The classic melodies of Christmas music are just crying out for some acoustic fingerstyle arrangement. So here are six great albums that hit the spot, from fingerstyle greats like Tommy Emmanuel and Lawrence Juber.
The arrangements vary – from full band with Chet Atkins, to the strippped down, grooving acoustic of Adam Rafferty – but the holiday cheer is always on tap.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas!
1. Christmas With Chet Atkins
One of the most underrated holiday platters of all-time, Christmas with Chet Atkins shows the father of country-rock guitar performing 16 holiday standards in his own incomparable style. Although the uptempo stuff such as “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Winter Wonderland” are excellent readings, it’s in the slower-paced selections that Chet Atkins really shines. His version of “Silver Bells” is, quite simply, one of the best versions of the standard ever, and possibly one of Atkins’ most arresting performances of all-time. Also excellent is the medley of “The Coventry Carol” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman.” Overall, criminally underrated, this disc should be rated up there with such fodder as Charlie Brown Christmas. Gorgeous.
Track list :
- Jingle Bell Rock
- Winter Wonderland
- Jolly Old St. Nicholas
- White Christmas
- Blue Christmas
- Jingle Bells
- Silver Bells
- The Little Drummer Boy
- Medley: The Coventry Carol/God Rest Ye, Merry Gentleme
- The First Noel
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
- O Come All Ye Faithful
- Deck the Halls
- Silent Night
2. Christmas Memories by Tommy Emmanuel
Christmas Memories is a new album of holiday music from Tommy Emmanuel, showcasing new arrangements of favourites such as ‘Jingle Bells,’ ‘Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!,’ and ‘White Christmas.’ In addition, the album includes three original tunes that are sure to become instant Christmas classics, including ‘Christmas Time,’ ‘Let’s Make a Christmas Memory’ and ‘Christmas Memories.’ With Emmanuel on guitar and vocals, the album features long-time friend and collaborator John Knowles CGP on guitar, Pat Bergeson on guitar and harmonica, and Annie Sellick on vocals. The album serves as a follow up to 2011’s ‘All I Want For Christmas,’ his first-ever holiday album.
Track list :
- Christmas Time
- Jingle Bell Rock
- Jingle Bells
- Artificial Christmas Tree
- Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree
- Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
- Let’s Make A Christmas Memory
- Winter Wonderland
- White Christmas
- The Christmas Song
- Christmas Memories/Waltzing Matilda
- Amazing Grace
3. Winter Guitar by Laurence Juber
Track list :
- Good King Wenceslaus
- The Holly & the Ivy
- Angels We Have Heard on High
- Peace of the Sky
- Away in a Manager
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
- Jesus Joy of Man’s Desire
- The Tea Kettle Waltz
- The Bells of Paradise
- Prelude & Silent Night
- Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
- In Bittersweet Winter
4. A Christmas Guitar Celebrationby Adam Rafferty
A set of popular Christmas carols and tunes arranged by Adam Rafferty for solo acoustic guitar, recorded with all Adam’s combination of funky grooving guitar, his jazz influence, and bass-over-melody style.
Adam claims that he switched from jazz into fingerstyle guitar after hearing Tommy Emmanuel. Seems it was the right step as his popularity has rapidly grown.
Track list :
- We Three Kings
- What Child Is This? (Greensleeves)
- Angels We Have Heard On High
- Jingle Bells
- It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
- Deck The Halls
- O Come All Ye Faithful
- Joy To The World
- Hark The Herald Angels Sing
- O Come O Come Emmanuel
- Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
- Silent Night
- Carol Of the Bells
- Little Drummer Boy
- Christmas Don’t Be Late (The Chipmunk Song)
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
- O Holy Night
- We Wish You A Merry Christmas/Auld Lang Syne
5. Christmas Soli by John Fahey
Guitarist John Fahey’s concept of Christmas music was a little different from the norm. The acoustic guitarist’s visionary 1968 set, The New Possibility: John Fahey’s Guitar Soli Christmas Album, was a collection of solo steel-string adaptations of traditional Yuletide melodies (“Joy to the World,” “We Three Kings of Orient Are,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”). It reportedly sold more than 100,000 copies on Fahey’s own Takoma label, tabbing it as his best-selling album, and inspired several more memorable holiday sets from the guitarist.
All four of those brilliant albums are generously represented on Fantasy’s newly compiled Christmas Guitar Soli With John Fahey, a 14-song compilation of highlights from Fahey’s Yuletide catalog. Scheduled for October 29 CD release, the collection provides a soundtrack for the upcoming holiday season and boasts newly created cover art by Tom Weller, who designed the artwork for many of Fahey’s original Takoma albums, that’s done in the “wood print” style of those classic sets.
Track list:
- Joy To The World (Instrumental)
- Medley: Hark, The Herald Angels Sing / O Come All Ye Faithful (Instrumental)
- We Three Kings Of Orient Are (Instrumental)
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Fantasy (Instrumental)
- Auld Lang Syne (Instrumental)
- Oh Holy Night (Instrumental)
- Christmas Medley: Oh, Tannenbaum/Angels We Have Head On High/Jingle Bells (Instrumental)
- Carol of the Bells (Instrumental) [feat. Richard Ruskin]
- The First Noel
- It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
- Silent Night, Holy Night
- Santa Claus Is Coming To Town [feat. Terry Robb]
- Medley: Deck The Halls With Boughs Of Holly/We Wish You A Merry Christmas [feat. Terry Robb]
- The Christmas Song [feat. Terry Robb]
6. Majesty & Wonder: An Instrumental Christmas by Phil Keaggy
Phil Keaggy is a giant of a player with a long history, stretching from his 70’s Beatles-influenced singer-songwriter albums to more recent acoustic fingerstyle albums.
This album includes the London Festival Orchestra and serves to put his impeccable playing on display against a background of beautiful orchestral arrangements.
Track list :
- What Child Is This?
- Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
- Good Christian Men Rejoice
- Silent Night
- Coventry Carol
- O Come O Come Emmanuel
- For Hearth and Home
- Do You Hear What I Hear?
- The First Noel
- Nativity Suite: Visitation
- Nativity Suite: Shepards Song
- Nativity Suite: Flight Into Egypt
- O Holy Night!
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