The title track from a 2004 recording - Phases - midi guitar, acoustic and electric bass in there somewhere. 

A rather doom laden version from about 2003. However cute Raymond Briggs wonderful drawings and stories were they always had an underlying current of something more scary. Even the gentle tale of the Snowman doesn't really have a happy ending. I remember how sad it felt at the end of the story. Walking in the Air.

Always with me , Always with you is a great instrumental piece from Joe Satriani's 1987 album  Surfing with the Alien. I borrowed the idea for this piano  tune - Always - that is influenced by his wonderfully sentimental rock guitar playing - also his amazing playing. There is no amazing playing here just my usual relentless attempt to get to the end of the piece without falling off the keyboard. 

Out of Nowhere is a 1979 album by Joe Egan- the other half of the band Stealers Wheel with the late great Gerry Rafferty. The track Back on the Road seems a reluctant admission that he was back touring at a time when maybe he no longer wanted to be - I don't know - anyway thats how it seemed. I'm not touring but I'm back on the road at a time when I no longer want to be -  I should be grateful I can still work !!. Happy Monday 

I'll put up three Christmas Medleys coming up to Christmas Day - One today - the next on the 18th and the third on Christmas Day. 

Here is a group of 5 tunes recorded in 2004 on a beautiful Jimmy Moon steel guitar:
The First Nowell, Ding Dong Merrily on High, Angels from the Realms of Glory,  Here We Come a Wassailing,  Hark the Herald Angels Sing. 

Stephen Lane's compositions around Christmas themes are really enjoyable to play . Here is his take on the Winter Idyll idea. The Sussex Carol appears in the central section and some lovely serene chords introduce and conclude the piece.  

No.4 in the suite of five pieces for  young jazz band- the Fairground . One of the rides that's  easy to do and doesn't cause too much stress - The Waltzer - a family favourite. 
not a waltz but a 123-123-12 rhythm that's kept within the acoustic guitar and then used as a basis for the rhythm that supports it. 

The Paraguayan guitarist and composer Agustin Barrios take on the Christmas Season - from the Rico Stover collection of Barrios pieces. 

A harmonica led version with a guitar solo at the end arranged by guitarist Steve Marsh I believe .

The third piece from "The Fairground" - One theme going round and around - hence the Carousel - Merry -go-Round. This is a piece for a young jazz band . The piece was intended to be learned with no music notation. A simple theme repeated between instruments and a repeated pattern for the brass section. Room for improvisation around pentatonic minor and blues scales.