Playlist for Christmas Hour 2017: 1. Joy to the world – Chris Byrd & True Victory 2. Savior of the world – The Ginyards 3. Have yourself a merry little Christmas – E. L. Williams 4. O come Emmanuel – Mike McCoy & Voices United 5. Don’t take Christ out of Christmas – Angelo and Veronica 6. Carol of the bells – MARi 7. Make room for Jesus – Volunteer State Mass Choir 8. Angels we have heard on high – DOE 9. Oh what a pretty little baby – Liz McComb 10. ...

Liz McComb Merry Christmas GVE (release date: November 24, 2017) www.lizmccomb.com By Bob Marovich Liz McComb is one of the finest exporters of American soul and gospel to Europe. For her first-ever holiday album, Merry Christmas, she has mined traditional carols as well as Christmas songs from the African American experience and recorded them in Paris. The album is resplendent with delicate arrangements that accentuate the musicality of the singer and her team of musicians. There are no less than three keyboard players who participate—McComb included—and all are excellent. And Jean Wellers’ deft jazz guitar work makes “The Christmas Song” ...

The Spirit of New Orleans Liz McComb GVE 2008 (Available in the US on April 22, 2008 by Sunnyside/Ryko Distribution) www.sunnysiderecords.com Much has been made of the symbiotic relationship between blues and gospel music, but as Liz McComb’s The Spirit of New Orleans demonstrates, there’s an equally strong lineage between jazz and gospel. After all, Dorsey’s vaudeville blues resembled jazz more than country blues, his piano work was fundamentally steeped in jazz, and gospel’s greatest vocalist, New Orleans-born Mahalia Jackson, was a musical embodiment of her hometown’s jazz legacy. Further, Alex Bradford and Sister Rosetta Tharpe worked with Chris Barber’s ...