XMAS Favourites by Orchestra Cocò

The CD by ORCHESTRA COCÒ dedicated to Christmas! The project, in the can since a while, was preceded by a series of concerts in which, next to the usual repertoire of the vintage and manouche trio, you could listen to some songs inspired by the Christmas party. Xmas Favourites collects these songs and accompanies them to others arranged and/or re-arranged for the occasion. An original and very personal idea about Christmas by the unique taste of the three artists. A CD thought, played and shared in simplicity that evoking the intimacy of the holidays spent in the family leave us the desire to give Xmas Favourites to our loved ones as Christmas present.

An original and very personal idea about Christmas born by the unique taste of the three Coco. A CD thought, played and shared in simplicity. A necessary step in the band production, indeed a true middle ground between the two past works (Passepartout-love songs and Hot Club), and the next one already in the pipeline for the next future.

For Lucio Villani, Augusto Creni and Marco Maturo there is no Christmas without the memory of the films seen during this holyday with their family. This is why Xmas Favourites sees the song Cam Caminì ( originally Chim Chim Cheree) the Mary Poppins film leitmotif (1964), alongside other masterpieces created for films, the ones to watch at Christmas time.

Listen Cam Caminì in two versions: the first, canonical, sung in English and the second, as a bonus track, an unpublished Italian version with the words by Antonio Amurri, who was the translator of the original Italian version of the film. ORCHESTRA COCÒ had the honor to record this first unpublished version thanks to the courtesy of Roberta, Amurri’s daughter, who went to look for it among his father's notes.
Curiosity: searching through the web there is also a third version with the original text of the film in Italian.

There are also purely Christmas songs like Let It Snow, opening the CD, that introduce us to the captivating Coco style. The second song is the popular Mr. Sandman (who becomes Mr. Santa in Pat Ballard Christmas version). The double bass, playing with the title, seems introduce Enter Sandman by Metallica, but after a few bars thanks to a flutter glide à la Django everything is restored to swing manouche style.

Christmas again in humorous story of Santa Claus is Coming To Town followed by some film leitmotiv s: My Favorite Things (from The Sound Of Music), Smile (from Modern Times) and, after an extremely swinging Jingle Bells and a hypnotic version of It Was A Very Good Year (made famous by Frank Sinatra), the aforementioned Chim Chim Cheree in the original English version followed by Moon River (from Breakfast at Tiffany's).
Continue with That's Life, a song made famous, among others, by Van Morrison, and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (sung by Judy Garland in Meet Me in St. Louis). There are two more songs perhaps less related to Christmas but ORCHESTRA COCÒ appends them in the list of gifts to Santa Claus: I Was A Little Too Lonely and When I Fall In Love significant tribute to Nat King Cole, that made unforgettable interpretations of Smile, Moon River and Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

The CD closes with two songs (guitar and vocal) played almost at first sight: an intimate version of Edelweiss ( from The Sound Of Music) and the bonus track Cam Caminì with the previously unpublished text by Amurri. Two songs that, thanks to Lucio Villani’s sweet voice, evoke the intimacy of the holidays spent in the family and leave us the desire to give Xmas Favourites to our loved ones as Christmas present.