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Anonymous said...

Excellent work, once again, Tim! This album has been with me since October - it's that good it needn't be Christmas to like it and love it! Thank You and Frank and the good people at TIKI. Merry Christmas indeed!