Each year, fourteen million new Christmas albums are unleashed upon the world. Often it is the albums of instrumental renditions that really shine, for the obvious reason that many Christmas songs have terrible lyrics.
Guitarist Margaret Slovak and bass player Chris Maresh deliver a beautiful album of classic holiday numbers, some lesser known holiday tunes, a non-Christmas jazz tune, and one decidedly non-Christmas song with a seemingly spiritual title, all as instrumentals. The album’s title is a slight variation of a line from “I Wonder As I Wander,” one of the songs the duo performs here.
Margaret Slovak and Chris Maresh present a hushed reverence with “A Star’s Light Does Fall.” These skeletal musings feel undoubtedly intimate. Every gesture gets amplified in the vast open space by keeping arrangements to the absolute essentials. The interplay between them feels inspired, as they rely upon the themes as a starting point. How they move away from these initial points is the most intriguing and extraordinary aspect, with the evolution of the sound downright beautiful. They embrace their material’s timelessness and execution, creating an album that sidesteps trends for something more eternal.
They open the album with a rendition of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” that is pretty and soothing. This is exactly the vibe that many of us associate with the holiday, with what the holiday could, or should, be. That image of the world at peace on Christmas Eve, loved ones together on a quiet night, cuddling near the tree, glasses of wine on a nearby table, a fire in the fireplace. I’m not sure how many of us actually experience that anymore, but this music conjures that very image, and has that feel. It’s what we yearn for. “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is followed by “I Wonder As I Wander,” a meditative piece written by John Jacob Niles. A couple of minutes in, I get the image of walking along a snowy path in the woods, alone, no one else in sight, feeling relaxed, even joyful.
The guitar helps guide the way, picking the spots where the sun shines brightest through the trees, and the bass then feels like the forest itself, responding to our presence. And we become engaged in a conversation of sorts with nature. The line in this song that gives the album its title is “But high from God’s heaven a star’s light did fall.” “What Child Is This?” follows, though an instrumental rendition of “What Child Is This?” is actually “Greensleeves,” so not a holiday song, but still a perfect choice for this sort of approach. And Margaret Slovak and Chris Maresh deliver a beautiful rendition that soothes us while also giving us a place for our minds to journey to, a place and time apart from the madness of the world, before returning to that familiar theme.
A Charlie Brown Christmas is far and away the best holiday television program that ever aired, and a great part of its appeal is Vince Guaraldi’s music. As children, we didn’t know we had become jazz fans, but of course that’s precisely what happened because of that program. Margaret Slovak and Chris Maresh deliver a sweet rendition of “Christmas Time Is Here,” one of that special’s main songs. I like how the bass has the opportunity to lead fairly early on. These guys add their own personal touch, as they do on each of the songs chosen here.
They then turn to a composition by Wayne Shorter, “Infant Eyes,” which is not a Christmas number. This one too has a soothing effect, at least for the body, while letting the mind be free to move forward as well as into memory, looking at things with curiosity, but not fear. Inquisitive, but not anxious. There is a calm center. That is followed by one of the classic Christmas songs, “Away In A Manger.” There is something wonderfully light about this rendition, like we could walk, even dance, upon the snow without sinking in, without breaking the surface, and without feeling the cold. This track feels a bit like a dream. It has a fairy tale vibe, which works perfectly.
“Christmas Dinner” was written by Noel Stookey, the Paul of Peter, Paul & Mary. It was included on the Peter, Paul And Mommy album, released in 1969. This instrumental rendition by Margaret Slovak and Chris Maresh feels welcoming. There is also something about it that feels like a memory that we are experiencing again, some of the rough edges worn away by fondness and time. There is a strong bass lead. Margaret Slovak and Chris Maresh then deliver two pieces written by Alfred Burt and Wihla Hutson. These are songs I don’t hear as often as some of the others. The first is “Some Children See Him,” which Amber Weekes covered on her 2020 album The Gathering. There is an element of play here, as well as something loving in its delivery, like it is watching over us. We can feel safe within this song. The second is “The Star Carol,” a tender and pretty piece. There are moments when it feels like a lullaby, as we drift into sleep and stardust.
“O Come, O Come Emmanuel” strengthens the album, setting the tone for what follows. Whispers of melody come through, giving the song a mysterious air, even though the music is undoubtedly familiar. A personal favorite of mine emerges on “Christmas Time Is Here,” whose origins as a Charlie Brown add to the melancholy. Easily one of the best Christmas songs out there; there is something nostalgic about it, moving away from the usual pure joy for a much more complicated set of emotions. Gradual changes shift through the contemplative mode of “Christmas Dinner.” Compassion melodies echo into a soothing groove with “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” Perfectly bringing things to a close is the understated finale, “Hallelujah,” which allows the instrumentation plenty of room to roam.
“A Star’s Light Does Fall” has Margaret Slovak & Chris Maresh revisit beloved classics from an entirely new angle, displaying the fragile nature that rests at each song’s core.
“Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” begins almost delicately, then soon gathers a warmth. Though there is of course a beautiful sadness to this piece, as certain lines might be recalled: “Someday soon we all will be together/If the fates allow/Until then, we’ll have to muddle through somehow.” We must hope for the best. And this music will help us get there. This rendition features some excellent guitar work. That playing carries with it a warm optimism. This album concludes with Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” a song that I love, but which of course has nothing whatsoever to do with Christmas. It comes from Various Positions, one of my two favorite albums (the other is American Beauty, if you’re curious). It’s interesting to do an instrumental rendition of a Leonard Cohen song because he was such a skilled creator of lyrics. But this rendition provides a chance to appreciate the beauty of the song apart from the lyrics. It’s a pretty short rendition, approximately three and a half minutes, but of course an instrumental version doesn’t have to pick and choose among the many verses that Leonard Cohen sang over the years. It fades out at the end, leaving the impression that the song continues beyond what we can hear.
Since 1994, I have played for patients in medical settings such as hospice, hospitals, cancer centers and elder care homes. During the holiday season, patients seem to find comfort in hearing Christmas music, and they have often asked me if I had an album of Christmas songs. So our goal with this album was to record some songs in an emotionally open and reflective way that could bring comfort and peace to people facing life and health challenges and/or grieving the recent loss of a loved one. Chris and I started playing together in November 2023 and felt an immediate deep musical connection. We discovered that we each had 50% Czech heritage; our Czech fathers were musicians, and our Czech ancestors were from Moravian villages less than 90 miles from each other in the former Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic),- an interview with us said Margaret Slovak.
http://www.margaretslovak.com/
CD Track List
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
I Wonder As I Wander
What Child Is This?
Christmas Time Is Here
Infant Eyes
Away In A Manger
Christmas Dinner
Some Children See Him
The Star Carol
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Hallelujah
