Tradition has it that there are twelve days of Christmas, but ‘A Serious Christmas’ has only three! The series of concerts sponsored by Serious at Kings Place saw New Orleans trumpeter Abram Wilson round off the last day with his ‘New Orleans Style Christmas’.

Wilson injects authenticity with drummer Jason Marsalis–youngest of the New Orleans Marsalis brothers–further spiced up by Jamaica’s ‘First Lady of Jazz’, vocalist Myrna Hague. Also straight from the Wilson nurturing pot are budding young stars Reuben James on piano and Alex Davis on bass.

The performance is based on an original poem depicting how a typical New Orleans family celebrate the day before, the day of and the day after Christmas.

Wilson introduces each song by reciting a–sometimes witty–line from the poem.

“The song is key, the dance infectious, this music of a land sure ain’t from Texas”, then straight into the festive lore of ‘Big 4’. Marsalis starts with a groove bearing New Orleans marching band influences upon which piano and bass enter creating a lively foundation as Wilson’s trumpet skips and glides over the contours.

Myrna Hague succeeds in portraying the desirous aspects of Christmas with ‘Wish’. Creating a mood where Wilson’s inventive compositional skills unfurls to highlight a piquant band chemistry with some particularly eloquent playing from Reuben James which belies his age–18 years!

Further portrayal of other aspects of the season’s celebration are vividly demonstrated through compositions such as Anticipation, Soul Food, Surprise Surprise–“I run down the stairs and surprise surprise, toys, presents and gifts fill my eyes”; but the full joy of a New Orleans Christmas, the moment Wilson describes as when the whole family are gathered with loud jollity and banter was felt at the end when additional drummer–Dave Hamblett comes on for Duel Of The Drum.

Wilson initiates the drama with call and response vocals between himself and Myrna giving way to tantalizing exchanges between Marsalis and Hamblett. Here Wilson uses a combination of trumpet and vocals to control the dynamics to which the band responds with exciting precision bringing the evening to a tumultuous conclusion and a Winter Wonderland encore which judging from the response, Christmas will never be the same for some unless it’s ‘A Serious’, ‘New Orleans Style Christmas’.

– Roger Thomas