Introducing the Christmas Special

Geoff 0:02

Hello podcats. Geoff Gascoyne here. Well, we're getting towards the end of twenty twenty-five and uh it's been a good year. I started this podcast about forty weeks ago now. So we've had thirty seven episodes as we get to Christmas. I started this podcast as, firstly a way to promote my Quartet apps and to get people playing along, but also to speak to some great musicians and some people that I've known a long time. I've worked with some amazing people, a lot of them in the podcast. I hope you enjoyed it this year. I'm gonna carry on next year, but um coming up is a Christmas special that I recorded last week with an old friend of mine, Ian Shaw, and my lovely wife, Trudy Kerr, two great singers. Um Ian came around to listen to Quartet Volume 5, which came out recently, uh, which is an edition of all Christmas tunes. And he had a little sing, and Trudy came along and sung with him as well. And we had a lovely afternoon, and hope you're gonna enjoy this. This is a Christmas podcast special. Here we go.

Announcement 1:27

Taking your jazz play along to another level.

Ian Arrives and Holiday Banter

Geoff 1:31

That's got it. Hi Ian.

Ian 1:33

Hello.

Geoff 1:33

It's nearly Christmas.

Ian 1:35

It is,

Geoff 1:35

And um the new app is out.

Ian 1:38

Couldn't be more excited.

Geoff 1:39

Do you like Christmas?

Ian 1:40

I do like Christmas for a complete atheist, but also a deeply romantic at heart, I like the cheese. And the lights and the old films, and I never get sick of watching, you know, Judy Garland on the television.

Geoff 1:52

Whereabouts are you normally in Christmas?

Ian 1:54

It depends, either at my sister's enormous, huge celebration, big family. She's got a very blended family, me, my partner, three kids, uh, grandchildren, so I've got grand grandnephews. Yeah. So we all get together and drink. My sister and I just we just wait for the moment where everyone's gone and we can drink gin and tonic. She likes flavoured gin, which is all it was a boon, a boon at Christmas.

Geoff 2:16

Nice, nice.

Ian 2:16

Yeah.

Geoff 2:17

So we've just had some uh panettoni, actually. The first one just appeared in ...

Ian 2:20

It's air, Geoffrey.

Geoff 2:21

It's all air, isn't it? Butter and air. It was we pretty much had a whole one.

Ian 2:26

We did, didn't we? Yeah.

Geoff 2:29

We were talking about um

Ian 2:30

Johnny Mathis.

Johnny Mathis, Breath and Legend

Geoff 2:31

We were talking about Johnny Mathis the other day. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That um that YouTube clip of of of him singing Johnny One Note. Have you seen that before?

Ian 2:38

Jesus got one one minute forty-one seconds. Do you think that's real, or do you think I'm not sure it could be real? You know, he was an underwater swimmer and an athlete. He was an Olympic athlete.

Geoff 2:46

Was he?

Ian 2:47

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Geoff 2:48

Yeah.

Ian 2:48

He was a gymnastic uh swimmer and an athlete. People are impressed by holding notes on, aren't they?

Geoff 2:52

Yeah. For anyone who hasn't seen it, it's Johnny Math is singing Johnny One Note. And he holds that note for

Ian 2:58

One 140.

Geoff 2:59

One minute forty. Yeah. While the backing singers sing the whole thing, I mean anything.

Ian 3:03

I saw that years ago. I might have seen it on the telly. Winslet can do three and a half minutes. Kate Winslet. Underwater, yeah.

Geoff 3:10

Oh god. That's like a diving thing, isn't it?

Ian 3:12

Yeah. I'm not bragging, but I could probably do that, I think. You just have to really almost go into a different. If you let any air go through it, you wouldn't be you you wouldn't last four seconds.

Geoff 3:51

So that's amazing, Christ.

Ian 3:54

With the music around it, it would be like a distraction. So you'd be in a some weird sort of hypnotic zone, you know. Weird, isn't it? Well,

Geoff 4:02

So we think Johnny's thing is probably real.

Ian 4:04

I think he did it, yeah. He's pretty fit. I think I'm pretty fit as well. I'm fat but fit, you know. You know, he went straight into show business from sport.

Geoff 4:12

Right, I didn't know that.

Ian 4:13

And there's some incredible footage of him dancing and doing trapeze and things on a show. I think the Andy Williams show.

