One of the best Christmas gifts I’ve recieved in the past several years was a “stocking stuffer” from my Wonder Woman, Songs of Joy & Peace, Yo-Yo Ma & Friends In addition to being full of songs appropriate (though not always “Christmas” songs) to the Christmas season, it’s an example of how real musicians aren’t constrained by any particular style or genre but only by their own well-developed musical “chops,” good taste and the drive to impeccable performances. Try these examples on for size:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUm_Gs2SDOo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=-5jufFWvp4w
And a video featuring a recording session for one of the cuts on the album:
Note that Alison Krause makes some vowel choices I’d drill (if necessary) a voice student or a choir to avoid, but… she appears to have made them with an understanding–conscious or unconscious–of her own unique vocal characteristics, and so they mostly work quite well, especially within the genre. *shrugs* That’s just part of talent intersecting with LOTS of hard, hard work of the “blood and toil and sweat and tears” variety that’s necessary for music to be made at this level of excellence.
For further demonstration of crossover excellence, an exploratory session with one of the instrumentalists from the album–not a recording session so much as a jam session with a classical cellist, a bagpiper and an accordianist–among others. Yes: a bagpiper and an accordianist can gift us with musical excellence.
Fo gigure.
Lastly, one more from the album:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_-5gfsDOiA
Oh, just click on over to Amazon.com and buy the album. You know you want to. (Nope: I’ve not “monetized” the link to “gimme a payoff”.)