Holiday for Swing

Holiday for Swing
Studio album by Seth MacFarlane
Released	September 30, 2014
Recorded	December 25–31, 2013[1]
Studio	Abbey Road Studios
Genre	Christmas traditional pop swing big band
Length	42:41
Label	Republic
Producer	Seth MacFarlane (also exec.) Joel McNeely
Seth MacFarlane chronology
Music Is Better Than Words (2011) Holiday for Swing (2014) No One Ever Tells You (2015)
Singles from Holiday for Swing
"I'll Be Home for Christmas" Released: November 6, 2014 "Baby, It's Cold Outside" Released: December 3, 2014

Holiday for Swing is the second full-length studio album, and first Christmas-themed album from Seth MacFarlane, released by Republic Records on September 30, 2014.^[1][2] It is available on CD, vinyl and as a digital download.^[2] The album is a collection of Christmas songs and contains collaborations with artists including Norah Jones and Sara Bareilles.^[1] It also features Frank Sinatra's bassist Chuck Berghoffer as well as a 65-piece orchestra.^[3][1] The album is the follow-up to MacFarlane's Grammy-nominated 2011 debut album Music Is Better Than Words. Like Music Is Better Than Words, Holiday for Swing was produced and conducted by film and television composer Joel McNeely.^[4]

Background and recording

On May 15, 2014, it was announced that MacFarlane had completed his first Christmas album and that it would be released in time for the 2014 holiday season.^[4]

The album was recorded between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve 2013 in Los Angeles and in studio 2 at Abbey Road Studios in London.^[1][3][4] In an interview with Billboard, MacFarlane explained why the album was recorded during the holidays nearly one year before its release:

"Generally with a holiday album, you find yourself making the recordings during the summer or any time but Christmas, with this one we actually lucked out. Part of it was because we didn’t want to bump up against the production schedule for Ted 2, which is not an ideal time to be recording anything with 12 to 15 hour days shooting a movie. It worked out nicely, and it was just a pure joy to do."^[1]

Release

Album

Holiday for Swing was released on September 30, 2014, through Republic Records.^[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
Los Angeles Times	[6]

Holiday for Swing received mostly positive reviews from music critics upon its release.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated the album three stars out of five and states: "Apart from the ever so slight notion that he's singing with a wink borrowed from Burl Ives -- a tell that gives away his status as a Gen-Xer weaned on Rankin & Bass holiday productions -- MacFarlane plays it straight, even when he's camping it up with Sara Bareilles on "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (Norah Jones is the other guest, singing on "Little Jack Frost Get Lost"), and this sincerity plays out in his favor."^[5]

Track listing

Standard edition[5]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original artist	Length
1.	"Let It Snow"	Sammy Cahn Jule Styne	Vaughn Monroe	3:04
2.	"Christmas Dreaming"	Irving Gordon Lester Lee	Frank Sinatra	2:49
3.	"I'll Be Home for Christmas"	Kim Gannon Walter Kent Buck Ram	Bing Crosby	3:55
4.	"Little Jack Frost Get Lost" (featuring Norah Jones)	Seger Ellis Al Stillman	Frankie Carle and His Orchestra	2:36
5.	"Snow"	Irving Berlin	Crosby Danny Kaye Rosemary Clooney Vera-Ellen	3:01
6.	"Marshmallow World"	Carl Sigman Peter DeRose	Crosby	2:16
7.	"What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"	Frank Loesser	Margaret Whiting	5:00
8.	"Baby, It's Cold Outside" (featuring Sara Bareilles)	Loesser	Ricardo Montalbán Esther Williams	3:01
9.	"Mele Kalikimaka"	Robert Alexander Anderson	Crosby and the Andrews Sisters	2:35
10.	"Warm in December"	Sidney Keith Russell	Julie London	3:19
11.	"Moonlight in Vermont"	John Blackburn Karl Suessdorf	Whiting	4:02
12.	"Everybody's Waiting for the Man with the Bag"	Irving Taylor Dudley Brooks Hal Stanley	Kay Starr	2:46
13.	"The Christmas Song"	Bob Wells Mel Tormé	The King Cole Trio	4:17
Total length:				42:41

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic:^[7]

