The Cincinnati Enquirer from Cincinnati, Ohio • Page 107

MUSIC Tfce Cincinnati Enquirer 38 Friday, December 19, 1997 01 SILVER SADDLE Celebrate New Years Eve With Us 10 Midnight Champagne Toast Party Favors Food Sell it today with a classified ad in The Enquirer Call 421-6300 Live country' music 10" per person advanced 1 per person at the dew New Year's CALL 52l-8tiln FOR ADVANCED RESERVATIONS SAVE '51' Christmas potpourri Offerings range from blues and country to jazz and cocktail te New 11 fit XXfsiY Ft Awinrivio Clrnro 8pm-2am Champagne at Midnight Hats, Horns Noisemakers, Cash Bar Dancing BY LARRY NAGER The Cincinnati Enquirer RICHARD D. GEGNER AND THE VERDIN BELLS The Bells of Christmas Verdin; CD $10; no cassette "Carol of the Bells," naturally, but there's a lot more here by carillonneur caroler Mr. Gegner on this Cincinnati-made Yule disc. The bells sound best on the statelier pieces; much of the bounce of "Sleigh Ride" is lost in the translation. To order (800) 54)488, Ext 16.

ML Singles $45-o buffet 65-with buffet Couples $80-o buffet $129-witb buffet plus tax and gratuity Ramada Inn Package Shuttle $190 plus tax anil gratuity' erences. The joke is that, in that context, "Santa Claus" is slang for the same thing "jazz" and "rock 'n' roll" once were. PAT DONOKUE, PHIL HEYWOOD AND DAN NEALE Ye Olde Wooden Guitar Christmas Atomic Theory; $16.99 CD; no cassette A bit of Chet Atkins style, a touch of Hawaiian slack-key, some acoustic rockabilly the three guitarists make this one of the season's most listenable Yule discs. VARIOUS A Country Superstar Christmas Hip-0; y2 $11.99 CD; $6.99 cassette This is the country collection to get, a 14-track set packed with good stuff the Tractors and the Mavericks rock; George Strait and Tracy Byrd swing; Wynonna's soulful on Jesse Winchester's "Let's Make a Baby Alan Jackson and Alison Kraus duet The Angels Cried" (written by Dayton's Harley Allen) Trisha Year wood gets warm and cozy on "The Christmas Vince Gill shows his guitar chops in an instrumental "Santa Claus is Hi. For reservations call 829-8400 ext.

2 Conveniently located 5 minutes north of 1-275 off route 4 74 Donald Drive. Fairfield, Ohio 4501 4 it a DAN CRARY Holiday Guitar Sugar Hill; $15.99 CD; no cassette Flatpicker Dan Crary provides a nicely varied mix of bluegrass and blues, with a guest list ranging from blues duo Cephas Wiggins to Italian picker Beppe Gembetta. The Tea oom Cafe at Qkndak invites you to join us for a 9ew year's Celebration Cost: $2935 Choice of: Jilet Oscar, Roulette Florentine, 'Pasta Scampi, (Broiled Sole or Roast Vorbfoin Vegetable (Du Jour (Potato Tossed Salad (Dessert Choice of Coffe or Tea Coming to and there's lots more, including Reba McEntire, Lorrie Morgan and Amy Grant WIGHT YOAKAM Come on Christmas' Reprise; $16.99 CD; $10.99 cassette It's a honky tonk Christmas from the Columbus native, with touches of Tex-Mex the jazz stylings from Under the Covers Christmas his original about d-i-v-o-r-c-e Can't and the artfully desperate title song. VARIOUS Jazz Christmas Party Warner 2 $16.99 CD; no cassette And what a party, kicking off with Joshua Redman's straight- Complimentary glass of Champagne ahead tenor sax workout on "Santa Claus ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL Merry Texas Christmas Y'AII High Street; $16.99 CD; $10.99 cassette The western swing revival is Coming to Town." There are vocals by Al Jarreau, Kevin Mahogany and Michael Franks; sax by Boney James and Kirk Whalum, and a wondrously weird finale of "White Christmas," as a duet for Bob James' piano and Bela Fleck's sitar banjo. 'Hi By Reservation Only 772-8848 eatings at 5pm 7pm band has a great concept here, but unlike AATWs mul- tistar Bob Wills tribute, there's too much emphasis on Ray CHUCKLE '97 AWAY, START 1993 LAUGHING JAYMZ BEE THE ROYAL JELLY ORCHESTRA A Christmas Cocktail Milan; $16.99 CD; no cassette It's a campy Christmas with Mr.

Bee lounge swing, corny harmonies by the Bee CALL 110 fn PKFPVF vvir Klaui Yanr't fua Pfflf-nl Benson's monotone vocals. He simply can't carry the CD. Appearances by Willie Nelson and Tish Hinojosa help, but not enough. THE LOUVIN BROTHERS Christmas with the Louvin Brothers Razor Tie; $11.99 CD; no cassette hive Singers and space age beats a la Esquivcl. Two martini recipes complete the package.

Dec. 30 8:30 $12.00 Appearing with Pat is Mike Cornell, an up-and-coming comedian who will put you in tears Dec. 31 7:30 $12.00 (Pre-party group rates available for 7:30 show) 3 MARIAN McPARTLAND AND FRIENDS NPR Jazz Christmas Dec. 31 10:00 $30.00 Pat Kilbane Dm. 30-31 snow is a package.

The package includes souvenir champagne alass. Dartv zTilnlurT -Zti- li' avors champagne. Dancing after SeinW HBCs MSS i MTV. Also tho chnu Seen every Sol. on fox's 'MAD TV.

NPR Classics; 2 $16.99 CD; no cassette The host of Piano Jazz cele seen on nownd fludweiser oris. miw n. Ira and Charlie Louvin were country's premier duo of the '50s and early '60s. They're at their best at their most simple, as on "Away in the Manger" and "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear." Occasionally, the choruses and other "Nashville Sound" production touches get in the way, but when the Louvins' plaintive harmonies ring, this is as good as a country Christmas gets. ROOMFUL OF BLUES Roomful of Christmas i Brina vour Dartv here 2 brates with some musical pals.

There are piano duets, small bands and solo performances, perore your own celebration! The? Pec. 31st 7:30 show enda around 9:00. ranging from Ms. McPartland's own Guest Host (Ak for your pnj-party group nrt) X. CtWIcul lima BKKBiiiiKBftKKBB Monique Dot.il Seen on HBCs 'Real Sex', VHI Stand-up Spotlight, Comedy Central and MTV.

Showtime: WED OPEN MIC NIGHT 8:30 Bullseye Blues; $16.99 CD; $9.99 cassette The horn-powered blues and band delivers a fine blue Yule, from rock chestnuts such as Chuck Berry's "Run, Rudolph, Run" to revamped takes on The Christmas Song" and "Let It even toss in Jimmy Rushing's "Good Morning Blues" with its Santa Claus ref- elegant improvisations on "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "What Child Is This" to George Shearing's "Away in a Manger" and Texas piano pounder Marcia Ball's bluesy take on Harlan Howard's country weeper, "Christmas Is Just Another Day." Excellent; Good; Fair; Poor; No stars Bomb THURS LA0IES NIGHT NO COVER FOR LADIES Thurs. 8:30, Fri. Sat. 8 30 10:55. Sunday 8:00 4 i i All Comedians stay the an Blue Ash Hotel 793-4500 8410 Market Place Ln.

Montgomery tr?" 934-9288 'Silt.