Brinsley Schwarz - This Christmas (Magic In The Air) (2022)
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Brinsley Schwarz was the guitarist of a very fine, English pub-rock band from the early 70s that was named after him and included both future star Nick Lowe and the group's rhythm guitarist Ian Gomm. After the quintet broke up Schwarz worked with both Graham Parker and his band, The Rumour, as lead axeman for twenty-five years.
The British rocker is still working today and he released a new song for the season shortly before Christmas 2021, but I didn't discover it until early this year while working on a review of his most recent solo album, Tangled.
Let's start the discussion of this song with a quick clarification. Schwarz's "This Christmas," is his own, recent composition. It is not the often covered, perennially overplayed, holiday classic first released by Donny Hathaway way back in 1970.
Schwarz's inspiration for the song came from experiencing a cold but beautiful winter's evening sky brightly lit by a multitude of stars. It was shortly before Christmas 2020 so he didn't get a chance to record it in time for that year's holiday season. The veteran musician thought we could all use a cheerful song - and although he didn't say so - it was probably because we were closing out the year of the great pandemic lockdown.
Enjoying "This Christmas" doesn't require any heavy lifting. Lyrically, it's an old-fashioned song that brings back fond memories of past Christmases. It mentions Santa, Rudolph, snow and holiday presents and is meant to be fun. It's jazz-inflected, uplifting beat fits the season as does the brief, cool organ solo by James Hallawell, Schwarz's co-producer. It's perfect listening for decorating your tree.
For the 2022 Christmas season Schwarz produced a new arrangement of the song. First, he updated its name by adding the words "magic in the air" as a subtitle, and that goes a long way toward avoiding any confusion with the older Hathaway hit. In a recent interview with Bloggerhythms Schwarz explained his reasoning for the new interpretation.
"Normally a song is recorded by the artist and released, the only other version that might happen would be a cover by another artist. I can’t think of an artist who has covered one of their own songs. So, a self-cover is maybe a bit of a rarity, and it was fun to do."
"Last Christmas, I watched the movie White Christmas in which the four main characters (played by Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen) sing a song called 'Snow.' It features close harmonies. I think of them as inside harmonies. Like the Andrews Sisters … (my Mum used to sing Andrew Sisters songs.)"
"Anyway, whilst messing around and trying to figure out some of these harmonies, I landed, by chance, on the chorus of 'This Christmas,' and with the help of a few slightly tortuous guitar chord shapes I worked out some harmonies for it and figured they suited the song and made it sound more Christmassy."
"Come this Autumn I was back messing around with it again, changed some of the vocals a little and thought that a sax solo might be nice. Finally, I managed to get in the studio with James Hallawell (my co-producer) and thanks to him and a great sax solo from Simon Taylor - who played sax on 'George,' on my first album, Unexpected - we’ve got a second version.
"So, why put it out? Well, it's for people out there who like my songs and it's a good time to be putting out a Christmas song. It's different in a way that maybe goes back to the 40's/50's, which is kind of what I was aiming at the first time round. I have to say, singing harmonies in a circle, in a trio or quartet, is a special thing when you’re singing straight harmonies, but when you add that close (inside) harmony it’s just fabulous, magical."
"This Christmas (Magic In The Air)" also contains an additional verse. The original production is more understated but is captivating in its own right, and Taylor's solo on the new release adds a lot of color for those people who prefer a fuller, more band oriented experience even if the harmony singers - as Schwarz says - make it sound more like a period piece. By recording a second version of the holiday single this talented rocker proved he is both an imaginative and ambitiously restless artist.
You can purchase both versions of the holiday single at Bandcamp.
Today's post only includes the part of the interview that talks about Schwarz's Christmas song. The rest of our email conversation is available here. He discusses his old band, his long career with Parker, his upcoming musical plans, and more.
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