OK, so I think we can squeeze in a couple more Christmas songs since the cards (in my Mum’s house at least) aren’t coming down till the 6th. Here’s the biggest one of all.
The Manhattan Transfer are far and away the most successful jazz vocal group of the last several decades. This is from their Acapella Christmas album.
There is something palette cleansing about a bit of unaccompanied singing. Our ears are so attuned to hearing voices backed by instruments that it feels both warmly intimate and yet a little stark at the same time.