Julie Benko, the actress and singer who rocketed to fame after her sensational performance as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl on Broadway, makes her contribution to the holiday jazz canon with her new EP Christmas With You.From Julie's retro-soul original "(I Never Had A) Christmas With You," which she performs as a duet with Grammy nominee and fellow Broadway alum Mykal Kilgore, to more classic holiday fare like "The Man With the Bag," the music is performed with the artistry and flare audiences have come to associate with the Broadway beltress. Jazz pianist Jason Yeager's sophisticated arrangements are on full display with his joyful New Orleans-meets-klezmer version of the Yiddish classic "Tumbalalaika," which Benko recorded in honor of Chanukah. The album closes with a hauntingly intimate version of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," a touching exploration of the bittersweet melancholy that reverberates for many throughout the holiday season.

 

TRACK LISTING

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1. The Man with the Bag by Irving Taylor, Dudley Brooks, and Hal Stanley
2. (I Never Had a) Christmas with You by Julie Benko (Performed with Mykal Kilgore) 
3. Tumbalalaika, Traditional Yiddish folk song (English translation by Julie Benko)
4. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane

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ARTISTS 

JULIE BENKO | VOCALS
MYKAL KILGORE | VOCALS
JASON YEAGER | PIANO, ORGAN
DANNY WELLER | BASS
EVAN HYDE | DRUMS
JUSTIN POINDEXTER |GUITAR, BALALAIKA
KENNY PEXTON | CLARINET, TENOR SAXOPHONE
ANDY WARREN | TRUMPET
RON WILKINS | TROMBONE
ARRANGEMENTS BY JASON YEAGER
PRODUCED BY JULIE BENKO & JASON YEAGER

RECORDED AT BIG ORANGE SHEEP, BROOKLYN 

MIXING/MASTERING BY DAVE DARLINGTON, BASS HIT RECORDING 

ALBUM ARTWORK BY DAN WANG

PHOTOGRAPH BY JON TAYLOR

SINGLE ARTWORK BY SARA SONCINI

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