Rethinking A Christmas Soundtrack in 2020
Most Decembers I find myself writing and reflecting on my favorite Christmas and holiday movies. A few new titles are released each year, but most aren't really all that good. To be fair, every now and then something memorable comes along. That being said, this year I opted to leave films alone and think only about holiday music.
In the fall of 1982 I was standing in the Tower Records store on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, taking a look at some new records. In front of me was a collection (four bins wide) of vinyl record albums with eye-grabbing designs, and as I would soon find out, ear-grabbing music. This was my introduction to Windham Hill. To be honest, at that moment I was drawn as much to the graphics, which increased my curiosity about the music. Label co-owner Will Ackerman’s 1981 album “Passage” was in my hands with a typically beautiful photograph on the cover and a simple phrase on the back that stuck with me: Pieces for Guitar. Will’s album wasn’t Jazz, rock, blues, classical or anything else that’s easily labeled. In fact, since no other genre seemed to capture the music of the Windham Hill artists, the label itself was creating a new genre.
Within a few days of my visit to Tower Records, my friend (and fellow A&M Records exec) Harold Childs and I had a conversation about the label. Harold suggested and I agreed that Windham Hill was unique and might fit very well into the A&M Records family, all the while remaining independent. Happily, it was clear why Will Ackerman was interested in making a deal with A&M. As he was quoted in a 2019 interview with the Press Democrat, “I was courted by every major record label. . . . A&M wasn't corporate-owned. All these artists [that Windham Hill] was signing suddenly had access to the world market. There was never a hidden agenda. We didn't have to compromise. A&M facilitated.”
Some 10 weeks later we created (what became) a distribution agreement with this amazing label, and I grew to appreciate both Will and Anne Ackerman’s vision. During the next almost 8 years I enjoyed meeting and helping market some very talented musicians including Will, Alex DeGrassi, Michael Hedges, Barbara Higbee, Mark Isham, Tuck & Patti and George Winston. On one occasion (in, perhaps, 1986,) I had lunch in San Francisco with Will and Ann. Their label was so successful that some department stores were now interested in carrying Windham Hill. Will’s musical philosophy hadn’t changed but consumer demand had grown beyond record stores. He was protective of his artists and the label’s image, and he liked what we did with retailers around the world; and yet, department stores were not on his radar. About a year later we created a special five-album box set for the annual Nieman-Marcus Christmas Catalog. It sold out. Twice. Finding creative ways to spread the word about the label was part of the charm.
In some ways, the message of their music was often subliminal. For example, having helped market a variety of Christmas releases by artists like Carpenters and Amy Grant, I knew that good Christmas music is in the ear of the beholder. Like John Fahey 20 years earlier with the release of his Christmas album “The New Possibility”, George Winston brought his unique talent to the holidays with an album simply titled “December”. The album tracks included original or adapted works from John Jacob Niles, Johann Sebastian Bach, Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych, Malcolm Daglish, Johann Pachelbel and Alfred S. Burl. Some familiarity, to be certain, but not a collection of Tin Pan Alley holiday ditties. But that was truly the gift of Windham Hill. Their artists crafted wonderful music as opposed to cloning someone else.
By the mid-eighties, other niche and corporate labels had begun to create what they claimed was “Windham Hill-style music” but those competitors almost always seemed like they were following what Windham Hill was doing instead of carving an identity of their own. The media and the recording industry ultimately applied a name to the music: New Age. It wasn’t an identity that either Windham Hill or A&M wanted or endorsed, but newly-created copycat labels embraced the descriptive as a shortcut to explain what they were doing.
Windham Hill was a special home for some talented men and women, and many of their original artists continue to create and record (and tour in non-pandemic times). The Windham Hill label itself was ultimately acquired by BMG, later becoming a part of Sony Music when BMG and Sony merged. It appears that today Windham Hill is simply a brand inside Sony. While the label isn't releasing new titles, we do have the benefit of all of the great music made during the 20 years between the launch of the label and its inevitable disappearance within a large corporation.
The late Peter Allen included his song “Everything Old is New Again” on the 1974 album “Continental American”. While you’re preparing your home for the holidays, consider Allen's song title as a guide and give some thought to your personal holiday musical backdrop. There is plenty of seasonal music to choose from, and a look at some classics that may fit this season’s music menu perfectly. For folkies, Joan Baez recorded “Noel” in 1966. For those who'd like a Latin-feel to their holiday try Jose Feliciano's “Feliz Navidad”, released in 1970. For Jazz fans there's the Ramsey Lewis Trio's album “Sound of Christmas” in 1961. And there’s the venerable “Elvis’ Christmas Album”, released in 1957. For a multi-artist album try "A Christmas Gift from Phil Spector" (1963). It has the Ronettes, Crystals, Darlene Love and much more. There's also the original “A Very Special Christmas”, a 1987 release. It has 15 tracks by 15 different artists—Bryan Adams to U2 and plenty of names in between. Or as I suggested earlier, listen to John Fahey or George Winston.
Compared to much of what we hear on radio, TV or in movies each year, something old will likely make your Christmas fresh and yet familiar. Dare to let your ears take a walk into the unknown or at least the lesser-known. Let the music help you create your own film in your mind's eye. After all. It's that kind of year, and focusing on yourself and your memories is not such a bad thing.
