It’s Christmas, it’s Charlie Brown, it’s Ansley Stewart and it’s jazz.
The 15th annual family-friendly Mobile Christmas show has become a tradition. The 2024 show features "The Joe Cool Trio," a jazz combo performing Vince Guaraldi’s masterpiece soundtrack, "A Charlie Brown Christmas."
By the early 1960s, the comic strip Peanuts, featuring a boy named Charlie Brown, had become a worldwide sensation. Television producer Lee Mendelsohn commissioned innovative composer and pianist Vince Guaraldi to put the Charlie Brown story to music. That music ended up in the hit 1965 Christmas special, "A Charlie Brown Christmas."
You’ll hear that music on December 28 at the Saenger, performed live by a drum, piano, and bass trio modeled after the original players.
You will recognize many of the songs from listening to Christmas music on the radio and from watching the Charlie Brown TV special.
"Linus and Lucy"
"Christmas Time is Here"
"Happiness Theme"
"Charlie Brown’s All Stars"
The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2007. Through Christmas music and the Peanuts characters, it introduced a new generation of Americans to jazz.
The show will also showcase the vocal stylings of Atlanta’s Ansley Stewart.
Saenger’s official description of Ansley is as follows:
Echoing the halls of 1960s soul singers with the powerful depth of gospel and the eclectic vibes of Athens, GA’s 1990s college radio, Ansley brings a unique and passionate voice to the stage. Forever the extrovert, she feels most at home performing live, creating what some describe as "life out of thin air" (a phenomenon scientists have yet to explain).
Ansley’s sound is a seamless blend of genres that’s undeniable from the first listen. Her original music is born from exploration, trust, and a healthy dose of fun. A fixture in the Atlanta music scene, she’s recognized as one of the city’s most versatile vocalists. Beyond her solo work, she’s a sought-after session artist, guest performer for national touring bands, a key member of the ATL Collective family, and even dabbles in film and television.
The event raises needed funds for The Child Advocacy Center, the Mobile community's response to the problem of child abuse. Children and their non-offending family members are referred for counseling and prepared for the criminal justice process and provided educational and training programs in child abuse awareness and prevention.
Tickets are available here.
The Saenger Theater is located at 6 S. Joachim Street in downtown Mobile. It is a historic venue built in 1927, approaching its century mark. It is on the fringe of LoDa, the Lower Dauphin Street Entertainment District.
Jim ‘Zig’ Zeigler writes about Alabama’s people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com.
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