Here are three refreshing new modernarrangements of three popular traditional carols ?like you ain?t never heardthem before?. Intended for the intermediate alto sax player(s) and a reasonably competentpianist, they are sure to brighten up your Christmas events whether at home,school, church or recital hall. They could be used during a Christmas serviceor as stand-alone pieces at an end-of-term presentation. The audio sampleincludes recordings of all three pieces.

The King Rides Out(based on ?Good King Wenceslas?) starts conventionally enough but turns into acountry-style song and then there?s a three-part Bach-like contrapuntal section,concluding with a wistful coda before the music returns to the joyful countrystyle. Waltz with Holly ? or Possibly Ivy (based of course on ?The Hollyand the Ivy?) turns into a dreamy waltz with long extended phrases and a goodvehicle to show the saxophone player?s tone quality. The Merry Gentleman goLatin is a lively rumba version of ?God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen?.

ColinKirkpatrick studied composition, cello and piano at London?s prestigious RoyalCollege of Music and after graduation followed a career in music education. Hewas a High School Music Director in London for about fifteen years and laterbecame a Music Education Adviser for local government, with the addedresponsibility for training teachers and directing the instrumental teaching service.

Hehas been published by Boosey & Hawkes, Novello, Paxton, Schott, OxfordUniversity Press, Chester, Belwin Mills and Intrada (Netherlands). He holds MAand PhD degrees in education and his other interests include reading,photography, travel, cooking and wine tasting - though not necessarily all atthe same time.

Richard Galliano is a French accordionist of Italian heritage. After a long and intense period of study, at 14, in a search to expand his ideas on the accordion, he began listening to jazz and heard records by the trumpet player Clifford Brown. The second decisive meeting took place in 1980, with the Argentinean composer and bandoneonist Astor Piazzolla.
Astor strongly encouraged Richard to create the French ?New Musette?, as he himself had previously invented the Argentinean ?New Tango?.
Some later collaboration include Chet Baker, Eddy Louiss, Ron Carter, Wynton Marsalis, Charlie Haden,
Gary Burton, Michel Portal, Toots Thielemans and Kurt Elling.

This arrangement for alto sax with piano of one of his most famous and performed pieces (with clear rhythmic references to the Piazzolla's "Libertango") is suitable for classroom, repertoire and recital.