Christmas Times Are Here!

The Bill Bares Trio Christmas CD has arrived in time for the A Charlie Brown Christmas show at the Wortham Theater!

The liner notes!

Dr. Bill Bares — Piano, Keyboards

Zack Page — Acoustic and Electric Bass

Alan Hall — Drums and Percussion

Oud on Little Drummer Boy played by Chris Rosser

1. O Christmas Tree (Ernst Enschütz)

2. What Child Is This/Greensleeves (William Chatterton Dix)

3. The Little Drummer Boy (Katherine Kennicott Davis)

4. Christmas Time Is Here (Vince Guaraldi/Lee Mendelson)

5. Skating (Vince Guaraldi)

6. Prelude #1

7. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (Felix Mendelsohn/Charles Wesley)

8. Prelude #2

9. Christmas Is Coming (Vince Guaraldi)

10. The Christmas Song (Mel Tormé/Robert Wells)

All arrangements by Bill Bares

Copyright 2025 BillBaresMusic

For more info visit BillBaresMusic.com

Recorded and engineered in Asheville North Carolina at Sound Temple Studios soundtemplestudios.com by Julian Dreyer www.juliandreyer.com.

This album contains new versions of the music on Vince Guaraldi’s 1965 classic A Charlie Brown Christmas. It changes the moods of the well-known songs by placing them in different times. On this album you’ll hear O Christmas Tree with a salsa groove; Greensleeves in Erroll Garner-esque swing; The Little Drummer Boy meshed with Middle Eastern influences; a Christmas Time Is Here inspired by the electric soul of Robert Glasper; a version of Skating that falls somewhere between Guaraldi’s simple jazz waltz and John Coltrane’s complex forms; a Hark! the Herald Angels Sing that plays with a broken, atmospheric feel; a Christmas Is Coming that riffs on an iconic Yacht Rock bass line by Michael McDonald; and The Christmas Song that pays tribute to Mannheim Steamroller and 80s synth-pop classics like “Human Nature.” I debuted these arrangements in the winter of 2021 in my hometown of Asheville, NC with my trio that includes Zack on bass and Alan on drums. The high quality of their playing on this album is a reflection of their versatility and long-term commitment. Our show, which presents the new arrangements alongside Guaraldi’s originals, has grown each year and has become a beloved holiday tradition for us and our community. We hope to spread some of that spirt with this recording, and that you’ll be inspired to pair it with Guaraldi’s jazzy Peanuts soundtrack that has been integral to the sound of the Christmas season for past 60 years.