Janet Villas, a long time member of the New York City Opera, and New York Mets anthem soloist turns her attention to her two favorite genres: Christmas music and jazz. She has sung for thousands during the Christmas season with cabaret shows, school events and church solos. She has been exploring her other favorite musical style, jazz for the past four years and combined them into a Christmas jazz show. The show went well, so during the hottest weeks of July and August, Janet found some of the hottest jazz musicians in New York and created this very cool Christmas CD.

Along with a few classics, "Oh holy night" and "Oh come oh come Emmanuel" we hear some great traditional numbers jazzed up and taken to a whole new level, such as "Silver Bells" "I wonder as I wander " and "What are you doing New Year's Eve?” We also hear jazz, early rock ands swing numbers, such as "Rockin around the Christmas tree", "Jingle Bell Rock" and "I've got my love to keep me warm" given a whole new twist.
It's traditional, it's jazzy, and it’s really very cool.

Reviews:

This is one very good fun jazz album indeed
Reviewer: Peter Merrett
my name is Peter Merrett and l am the music manager for radio station PBS FM Melbourne Australia. We have just received a copy of "Christmas Card" by Ms. Janet Villas through RadioDirectx. This is one very good fun Jazz album indeed and has received a lot of attention in my office. "Christmas Card" is just what we and our listeners are looking for at this special time of the year. Yes we enjoy ourselves around here. Our aim is to rise above the predictable music provided by the majors and maintain our independence. In my department we listen to every cd that arrives at the station, a daunting task at times, then we allocate to the show most suitable and one that will provide the most air-time. With yours the decision was very easy indeed, Jazz of this quality can only go to the cities leading Jazz show. We have done just that and placed it with "Jazz On Saturday" with Steve Robertson Saturday 9am to 11am. PBS FM is the cities leading Jazz and Roots based station with a liste!
ner ship of over 400000 per week plus in excess of 5 million hits per month on our web site.Your web site details will be given to Steve to announce to everybody. Check out our web site at www.pbsfm.org.au then go to the program pages to see what we are about. Once again thank-you for the music and on behalf of all around here,,,, "Welcome to PBS FM and Melbourne Australia". If l can be of any help please don't hesitate to contact me....... regards Peter.


It should be called Christmas Spectacular.
Reviewer: Mel Buttorff
JANET VILLAS sent you a CHRISTMAS CARD Hold on to your hats---She’s done it again! Janet Villas has come out with her second CD. The title of it is CHRISTMAS CARD and I think that is a very modest title. It should be called Christmas Spectacular. Once again she has taken a handful of classics along with a few lesser known pieces and woven them into a musical dreamscape. I defy anyone to label her style in one word. She sings some with a cool jazz feeling and others in a sassy flip mode. Occasional little side trips into blues or rock add to the very rich texture of this musical treat. Janet, a soprano with New York City Opera and NY METS anthem soloist knows how get attention and hold it. She has appeared before thousands during the Christmas season, with cabaret shows, school events and church solos. She has been exploring her other favorite musical style, jazz, for the past four years and has combined all her skills into a Christmas jazz show. This show was so successful w!
hen she first started performing it that during the hot months of July and August Janet found some of the coolest of hot jazz musicians in New York and created this super-jazzy CD. From the first notes of her opening number, WE NEED A LITTLE CHRISTMAS from Jerry Herman’s opus MAME she holds the listener captivated, unwilling and unable to turn a deaf ear. Her voice is a force to be reckoned with. In LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW she almost makes her listener wish for a blizzard and one special companion to share it with. Of all the great Christmas classics she tackles perhaps THE CHRISTMAS SONG is one of her most beguiling. Of course she gives the same recognition to some other favorites as well. Irving Berlin, the grand old man of American music would stand up and cheer at her version of WHITE CHRISTMAS. And all due deference to Judy Garland but Janet delivers HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS from MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS with a poignancy that can make you smile and shed a tear at the same time. If you’re in the mood for so! me rock and roll wait until you hear her rendition of ROCKING AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE. I guarantee your toes will start to tap, your fingers will start to snap and you’ll be dashing about madly looking for some mistletoe. There are sixteen elaborately wonderful numbers on this CD. She closes with the question of WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEW YEAR’S EVE?

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