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Seattle's Foscil covers Vince Guaraldi's "Christmas Time is Here"
Posted by Andrew Matson
Listening to local jazz-leaning post-rock squad Foscil, one feels the push and pull of instrumental experimentation vs. melodic sentimentality. It's a one-two, head then heart. Foscil's sister act Truckasauras does the same thing.
From Truckasauras' blog comes Foscil's electro-acoustic take on "Christmas Time is Here," perhaps the most wistful song of all time.
Starting with rap-style hi-hat triplets, some manner of synth-derived snap/clap, glockenspiel and marimba, the song becomes recognizable seconds in when trumpeter Anthony Moore handles the sweet 'n' sad Charlie Brown melody with a mute on his horn. He plays it straight, assisted by what I assume are his own clarinet overdubs. The rest of Foscil provides dense, clicky polyrhythm with pointed reservation, letting the song be soft and remain, essentially, Vince Guaraldi's.
My breakdown of Foscil's new album "Residential" here, and the story of Guaraldi composing for Charles Schulz here.
UPDATE - 4:02 PM
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