Xmas

This is the second cd I bought by Ed Garhard. Great stuff. He gets a pure sound out of playing that I haven't herd in a long time. He doesn't jazz things up or try to throw in a bunch or runs and licks, He just plays. Listing to him make me think that I'm sitting around a bonfire on a snowy day watching someone play a guitar during christmas. I wish I could see his Xmas show live but the cd will work.

Gerhard's slack-string guitar music is lovely and exquisitely calming. I first encountered his recordings when they were played during a holiday craft sale at the Canterbury, NH, Shaker Village. I think that if there were still Shakers there today, they would enjoy his music.

Great music

Great playing

Real nice

I'll provide the initial disclaimer that I am not myself a guitarist, and I have no expertise in the world of classical guitar. I picked up this CD as a promo when I worked at Borders back around 2000. For the last 10 years, it's been my absolute favorite Christmas album, and every November I start getting the itch to listen to it. It's wonderful background music in the evening during dinner or while putting the kids to bed, and helps tone down the road rage impulses during the evening commute. If you're looking for an instrumental Christmas album, I offer this to you with my strongest recommendation.

Simple, beautiful acoustic guitar renditions of many well known Christmas songs. It's not jazzed up, reggae'ed up, rocked up, rapped up, or schmaltzied up. You can listen to it over and over without getting annoyed by it. HIGHLY recommended.

I don't mind putting this CD on repeat because it is lovely and non-intrusive. Nice for playing in the background as you go about your business.