This Time of Year is a 1961 Christmas album by American jazz vocalist June Christy, arranged and conducted by Pete Rugolo and released by Capitol Records.
Christy's only Christmas album, it consists entirely of original songs, unusual for its time. The recordings bear a similarity of having a melancholy tone to the album, all composed by the husband-and-wife songwriting team of Connie Pearce and Arnold Miller.
Critical reception AllMusic called the album "unjustly neglected," writing that it "is that rarest of things -- a winter concept album of all new material that can be listened to even when the holidays are over."
Record collector Tim Neely, author of several Goldmine record collector guides, said in 2023 it was a "largely ignored Christmas album until the 1990s, when [The Merriest] became something of a staple on both easy-listening and jazz-oriented CD compilations. Even with that exposure, it didn’t really catch on."
CDs includingThe Merriest include:
”Ultra Lounge: Christmas Cocktails Part 2” Capitol 1997 "A Swingin' Christmas" EMI Capitol Music 1999 "yule b' swingin' too" Hip-O 2000 "A Capital Christmas" Capitol Records 2018
Track listing "Christmas Heart" – 2:57 "Ring a Merry Bell" – 3:05 "Hang Them on the Tree" – 2:21 "The Little Star" – 3:08 "The Merriest" – 2:09 "This Time of Year" – 3:34 "Seven Shades of Snow" – 3:32 "Sorry to See You Go" – 2:24 "The Magic Gift" – 3:26 "Winter's Got Spring Up Its Sleeve" – 2:36
All compositions by Connie Pearce and Arnold Miller.
Personnel June Christy – vocals Frank Beach – trumpet Don Fagerquist – trumpet Dick Nash – trombone Kenny Shroyer – bass trombone Jim Decker – French horn Vincent DeRosa – French horn Richard Perissi – French horn Red Callender – tuba Sam Rice – tuba Bob Cooper – tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, oboe Bud Shank – alto saxophone, flute Paul Horn – flute Ted Nash – flute Victor Arno – violin Israel Baker – violin Robert Barene – violin Anatol Kaminsky – violin Dan Lube – violin Alfred Lustgarten – violin Lou Raderman – violin Albert Steinberg – violin Gerald Vinci – violin Virginia Majewski – viola Ray Mehennick – viola Stanley Harris – viola Edgar Lustgarten – cello Eleanor Slatkin – cello Catherine Gotthoffer – harp Russ Freeman – piano Al Viola – guitar Joe Mondragon – bass Red Mitchell – bass Gene Estes – drums, vibes, celeste, bell Shelly Manne – drums
Tracks 1, 4, 6 Recorded Capitol Tower, Hollywood, 12 January 1961
Tracks 7, 9, 10 Recorded Capitol Tower, Hollywood, 19 January 1961
Tracks 2, 3, 5, 8 Recorded Capitol Tower, Hollywood, 23 January 1961
References