Thursday, Dec. 21
R4ND4ZZO BIGB4ND’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas” at Ember Music Hall
Since its debut five years ago in the crowded confines of the Rabbit Hole, the basement bar under Vagabond on Broad Street, the R4nd4zzo BigB4nd tribute to “A Charlie Brown Christmas” has become a seasonal tradition. The large ensemble features a cross-section of local jazz players assembled by Butcher Brown bassist Andrew Jay Randazzo. The music was originally written or adapted by jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi for the classic 1965 TV cartoon based on Charles Shultz’s comic strip, then at the height of its popularity. The soundtrack includes classic carols – “O Tannenbaum,” “What Child is This?” —mixed with Guaraldi originals, cheerful right-handed melodies cavorting over thrumming left-handed rhythm. One song, the quietly lovely “Christmas Time is Here,” became a seasonal standard (there was even a pedal steel version released this year).
Because the recipe for a holiday classic requires a dash of melancholy, the surprisingly bittersweet cartoon is familiar to a generation of musicians born decades after its release. Randazzo’s spacious arrangements include all of the charm of the originals, with plenty of room for many of the area’s best players to carve out territory for individual improvisation. There are two performances on this night, a 6 p.m. all ages holiday set centered on the “Charlie Brown” soundtrack, and an 8 p.m. show that includes the holiday set plus a second set of big band music. The secret to putting together a band of this quality is having everyone want to play with you. It is a trick that Randazzo has been pulling off since at VCU in 2012, when it seemed like everyone in the music program was on the bandstand to play on his senior recital. A decade later, taking time out from touring with Butcher Brown and supporting their guest-star-studded new release “Solar Music,” he and his friends (including Butcher Brown) will be performing that old magic again. -Peter McElhinney
The Randazzo Big Band tribute to Vince Guaraldi featuring original arrangements by Andrew Randazzo takes place Thursday, Dec. 21 at Ember Music Hall, 309 East Broad St. Tickets are $10.49 for the 6 p.m. show, $20.89 for the 8 p.m. double set at www.embermusichall.com.
Roddy Walston’s Christmas to the Bone at Broadberry
Read our interview and preview here. Also performs on Dec. 22.
Friday, Dec. 22
Celebrate the HoliGays at Diversity Richmond
Join Diversity Richmond for Make the Yuletide Gay, an event celebrating all things gay! The event will feature photos with Gay Santa, an LGBTQ+ variety show, a market with 25+ local makers, eats from local and queer/trans owned Haute Dayum food truck and more. Tickets are running low, so visit the link to snag yours before they are gone. Runs from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Kadencia at Richmond Music Hall
Puerto Rican holiday traditions are the bomb. People go house-to-house being festive and making music, wake everyone up, then add them to the party train and keep going. Read more about them and this wonderful local music group in our preview by Don Harrison here. Doors at 7 p.m. $15.
Saturday, Dec. 23
The Bizarre Market at Visual Arts Center of Richmond
Looking for the perfect last-minute gift? Visual Arts Center of Richmond has you covered. Featuring handmade goods and artwork since 2004, the long-running Bizarre Market celebrates the many talented makers in Richmond. The market is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Visual Arts Center of Richmond, 1812 W Main St. Runs through Dec. 23 for those making last-minute purchases. https://bizarremarket.org/
Fear of Music Home for the Holidays at the Broadberry
Feel like dancing? Join in on this holiday tradition of jamming to the finest Talking Heads tribute band in the universe – when folks are back in Richmond for the holidays. Bring the old high school pals, or don’t. We don’t care. Tickets are $15 in advance and available at Plan 9 and here.
John D’earth at Reveler
The brilliant virtuosity of trumpeter John D’earth illuminates the Central Virginia musical landscape. He has been a well-established player since the 1970s, playing in drummer Bob Moses’ innovative bands, with the tragic, gifted guitarist Emily Remler, and in the big band in one of Miles Davis’s last major concerts at the 1991 Montreux Jazz Festival. He and his band Cosmology, also featuring his late wife, Dawn Thompson, and drummer Robert Jospé, came to Charlottesville in the summer of 1981 and stayed. D’earth started teaching at UVA and soon began one of the country’s longest running weekly gigs, every Thursday night at Miller’s. That series, in a compact bar in the downtown C’ville walking mall, draws top players from Richmond and elsewhere, including Devonne Harris, JC Kuhl, and a host of others. Stylistically omnivorous, he has composed or contributed his clear, intelligent solos to over 100 recordings, ranging from pop albums by Bruce Hornsby and Dave Matthews to Doug Richards’ 2023 “Through a Sonic Prism: The Music of Antonio Carlos Jobim.” Whether you have heard him dozens of times over the years or never, the jewel box space of Reveler, with its fairy lights, gilded skeletons, and listening-room vibe, is a perfect environment. Two shows, one at 8 p.m. and the other at 9:30 p.m. Learn more and get tickets here. -Peter McElhinney