Geoff 4:21

Right.

Ian 4:22

The Johnny Mathis Christmas album. I'm sure we had that in the coffin on legs, you know, in the front room. Yeah. The radiogram. Yeah. As soon as I hear I , I'm

Geoff 4:32

When a Child Was Born. Yeah. Are you doing any Christmas gigs or anything like that?

Ian 4:35

Yeah, I do a thing called um Shaw Shimmers into Christmas. I do double cocks. So two crazy cocks, two shows. Yeah.

Geoff 4:46

Okay.

Ian 4:47

Yeah, and it's just really funny because it's very glittery and camp and jewel-like, down there, you know, and people come they I think people come there because they want not just like a decent gig, but they also want a sort of night out in. And it's you couldn't get more smack bang London, could you? It's like literally Piccadilly Circus, you know. I do some sort of unusual Christmas songs. Like there's a great song called Facelift, which is all about uh Joni Mitchell. It's called Facelift because she'd given her mum some money from a song that was you called Man from Mars, which was used in a film called Grace of My Heart. And with these rare royalties, she gave some money to her mum. She gets like $20,000 from and her mother spent it on a facelift. I do some of the Motown ones, I've written a few. I Hate You Most at Christmas is a good song of mine. Which um

Geoff 5:32

You don't do The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot do you?

Ian 5:34

No.

Geoff 5:34

Do you know that one?

Ian 5:35

I do, that's a great song, isn't it? Yeah.

Geoff 5:37

That's my favourite one.

Ian 5:38

Oh my god.

Geoff 5:39

The payoff is I'm so sorry for that. Laddie, he hasn't got it. Daddy!

Ian 5:43

That's awful, isn't it?

Inside the Quartet Volume 5 Tracks

Geoff 5:44

Oh, it's that's on Quartet 5, by the way. Is that one? Yeah.

Ian 5:47

Is it?

Geoff 5:48

Along with many - let me get the list up one.

Ian 5:53

Look at that.

Geoff 5:54

Everything from Baby It's Cold Outside.

Ian 5:56

Oh wow!

Geoff 5:57

Christmas Song, of course. Um Christmas Time is here. Christmas was.

Ian 6:01

Have you got Geoff's Nuts Roasting on an Open Fire? We're talking about that one when I do it. E flat.

Geoff 6:08

Driving Home for Christmas.

Ian 6:10

Yeah.

Geoff 6:10

A, Feliz Navidad.

Ian 6:11

Silly Navidad.

Geoff 6:12

Frosty the Snowman.

Ian 6:13

I Believe Oh, I love I Believe in Father Christmas. Do we swing some of these? Step into Christmas.

Geoff 6:18

Mistletone and Wine.

Ian 6:19

Yeah.

Geoff 6:20

Sleigh Ride, Silver Bells, Silent Night. This Christmas, Step into Christmas.

Ian 6:23

Oh, What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? That's beautiful.

God Rest Ye in Jazz Swing

Geoff 6:28

So would you fancy having a go at this? God Rest Ye Merry, Gentleman.

Ian 6:32

Yeah, to get the lyrics up there.

Geoff 6:34

Here D minor, you got two choruses, and um here we go.

Ian 6:48

God resty merry gentleman, let nothing you dismay. Remember Christ I say he gave you was born on Christmas Day To save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray. Oh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy. Oh tidings of comfort and joy. Oh yeah. Whoa, and Bethlehem and Bethlehem, the blessed babe was born. And laid with it again, I mean, angel upon this blessed morn. To wish his mother married nothing taking scorn. Oh tidings of comfort, and joy comfort, and joy. Oh tidings of comfort and joy.

Geoff 7:45

Yeah, great. Beautiful, beautiful.

Ian 7:48

Give me more, give me more.

Geoff 7:49

It's funny because these tunes, I think they translate really well to to jazz. They do, don't they?

Ian 7:54

Yeah, they really do. Yeah, especially that kind of mid sort of medium swing thing.

Geoff 7:58

There's a lot of medium swing in here. Yes. Okay, what about Oh Come All Ye Faithful?

Ian 8:02

Yes.

Geoff 8:03

Yeah.

Ian 8:03

Where's that then? Got it.

Geoff 8:06

Right, so Oh Come All Ye Faithful. A lot of these we came up with little arrangements just in the studio, and this one's got a bit of Horace Silver kind of vibe.

