Patrick’s Picks is a series of monthly Spotify playlists curated by Jacaranda’s Artistic Director, Patrick Scott.
Each two-and-a-half hour playlist spans genres, eras, and continents, and is crafted with the current historical moment in mind.
Don’t have Spotify? Sign up here for a free account, and upgrade to Premium to listen without ads –
and while you’re there, check out our first two Jacaranda Live Recordings releases:
Rebellious: Music of Julius Eastman, & A Charged Embrace: Music of Kraft, Broughton, and Krausas.
The Spotify playlists you see on this page are previews only. To listen to the complete playlist,
click the playlist title, square graphic or the Spotify logo in the top right corner.
SPECIAL HOLIDAY MUSIC
Forty-two holiday tracks start with the phenomenal brass sections of the Philadelphia, Chicago and Cleveland Orchestras playing Gabrieli’s most exciting Canzona, and ends with the Beatles’ winning “Here Comes the Sun.” In between are a smorgasbord of delicious Bach arrangements and some choice Christmas carols in mostly unfamiliar garb. The balance includes many of Patrick’s favorite party tracks from around the globe. This playlist was created in the post-election glow of 2020. Only now do we see that the clouds this time last year were a gathering storm. December donors get the 2021 edition – Winter Garden: Aspirations.
WINTER DREAMS: GOING HIGH 2020
This winter garden is really a glistening frosted greenhouse filled with fairies and spirits from the past teeming among exotic plants from most corners. Imagine a parade of Lilliputian nobles under a bower of cattleyas. The not-so-shy little drummer boy is off in a verdant manger with The Temptations. Impossible dreams are voiced by heroes, heroines, and goddesses —and seeds of brotherhood are planted once again. This microcosm is a fantasy of a world seen from above and close-up that is worth aspiring to build.
WINTER GARDEN: ASPIRATIONS 2021
WINTER SPINS: WINNING WAYS 2022
We spin into the heart of the holidays with pirouettes on ice, and whirling discs of jubilant voices and masterful hands. Burning sage is brandished, menorah candles lighted, merry bells jingle and jangle. Cleo Laine channels Mozart, Bobby McFerrin conjures Boccherini & Faure. At last, long-lost Purcell duets on vinyl have landed online with aplomb. A poignantly innocent Michael Jackson calls us to love one another, and Art Tatum sees blue skies ahead. The evergreen passion of O Holy Night – sung in Hawaiian – utterly sticks the landing. Hosannas from Africa, Bolivia, Indonesia, and India take us to the Pet Shop Boys dance music anthem All Over the World – with a sassy nod to the season’s favorite ballet, The Nutcracker.
