Mannheim Steamroller delivers fresh take on holiday classics

The musical icons of Christmas?

Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas," certainly. A full chorus doing Handel's "Messiah," definitely.

And, of course, Mannheim Steamroller performing its own -- to borrow a term from Mannheim mastermind Chip Davis -- eclecticized versions of Christmas favorites.

The German-sounding but all-American ensemble returns to Las Vegas on Saturday for "The Christmas Music of Mannheim Steamroller by Chip Davis," a concert at the Thomas & Mack Center.

How big is Mannheim Steamroller at Christmas? Big enough that the group has sold more than 28 million Christmas albums. Big enough that it holds three spots on Billboard's list of top-selling holiday albums in the United States since 1991.

Big enough, even, that there will be two Mannheim Steamroller ensembles touring more than 90 cities this year -- sort of like, Davis jokes, "Colonel Sanders: The original and the extra crispy."

While Davis no longer performs regularly with Mannheim Steamroller, he still produces, creates the music for and remains intimately involved with the ensemble, a pioneer in the genre now known as New Age.

However, back in 1975, when Davis released "Fresh Aire" under the Mannheim Steamroller alias -- the name is a takeoff on a musical term referring to crescendo -- "it was radical," Davis recalls during a recent phone interview.

He describes the album as "18th century classical rock," built upon classical forms but incorporating several eclectic musical styles.

"When it first came out, retailers would say, 'We really like this, but we don't know what category to put it into,' " Davis says. "I'd go, 'It's eclectic.' They'd say, 'So we'll put it in the electric section.' 'No, no. Eclectic.' "

The album's lush production also helped it to receive exposure in an unexpected way: as a demonstration record used in hi-fi stores to sell speakers and turntables.

"People would come in and go, 'I love those speakers, but what's that you're playing on it?' " Davis says. "They'd go, 'It's called 'Fresh Aire.' 'Well, can I buy that?' "Oh. I guess. Yeah.' "

Davis laughs. "It wasn't really some big marketing plan or some big sales effort."

Why did Mannheim Steamroller strike a chord among so many listeners?

"I think one of the elements is that there are no vocals, so it allows for the listener to plug in to their own thoughts," Davis says. "So maybe there's an interactivity that goes on between the listener and the music."

In 1984, Davis decided to create Mannheim Steamroller's first Christmas album.

"I had three or four 'Fresh Aire' albums in the can, and they were selling quite well," he recalls. "So when I went to the distributors and said, 'I'm going to do a Christmas album this year in between 'Fresh Aire' albums,' they went: 'Don't do it. Christmas is the death of an artist. When you do a Christmas album, it's a sign you've run out of ideas.' "

"So I said, 'Well, do you want 'Fresh Aire No. 5?' They said they did," Davis says, laughing. "I said, 'You'll take a Christmas album first.' So I sort of held the hammer over their head."

Long story short: Davis' yuletide instincts were right on. Mannheim Steamroller has released 17 Christmas albums, and Christmastime is the group's prime touring season.

It's not uncommon to see "three generations all sitting together" at a Mannheim Steamroller Christmas concert, Davis says. "I think that has a lot to do with the longevity of it, because it's now become a tradition to go and see Mannheim at Christmas."

In addition to the concerts over the next several weeks, the ensemble's to-do list includes an appearance at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. In addition, Davis and the group recently taped an ice-skating show, "Pandora Unforgettable Moments on Ice," scheduled for Sunday on NBC (1 p.m., KSNV-TV, Channel 3).

Davis is working on Mannheim Steamroller's next album, "Exotic Spaces," which he says may be "the most interesting concept I've ever come up with."

The album will take viewers on a journey to far-off locales ranging from the Taj Mahal to outer space, Davis says. It also may form the basis of a DVD that will marry ethereal images to Mannheim Steamroller's music.

Davis even has taken a step toward expanding Mannheim Steamroller's holiday focus beyond Christmas. For a taste, check out the group's Halloween-themed videos on YouTube.

"I have a ball with Halloween, and I don't think I can say I like one (holiday) more than the other. They're different," he says. "Christmas has its roots in tradition, but the thing that fascinates me with Halloween is, there's no real (musical) repertoire. What's a Halloween song?"

Davis laughs. "It only took me 25 years to find out there was another holiday."

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@
reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280.