Ian 8:29

Oh come ye, oh come ye to Bethlehem. Come and behold him, born the king of angels. Oh come, let us adore him. Oh come, let us adore him. Oh come let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

Geoff 9:01

A little bit of impersonation going on there.

Ian 9:03

Who's that then?

Geoff 9:04

I think that's how Johnny would say.

Ian 9:05

That's Johnny, isn't it? Yeah. Oh come all ye faithful.

Geoff 9:10

That's it. That's great.

Ian 9:11

It's joyful and it's like a from Ross and then must get a little Hilda Baker. I'll in what's it? I'll inhale that remark.

Geoff 9:29

Right, so um next up is Hark the Herald Angels Sing, which is a swinging version in the key of E flat.

Ian 9:35

Lovely.

Geoff 9:35

You've got two choruses. There's a little vamp in between first and the second chorus.

Ian 9:40

God loves a vamp. Why is it called vamp? I don't know.

Geoff 9:42

I don't know.

Ian 9:42

Vamp. Vamp is like uh an old Hollywood sexy woman. Here we go. Hark the Herald Angel sing. Glory to the newborn king. Peace on Earth and mercy mild. God and sinners reconciled. Joyful all ye nations rise. Join the triumph of the skies. With the angelic hosts proclaim, Christ is born in Bethlehem. Hark the herald angels sing glory to the newborn king. Christ by highest heaven adored, Christ the everlast ing Lord. Late in time, behold him come, offspring of the Virgin's womb. Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see, hailed incarnate deity, pleased with us in flesh to dwell. Jesus our Immanuel. Hark the herald o angels sing, glory to the newborn King.

Geoff 11:26

Yeah. Yeah. That's a good one. Love that. Yeah, why is it called a vamp? V-A-M-P Vamp.

Ian 11:34

Dunno.

Geoff 11:34

Listeners, please write in with your answer. Yeah, why is it called Vamp?

Ian 11:38

Because Vamp is like Marlene Dietrich or Greta Garbo or something.

Geoff 11:41

That's a person who's a vamp, not they. Yeah.

Ian 11:44

But vamp already.

Ding Dong and Deck the Hall Latin

Geoff 11:45

I know, I know.

Ian 11:46

Someone will know.

Geoff 11:47

Right, so Ding Dong Merrily on High. Do you like this one?

Ian 11:50

I do like this one because um my sister and I used to never want it to end - that bit. Need a lot of breath for that.

Geoff 12:02

Keep going down, just keep going down, yeah. Right, here it comes.

Ian 12:16

Ding dong merrily on high, in heaven the bells are ringing. Ding dong, verily the sky, is riven with angels singing. You can't really sing that operatically, can you over that vibe?

Geoff 12:57

Is it Deck the Hall or Deck the Halls?

Ian 12:59

Deck the Hall.

Geoff 13:00

I thought it was there's one hall, right?

Ian 13:02

Yeah.

Geoff 13:03

We've got a bit of a Latin vibe going on here.

Ian 13:05

Yeah, nice.

Geoff 13:06

Here we go

Ian 13:18

Deck the hall with bows of holly, fa la la la la la la la .la Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la la la la la la. Fill the mead cup, drain the barrel, fa la la la la la la la la. Troll the ancient Christmas carol, fa la la la, la la la la la la Fast away the old year passes, fa la la la la la la la la la la la Hail the new ye lads and lasses la la la la la la la la la laughing, quaffing all together Fla la la la la la la la Heedless of the wind and weather fa la la la la la la la I didn't know whether to belt or not or not. Yeah Harry Secombe, Johnny Mathis, take your pick.

First Noel as Johnny Mathis

Geoff 14:08

Harry Secombe, crickey, that's a name I haven't heard for a while.

Ian 14:11

Let's do First Noel, Johnny Mathis is exciting.

Geoff 14:14

Oh yeah? Okay, you're gonna do it as Johnny Mathis. Right, okay. I was hoping you were gonna say that anyway. So, ladies and gentlemen, here we are. That would be Johnny Mathis.

Ian 14:35

The first noel, the angel did say was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay. In fields where they lay he keeping the sheep on a cold winter's night that was so deep. No el no el no el no el born is the king of Israel No el no el no el no el Born is the King of Israel.

