The Twelve Essential Tracks of Christmas, Day 9: Take 6's "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing"

Happy New Year Everybody! We are starting to wrap up (har-har) our Twelve Essential Tracks of Christmas, with yet a third men’s acappella entry. Clearly I am partial to men’s acappella singing! However, the styles of acappella have definitely not been the same. Day 1 was pop acappella in the tradition of the Nylons, Day 7 was classical acappella, and today I’m featuring jazz acappella. And when it comes to jazz acappella, critical consensus seems to be that all other groups must bow before Take 6. Now, I have to confess that I sometimes find their arrangements overly busy, which can distract from whatever song they’re performing. However, their rendition of “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” is tastefully simple and lush. There are still some frighteningly complex jazz chords in there, but the spirit of the carol is preserved with love. A must for any Christmas collection:

http://youtu.be/Uby81SEOBFA&rel=0