Sounds of Christmas at local holiday shows

Christmas music, like the holiday buffet table, is often cobbled together from a crazy quilt of traditions.

Blend a little smooth jazz with some New Age Celtic sounds, and you've got the new-age recipe for a solstice celebration.

Take the dark humor of Bay Area songwriter Dan Hicks and add in some jazz-blues skiffle (roots music played on washboards and washtub bass), and you've got the Christmas Jug Band's formula for alternative holiday hijinks.

Then there's the hybrid known as Mannheim Steamroller, which blends medieval instruments such as recorders with the synthesizers and light shows of a modern rock opera.

Sound improbable? Yes, and yet the American band — named after an 18th-century, German composing technique — is the No. 1 selling Christmas artist of all time.

There are plenty of ways to enjoy the delicious mashup of Christmas music this season, including 10 local concerts that serve up traditional chestnuts with a tasty twist.

1) Mannheim Steamroller Christmas rolls into the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts at 8 p.m. Tuesday with a big bag of treats. Founder Chip Davis created the band's first holiday album back in 1984, providing modern interpretations of Yuletide favorites that remain popular after nearly 30 years. $55-$75. wellsfargocenterarts.org. 546-3600. 50 Mark West Springs Road.

2) Thanks to a new generation of 20-something singers and fans, a cappella vocal groups are back in the limelight, but few hold a candle to Rockapella, an all-male vocal ensemble. The singers rock the Napa Valley Opera House at 8 p.m. Thursday with their funky, soulful take on classics like "Silver Bells" and "White Christmas." $40-$45. nvoh.org. 1030 Main St., Napa.

3) National Public Radio's Neal Conan narrates a concert weaving together Celtic music with strands of seasonal poetry and prose at 8 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Glaser Center in Santa Rosa. "A Winter's Night: Music and Poetry for the Solstice" showcases Ensemble Galilei, a six-member, Celtic band. $20-$25. glasercenter.com or 568-5381. 547 Mendocino Ave.

4) The Christmas Jug Band grew out of some 1970s jam sessions with a group of Mill Valley musicians who reinvented classics like "Rudolph the Bald-Headed Reindeer." The pop-up band will add folksy humor to the holiday party at the Twin Oaks Tavern in Penngrove at 8 p.m. Dec. 13. $12, 795-5118. twinoakstavernpenngrove.com. 5745 Old Redwood Highway.

5) Some of the least cheesy holiday music of all time was written by Vince Guaraldi for more than a dozen "Peanuts" TV series, starting back in the 1960s. Jazz pianist David Benoit interprets favorites like "Christmas Time is Here" and "Skating" at 8 p.m. Dec. 13 at the Napa Valley Opera House. $35-$40. nvoh.org. 226-7372.

6) Barbara Higbie, singer, pianist, fiddler and guitarist, headlines the Windham Hill Winter Solstice Concert at 8 p.m. Dec. 14 at the Napa Valley Opera House. Joined by pianist Liz Story and Celtic harpist Lisa Lynne, Higbie provides a luminous blend of jazz, new age and pop instrumentals. $20-$25. nvoh.org. 226-7372.

7) If you're looking for a band that speaks the gospel truth, boogie down to The Blind Boys of Alabama's Christmas Show at 8 p.m. Dec. 14 at the Uptown Theatre. The concert draws inspiration from their 2008 CD, "Go Tell It On the Mountain," serving up rollicking versions of favorites like "Away In a Manger." $40. uptowntheatrenapa.com. 259-0333. 1350 Third St., Napa.

8) The Santa Rosa Symphony's "A Very Merry Holiday Pops" concert provides traditional, swing and rock versions of holiday classics at 3 p.m. Dec. 15 at the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts. The Santa Rosa Symphonic Chorus joins in for a few choral pieces and an audience sing-along. $32-$75. wellsfargocenterarts.org. 546-3600.

9) Jazz saxophonist Dav Koz presents high-energy arrangements of seasonal favorites at 8 p.m. Dec. 17 during his Christmas Tour 2013 at the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts. Joining Koz on the tour's 16th anniversary are a few of his friends — pianist Keiko Matsui, singer Oleta Adams and guitarist Jonathan Butler. $39-$69. wellsfargocenterarts.org. 546-3600.

10) The Brian Setzer Orchestra swings into Santa Rosa's Wells Fargo Center for the Arts at 8 p.m. Dec. 26 with its Christmas Rocks 10th Anniversary Tour. $65-$85. wellsfargocenterarts.org. 546-3600.

You can reach Staff Writer Diane Peterson at 521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com.