Geoff 15:35

I love that It's very in the nose isn't it horrible it's kind of

Silent Night and Secular Wonder

Ian 15:40

It's a bit Kenneth Williams like Kenneth Williams sings Johnny Mathis Look at me matron. Matron. What's this one what's this one Silent Night Silent night holy night. All is calm all is bright. Round yon virgin mother and child. holy infant so tender so mild sleep in heavenly peace sleep in heavenly peace. Silent night holy night shepherds quake at the sight Glory stream from heaven afar Heavenly hosts sing hallelujah Christ the Saviour is born Christ the Saviour is born

Geoff 17:06

Yeah that was great

Ian 17:08

I'm running out now I'm sad

Geoff 17:10

Having fun yeah of course I am it's great it's great well you asked me do I like Christmas and yes I do and all these I ain't got no God but uh yeah but it doesn't matter does it doesn't matter no because you're just singing a sentiment aren't you yeah and it's about memory isn't it and I wish I could have got it to sing of some of the poppier ones I've got on here because

Ian 17:27

The copyright ones?

Geoff 17:28

Yeah I've got so many great things in this app people will have to buy it to find out yeah yeah yeah it's fun it's it's fun I mean I've I love Christmas I've I've made three Christmas albums have you yeah yeah two library yeah and I I made one with Pete Churchill years ago in the 90s just a duo thing yeah and uh I made a big band Library Christmas yeah with strings and then a small small band one as well in strings

Ian 17:52

It's never gonna go away in any of our lifetimes is it?

Geoff 17:55

No no oh yeah I love Christmas don't you?

Ian 17:57

Oh absolutely oh there's someone at the door

Geoff 17:59

Someone at the door

Trudy Arrives and Aussie Christmas

Ian 18:00

That sounds like an Australian style knock to me I think it's Trudy Kerr Trudy renowned jazz vocalist darling

Geoff 18:14

They're hugging now

Ian 18:15

Them Australian Christmas eh what were they like?

Trudy 18:17

Hot very hot

Ian 18:19

Did you do the whole turkey thing the stuffing and everything

Trudy 18:21

Yeah when I was a kid I think we used to try and do that and you'd just sit there with the sweat pouring down you

Ian 18:26

Is it true people went to the beach as well to surf instead of snow

Trudy 18:30

Exactly

Geoff 18:31

We went to Australia we we had a hot Christmas when was how long ago was that?

Trudy 18:35

Uh quite a few years ago because the kids were little Ruby was reminiscing about her Christmas presents which were one of those little mini iPad not iPads um iPod iPod yeah a pink iPod and a Michael Jackson glove or costume yeah so

Geoff 18:53

What's matter Barney?

Ian 18:55

What are you getting for Christmas Barney?

Geoff 18:57

His two front teeth I think literally he's got no teeth

Trudy 19:01

And what about you Ian what are your fondest Christmas memories?

Ian 19:04

I I like the songs really and the from the age of 11 I think 10 or 11 I just wanted records double albums you know K-te l collections and things like that

Trudy 19:14

I remember finding the Santa Claus costume in the bottom drawer at my grandma's house one year.

Ian 19:19

Oh no and that blew the whole thing.

Trudy 19:21

Yeah it did yeah

Ian 19:22

How old are you, 43? Do you remember the rustle though of your father creeping around in the night with the selection boxes and the oranges and things and I was thinking ah when do I tell my sister? Oh don't tell your sister because she still believes and then years later I said when when did you know it was dad? And she went when I was about five went wrong.

Geoff 19:45

The thing I used to um worry about was the wrapping paper. Which present was from Santa and which one was from us? Oh yeah you have to have different paper because otherwise they'd go hold on how does Santa have the same wrapping paper as well

Trudy 19:57

I think uh that was my fault one year because I think Laura and Emily, Geoff's oldest, got wind of that one year.

Geoff 20:04

Did they? Yeah, they didn't. And they just they realised.

Trudy 20:06

I think I I it was my fault in the wrapping. Yeah.

Geoff 20:09

Oh no.

Santa Secrets, Wrapping and Lego

Ian 20:14

And just remember thinking by eleven o'clock the whole contents of that were completely and and on no other occasion would you eat a twix, a mars bar, a curly wurly, a fudge, buttons, all in one single morning. And then have Christmas dinner. Oh my god.

