Remembering Mitchell Kezin

This past January our Christmas Music community was shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Mitchell Kezin.  Mitchell's enthusiasm for Christmas music collecting was unsurpassed, and equaled only by a few select members of our brotherhood.  "Jingle Bell Rocks!", Mitchell's love letter to our collective passion, brought this love of the music and the drive to collect and share to a wide, appreciative audience.  We saw ourselves in Mitchell's film (some of us literally Rob Martinez), and we were as excited as Mitchell himself to watch The Mighty Sparrow record "The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot".

I met Mitchell in 2014 in Overland Park, KS, at a screening of "Jingle Bell Rocks!".  I and fellow Christmas music collector Greg Steele met Mitchell before the screening, and then he accompanied us to a local bar afterward for a beverage (or two, or so...).  We (of course) talked a lot about Christmas music and collecting, and Greg and I were treated to a few backstories that didn't make it into the final cut of the film.  Our hometown baseball team, the Kansas City Royals, were in the playoffs that October evening, for the first time in 29 years, and Mitchell energetically joined Greg and I as we cheered on the team while chatting about the music, the movie, and the musicians.  We learned that Mitchell had been set to connect with James Brown, but the Godfather of Soul tragically passed away on Christmas Day 2006, before they could get together.  

After the evening concluded, I gave Mitchell a ride to his hotel in midtown Kansas City.  We talked about going crate-digging the next day, but unfortunately I had conflicts, so I missed out on the chance to hit the local record stores with Mitchell.

In addition to sharing the Christmas music collecting itch, Mitchell and I shared a birthday - August 10.  Mitchell was a year older than I, and every year I would wish Mitchell a "Merry Birthday!" and he would respond with a hearty "Thank YULE!!!!".  I missed that this year.

Like many others, Mitchell and I traded our annual compilation CDs each year.  Being a First Class Unearther of Obscure Christmas Music, his annual MerryMix was always full of new (to me) music, and was a treat to be enjoyed year after year.

Christmas 2024 will have a void - the first time in many, many years to be without a MerryMix.  Last year's MerryMix had a strong Las Vegas/Elvis theme, and definitely had that special Mitchell touch to it. If you were lucky enough to receive his 2023 MerryMix, take some time to give it a listen, and lift a glass of eggnog to our kinsman in Christmas Music, Mitchell Kezin.  Rest in Peace brother.

It's the Holiday Season - 2024

Hello good readers!  The 2024 Holiday Season is upon us.  Summer may have finally given up its hold on us here in Kansas City and we're into seasonably cool weather as we get into mid-November.  I'll be back at it here at Merry & Bright for another season with the usual cornucopia of festive bloggery (and questionable talent for creative English writing 😄).

I have a few artists interviews planned, a handful of interesting albums to share with you, perhaps a special feature or two, and as always I'll let you know about the great new music that comes to me from the musical community across the globe.

Welcome back for another year!  Leave a comment or two if you like what you see!

Wrapping Up 2023

Hello all!  It's time to wrap up 2023 here at Merry & Bright.  Covid Update:  Today is day 6 after first symptoms.  All symptoms are gone, I'm feeling fine, but still testing faintly positive on the test strip.  So, activity will be limited for one more day.  Protocol says that I can go out masked (since there's been no fever at all and symptoms are gone), so I'm going to hit a couple of record stores briefly today.  But that's about it.  Seeing "Godzilla Minus One" was on the agenda today, but I think I'll push that back until I test negative.

Family Christmas festivities are still scheduled for New Year's Day, so that'll be good.  The youngest daughter was at the Pop Tarts Bowl in Orlando yesterday (12/28).  We saw her on the broadcast a couple times.  And, being with the winning team, she got to help eat the edible mascot after the victory.  We're looking forward to her return to hear all about the trip.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the blog this year - I appreciate your comments and reading the blog.

Special thanks to Laurie Cameron for delivering the best artist interview I've published.

Special thanks to Tim Neely for his lengthy interview.  I think the collector community really enjoyed Tim's insights and thoughts.

As always, thanks to the Brotherhood of Christmas Music: (INPO) Ernie, Rob, Brad, Greg, Hugh, Tim, Tim, Mitchell, and all the rest, many of whom I'm sure I am unintentionally omitting.

