WVA Program 94
There perhaps are a few grinches around who don't like Christmas music at any time of the year, but the rest of you should like this Kelly Werts production, Christmas on the Plains. Listening to it in July makes the temperature seem somewhat cooler and the spirit more charitable.
Kelly Werts is not the only musician on this cassette. Wichita area musicians Paul Oberg, Susan Mayo, George Vollmer, Ann Zimmerman, Glen Holmes, Princess Harris, Gary Paulsmeyer, Mike Barret, Ted Farha, Mike Seiwert, and Kelly's wife, Diana join him in various combinations. Instrumentation is as varied as the selections. Penny whistles, guitar, piano, fiddles, harmonicas, bass, reed organ and cello are artfully mixed. One of the most interesting pieces is by the Riverside Mandolin Quartet on "O Come All Ye Faithful."
Of course there are the old standards here ("Jingle Bells," "O Come, All Ye Faithful," "Silent Night" for example). Then there are unique Christmas songs rescued from obscurity. For example, "The Huron Carol" is the first Christmas carol written in America around 1642 by a French Jesuit missionary to the Huron Indians. When the Hurons, who also call themselves Wyandot, migrated to Kansas and Oklahoma, they brought this song to the plains. Sung by Connie Dover and accompanied by Kelly Werts on the guitar and the bowed piano, this is a striking carol. Some of the songs reflect the strong German heritage of the plains. A couple have verses sung in German.
There are light-hearted cowboy songs here, too, such as "Cowboy's Christmas Ball" and "A Busted Cowboy's Christmas." The "Christmas Round" is one Kelly found in a men's glee club book from the turn of the century. Dan, Ann, Richard and Susan sing it acappella. Kelly's mellow guitar work is featured on the last selection, "Silent Night."
This is a fascinating production. I recommend it even in July!
Wichita Eagle and Beacon Production Co.,
Wichita, Kansas