PMJ Creator Scott Bradlee Releases Solo Piano Christmas Album

The album is on iTunes! Click here to get it.

Yes, I wrote the title in third person…no shame…

Although my main passions are producing and arranging, I decided to return to my first love this holiday season and release a solo piano album.  As is often the case, the hardest part was coming up with a title for this album, so for that I turned to Facebook to crowdsource the title.  The top vote getter?  “(It’s Beginning To Look) A Scott Like Christmas.”  Yup, that happened.  Now wait until you see the artwork…

Never have I found an album cover so brilliant and creepy at the same time.  And it’s my own face that’s creeping me out! For this, I have to thank Cesar Rodriguez, the talented artist that created so many of the clever and creative PMJ album covers.

Cesar’s iconic design for “Historical Misappropriation”

I recorded this album in my living room (naturally!) over the course of a week.  These tunes were favorites that I’ve played for years, but I allowed myself the freedom to change them up quite a bit and improvise on the themes.  There are plenty of Christmas piano albums that are meant for tranquil dinner settings.  My goal was to create an upbeat album that fit the mood of Christmas morning: a joyous occasion in a familiar setting.

Here’s the track listing:

1. Winter Wonderland
2. Carol of the Bells / We Three Kings
3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
4. Frosty the Snowman
5. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
6. I’ll Be Home For Christmas
7. White Christmas
8. Sleigh Ride
9. Little Drummer Boy
10. You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
11. Silent Night
12. What Are You Doing New Year’s’ Eve?

I hope this album evokes as much nostalgia for you as it does for me.  In the days before Postmodern Jukebox, I mostly worked as a pianist, and Christmas time was kind of the Olympics of piano gigs  (There was one year that I played 12 holiday parties in a week, fueled by adrenaline and free hor d’oeuvres).  This collection of piano recordings takes me back to those days, but instead of having to lug my keyboard and PA system all across town while dodging NYC traffic, I had the luxury of recording this in my living room in my boxer shorts.

The album is currently on iTunes, but will appear on Google Play and Amazon shortly.

-Scott

@scottbradlee