Chicago Christmas Red/White Vinyl Album Produced by Lee Loughnane

Founding member Lee Loughnane produced CHICAGO CHRISTMAS, the 37th album in Chicago's career and their fourth holiday collection. Earlier holiday records leaned on traditional Christmas songs; this one puts the spotlight on holiday music the band wrote especially for it, among them “All Over The World,” “(Because) It’s Christmastime,” and “I’m Your Santa Claus.” Also on the album are R&B and ballad versions of “Merry Christmas, I Love You,” a song Loughnane wrote with John Durrill of The Ventures, the best-selling instrumental band of all time.

The group has toured for 52 consecutive years, and the musicianship plus the collaborative energy of this current lineup gave the project its push. Manager Peter Schivarelli floated the idea of recording a few new Christmas songs, and the band jumped at the chance to record together. What came out of that shared creative process was a full album of new Chicago music, unified by a holiday theme.

No studio this time. The group used an innovative mobile recording setup to make the album while on tour, rehearsing the new songs during soundchecks and on days off, then cutting tracks after the shows in various hotel rooms and on the tour bus along the way. Chicago Christmas features original compositions by many of the band members, along with unmistakable horn arrangements by founding member James Pankow. Tim Jessup recorded and mixed the album.

Two holiday standards sit alongside the new material: “Here We Come A Caroling” and “Sleigh Ride.” It’s the second time Chicago has recorded “Sleigh Ride” — a different version appears on Chicago XXXIII: O Christmas Thee (2011). A soulful Chicago reading of the Hal David and Burt Bacharach classic “What The World Needs Now Is Love” closes out the non-original tracks, and founding member Robert Lamm thought the song carried a timely message for the holidays.

Chicago is Robert Lamm (keyboards, guitar, vocals), Lee Loughnane (trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals), James Pankow (trombone, percussion), Keith Howland (guitar, vocals), Lou Pardini (keyboards, vocals), Ray Herrmann (saxophones, flute), Walfredo Reyes Jr. (drums), Neil Donell (vocals, acoustic guitar), Brett Simons (bass, vocals), and Ramon Yslas (percussion).