The Cartoon Christmas Trio celebrates 25 years as the original interpreter of classic holiday cartoon jazz! The trio was started in 1995 by bassist Rob Swanson for the sole purpose of playing music from classic Christmas cartoons, especially the music of Vince Guaraldi, the composer of the “Peanuts” soundtracks. Since it’s inception, the trio has played hundreds of shows including live appearances on NBC, ABC, Fox, and NPR. The trio was also honored to perform in Philadelphia’s premiere music venue, The Kimmel Center. In addition, the trio is actively involved in musical outreach and education through an in-school assembly program.
The music of Vince Guaraldi, in particular the soundtrack of the Peanuts Christmas Cartoon, has become one of the best selling Christmas recordings of all time. The trio performs every song from this recording, using the exact instrumentation that Guaraldi originally composed for. In addition to the Peanuts music, the trio plays songs from “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas”, “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer”, “Frosty the Snowman”, and “The Little Drummer Boy”, just to name a few.
Featuring:
Jeff Knoettner, a product of the Berklee College of Music, is a pianist, composer, and teacher.
Philadelphia based drummer Jimmy Coleman has worked with artists of such musical styles as R&B, Jazz, Funk, Pop and Electronica. www.jimmycoleman.com
Playing bass for over 40 years, Rob Swanson has made a name for himself as one of the most versatile working bassists in the Philly metro area. Tripling on Electric, Upright, and Vocals, Rob finds himself in up to 20 different musical configurations on any given month, ranging from straight ahead bebop, groove, world, funk, and rock. www.robswansonmusic.com