It's Christmas, Man!, Brave Combo (Rounder)

This merry band of musicologists masquerading as the world's screwiest polka combo take on Latin forms like samba, cha cha, ranchera as well as the waltz and ska on this lighthearted 1991 Christmas album. There are a few originals mixed in among the standards, like "It's Christmas," "Christmas in July," "Corrido Navideno" and "Santa's Polka," along with the classics that get patented Brave Combo arrangements, like a ska "The Christmas Song," "The Little Drummer Boy" as guaguanco, a samba "O Christmas Tree," and surprisingly, a straight blues reading of "Please Come Home For Christmas." They also did a version of "Oh Holy Night Cha Cha Cha" on their Musical Varieties album. Hanukkah alert: a hora version of "Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah."