My love for the work of Neil ZaZa is well documented – I still maintain that his last release VERMEER was one of the best albums ever released and this time he’s come up with a Christmas album of sorts – albeit a bit dark and brooding.
THE NUTCRACKER SUITE sports 17 tracks – most all interpretations of known holiday classics but Neil puts his signature “touch” on things and transforms them into a soundtrack fit for a holiday horror film. Given his success with his yearly performance of ONE DARK NIGHT – a Halloween-themed excursion into dark melodies – it only seems fitting that he continues that same musical styling into the Christmas season. The end result is breathtakingly beautiful.
Don’t get the wrong idea though – there is still a ton of celebration in these tracks – case in point, the opening track OVERTURE – a holiday fairy tale full of happiness and light – a hard-hitting showcase of ZaZa’s precise playing style that leaves you exhausted in the best way possible by the time the final notes are played. The tracks that follow are the aforementioned restructuring of classic songs – all of which you will recognize but ZaZa and his band take the ball and run – offering up impressive, often awe-inspired spins that will leave you hanging on every note.
Things take a particularly dark turn on tracks like JOYLESS TO THE WORLD, BLACK CHRISTMAS, DO YOU HEAR THE RAT and EVIL BELLS. You’ll never look at Christmas music the same way again.
ZaZa is a world-class guitarist and he never ceases to push the envelope in not just technical precision but also in finding new ways to interpret classic arrangements. I often find my mouth hanging wide open as I marvel and what he is able to make six strings do.
This album came out with little fanfare – here is what he posted on his Facebook page to announce it’s release:
“So excited to announce that “The Nutcracker Suite and Other Tales of Christmas Dark” is out now!
So why did I release it on Black Friday as well as what does “Christmas Dark” mean for that matter? Symbolically, being Black Friday actually fits perfectly for the musical treatment of these compositions. This collection of songs, while they may be holiday themed, are given a more darker, heavy and serious treatment than you might expect. All of these songs are pulled from an upcoming project, but I was so excited about the vibe of this particular collection that I decided to release them now. I hope you enjoy!
We’ll be debuting some of these tracks live at One Silent Night… on December 21 at the beautiful Goodyear Theater. Don’t miss it!
Check it out now! 
https://open.spotify.com/album/5cfeDAm0L2xvvgppuUPoBS…
http://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1779417412
http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1779417412?ls=1&app=itunes
He mentions his show ONE SILENT NIGHT – if you’re in the Cleveland, Akron, or Canton area – this is a must-see performance. You can CLICK HERE to lock in some seats.