Lots of great music came to Merry & Bright this year.  If you haven't had a chance to scroll through the New Music Roundups, I hope you can take a few minutes and check them out.  Mango Island Sound is a great new friend of Merry & Bright; I can't wait to check out the catalog of Death Hags; Frida Hansen may take the prize for beautiful new voice this year; and so many more!

What will 2024 bring?  Hard to tell.  I love doing the artist interviews and profiles, so I imagine the mojo of the blog will continue to lean that direction.  I feel that I fill a bit of a gap there, amongst the top Christmas Music blogs.  New music features and roundups - yep, those will stay.  

Music Sharing:  I didn't have as many this year, and think that will continue to be a trend.  I'm going to stop buying vinyl "that I don't have" (like the Klokken Ringers, although it was pretty good) and instead only buy ones that really intrigue me (like Nora Aunor).  If the intriguing ones are sharable, I'll share.  After moving hundreds of records to the basement this week, I need to slow the acquiring and enjoy what I have.  Maybe I'll ship the excess to Ernie.  Nah, he's got them all already :-)

So, Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Joyous Kwanzaa, Happy New Year, Happy and Safe Holiday of your personal choosing!   Be Great - Do Great Things - Be Nice To Others.   See you around!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!  I hope everyone's Christmas was joyful, safe, and happy :-)  Here at the Bingle house, my Covid symptoms are pretty much like a head cold.  Not too bad, ups and downs in sniffles and energy level.  I'll be house-bound for at least one more day, likely two.  Shades of 2020, we did a family Zoom call this afternoon for the holiday.  We hope that this is the last Zoom Christmas.

Take care everyone!

Bah! Humbug.

Well, the plans were Christmas Eve brunch at my son's house, with all the siblings who could make it.  Then, back home for a while before 4:00 Christmas Eve mass, then home for the evening.  Christmas Day plans were a little altered anyway - casual late afternoon with the kids and granddaughter, stockings, soup 'n' sandwiches.  Then big family Christmas was planned for New Year's Day, since our youngest daughter is away, working as a nutrition intern at a college football bowl game in Orlando.

But - a positive Covid test this morning busted those plans all up.

I haven't had Covid since early January 2021, so this is round 2 for me.  Had a sore throat last night, and was more concerned that it might be strep, and I'd need to find a testing location and get an antibiotic on Christmas Eve.  But I did a Covid test first, and it was a big positive.  I have a slight sore throat, a little nasal congestion, and seem to be a bit more tired than usual, but that's it.  But, in the name of not spreading it around, plans today and probably tomorrow are scuttled.  

Oh well - the Christmas season was already extending by a week, so there's a silver (and gold) lining.  Now we just hope that no one else get it before New Year's Day.

So, Merry Christmas Eve everyone!  I'll be back with a couple other rambling posts before wrapping things up for the year.  I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

Bells! Bells! Bells!

My final share for this season is a fine, joyful collection of well known Christmas carols by the Klokken Ringers.  I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day is a very nice album of 14 songs, leaning toward the spiritual rather than the secular.  Accompanied by organ, French horn, and flute, the arrangements are classic and the sound is very fitting for your Christmas spirit.

Please enjoy The Klokken Ringers I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day  download link

Christmas Time!

Whew.  After that last share, we need something to get back into the real Christmas spirit.  I think I've got just the ticket, Christmas Time, a compilation album from the Vocalion label featuring some of the biggest Country & Western stars of the day.  

Loretta Lynn, Kitty Wells, Red Foley, Ernest Tubb, and Webb Pierce are featured on this record, along with some artists that aren't quite as well known - Elton Britt & The Pinetoppers, The Maddox Brothers and Rose, and Lonzo and Oscar.  All in all, this is a really good collection of vintage C&W Christmas recordings, all nicely and subtly arranged, none of the over-production that is so prevalent now.

The album closer "Jangle Bells" by Lonzo and Oscar, is especially refreshing.  A semi-novelty song to the tune of Jingle Bells, it's a bit of humor with a nice fiddle break.

Although this contains Bobby Helms' "Jingle Bell Rock", widely available on nearly every CD in your local thrift shop, I haven't excluded it from this record (I suspect other of these songs are too).  I figure everyone grabbing this album already has JBR in their collection.

Enjoy Christmas Time!

download link