Geoff 20:32

I'll tell you what Christmas is about for me nowadays, it's Lego. I get a Lego set every Christmas.

Ian 20:37

Oh do you?

Geoff 20:37

Yeah. And sit and put it together.

Ian 20:39

Oh my goodness. Where do you keep your Lego? Have you got a loft

Geoff 20:42

Just behind this screen behind you.

Ian 20:43

You've got Lego behind that screen.

Geoff 20:45

I've got piles and piles of Lego.

Ian 20:46

Oh my goodness.

Geoff 20:47

In boxes. Right, you going to have a sing for us, Trudy?

Trudy 20:50

I think we should have a little sing, yeah.

Geoff 20:51

Yeah. What are you going to sing for us?

Trudy 20:53

Uh, let's do a classic.

Ian 20:55

Shall we do a classic?

Geoff 20:55

Which one are we?

Trudy 20:56

Jingle Bells.

Geoff 20:57

Jingle bells.

Ian 20:59

Jingle bells, I know that one.

Geoff 21:01

Right.

Ian 21:01

Strike up the band. Okay, here we go.

Geoff 21:03

You're ready.

Ian 21:03

Look at Barney's face, look.

Geoff 21:06

If the dog starts barking during the middle of this, you'll understand. It's a it's a Christmas bark. Um, so it starts with a bit of drums and then and then you're in. You're gonna take in turns doing the verse. One, two, one, two, one, two, three.

Trudy 21:29

Dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh. Over the hills we go, laughing all the way. Bells on bobtails ring, making spirits bright. What fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight. Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh. Hey, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh.

Ian 22:11

Now the ground is white. Go it while you're young. And take the girls tonight and sing the sleighing song. Just get a bob-tailed bay, two forty is his speed. Hitch him to an open sleigh and crack your tape away.

Trudy 22:31

Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh a fun, it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh. Hey, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh a fun, it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh.

Ian 22:53

He's here Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas.

Jingle Bells Duet

Geoff 23:01

That's great. Trudy, did you want to give us a solo?

Ian 23:03

Give us a solo, Trudes.

Geoff 23:05

Away in a Manger. Oh quite that. Away in a Manger. You ready? Here it comes

Away In A Manger Solo

Trudy 23:18

Away in a manger. No crib for a bed. The little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head. The stars in the bright sky look down where he lay, the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay. The cattle are lowing the baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes. I love thee, Lord Jesus. Look down from the sky and stay by my side till morning is nigh.

Ian 24:31

Oh it's beautiful.

Trudy 24:33

It's very, very low, but thank you.

Geoff 24:37

Right, so we've got one more to uh, it's been fun.

Ian 24:40

Tell me about it. I'm coming back in Easter.

Geoff 24:41

Yeah.

Trudy 24:42

Oh yes, Easter eggs.

We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Geoff 24:44

Um, what's what we got left? We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Say goodbye to everyone and um have a little sing song and hope everyone has a great Christmas. And um I hope everyone buys Quartet Volume 5, Christmas edition.

Ian 24:58

Which is That sounds like a good thing to buy.

Geoff 25:01

I think so. I think so. Right, here we go. Are you ready?

Ian 25:05

We're ready. Great. We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Good tidings we bring to you and your king. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Now bring us a figgy puddy. Now bring us a figgy puddy. Now bring us a figgy puddy and bring some out here. Good tidings we bring to you and your king. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Geoff 25:44

Happy Christmas!

Farewells and How to Subscribe

Ian 25:46

Merry Christmas! The bells Barry! Well, thanks for coming round, Ian. It's been amazing.

Trudy 25:57

So good to see you, Ian, and happy Christmas.

Ian 25:59

Happy Christmas to you, both of you as well, your whole family. It was lovely being here and singing, singing with you, Trudy, after all these years.

Trudy 26:06

It's been a very long time. Thank you.

Geoff 26:08

Thank you, the wife.

Trudy 26:09

Oh, thank you, darling, for having me.

Geoff 26:11

Love you.

Trudy 26:12

Love you too.

Announcement 26:13

Thank you for making it to the end of another podcast. Please subscribe if you want to hear more of them as they land. The Quartet Jazz Standards podcast is a UK music app's production. Quartet for iOS, taking your jazz play along to another level. Search for Quartet on the App Store or find out more at quartetapp.com.