Production Joel McNeely — arranger, conductor, liner notes, producer Jonathan Allen — engineer Rich Breen — Engineer, mixing Joy Fehily — executive producer Mark Graham — music preparation Isobel Griffiths — contracting Dave Hage — librarian JoAnn Kane — music preparation Bob Ludwig — mastering Matthew Peak — illustrations Additional musicians Jennifer Barnes — vocals (background) Dan Bates — cor anglais, oboe Chuck Bergnoffer — bass Mark Berrow — violin Richard Berry — French horn Ishani Bhoola — violin Dave Bishop — B-flat clarinet, flute, flute (alto), sax (tenor) Richard Bissill — french horn Nigel Black — french horn Graeme Blevins — B-flat clarinet, flute, flute (alto), sax (alto), sax (soprano) John Bradbury — violin Gordon Campbell — trombone (tenor) Emil Chakalov — violin Reiad Chibah — viola Chris Cowie — cor anglais, oboe Dave Daniels — celli Tim Davis — vocal contractor, vocals (background)

Caroline Dearnley — celli Alison Dods — violin Phillip Eastop — french horn Dai Emanuel — violin Peter Erskine — drums Andrew Gathercole — flugelhorn, trumpet Richard George — violin Tim Gill — celli Adam Goldsmith — guitar (acoustic) Missi Hale — vocals (background) David Hartley — celeste, piano Andrew Haveron — leader, violin John Heley — celli Ian Humphries — violin Magnus Johnston — leader, violin Karen Jones — flute Skaila Kanga — harp Patrick Kiernan — violin Liam Kirkman — trombone (tenor) Julia Knight — viola Teri Eiko Koide — vocals (background) Boguslaw Kostecki — violin David Loucks — vocals (background) Mike Lovatt — flugelhorn, trumpet Jim Lynch — flugelhorn, trumpet Seth MacFarlane — liner notes Rita Manning — violin Danny Marsden — flugelhorn, trumpet Eliza Marshall — flute Howard McGill — B-flat clarinet, flute, flute (alto), sax (tenor) Steve Morris — violin Nick Moss — B-flat clarinet, flute, flute (alto), sax (tenor)

Kate Musker — viola Everton Nelson — leader, violin Mark Nightingale — trombone (tenor) Andy Panayi — B-flat clarinet, flute, flute (alto), sax (alto), sax (soprano) John Parricelli — guitar (acoustic) Alan Pasqua — piano Camilla Pay — harp David Pyatt — french horn Frank Ricotti — percussion Tom Rizzo — guitar (acoustic) Martin Robertson — B-flat clarinet, clarinet (bass), flute, sax (baritone) Jackie Shave — leader, violin Emlyn Singleton — violin Colin Skinner — B-flat clarinet, clarinet (bass), flute, sax (baritone) Sonia Slany — violin Jamie Talbot — B-flat clarinet, flute, flute (alto), sax (alto), sax (soprano) Cathy Thompson — violin Phil Todd — B-flat clarinet, flute, flute (alto), sax (alto), sax (soprano) Chris Tombling — violin Bozidar Vukotic — celli Vicci Wardman — viola Richard Watkins — french horn Bruce White — viola Pat White — flugelhorn, trumpet Rolf Wilson — violin Andy Wood — trombone (bass)

Chart performance

Chart (2014)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[8]	51
US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)[9]	3
US Top Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[10]	1
US Top Holiday Albums (Billboard)[11]	8

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label
United States[2]	September 30, 2014	CD Digital download Vinyl	Republic

References

1. Hampp, Andrew (August 26, 2014). "Seth MacFarlane on Playing It Straight for His New 'Holiday for Swing' Album". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
2. "Holiday For Swing: Music". Amazon.com. ASIN B00NBNS94M. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
3. Ben Beaumont-Thomas (May 16, 2014). "Seth MacFarlane records Christmas album with Norah Jones". The Guardian. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
4. Trakin, Roy (May 15, 2014). "Seth MacFarlane Set to Release Christmas Album". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
5. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Holiday for Swing! - Seth MacFarlane". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
6. Lewis, Randy (November 26, 2014). "Holiday reviews". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
7. "Holiday for Swing - Seth MacFarlane - Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
8. "Seth MacFarlane – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Seth MacFarlane.
9. "Seth MacFarlane – Chart history" Billboard Top Jazz Albums for Seth MacFarlane.
10. "Seth MacFarlane – Chart history" Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums for Seth MacFarlane.
11. "Seth MacFarlane – Chart history". Billboard Top Holiday Albums for Seth MacFarlane.

External Links