When James Lord Pierpont first penned “Jingle Bells” in 1857, it was originally titled “The One Horse Open Sleigh”. There was no way he could ever imagine that it would become a Christmas standard, and that it would be rerecorded with a Latin and blues shuffle feel by Electric Piquete 168 years later.
When the band was still in its early stages, it regularly gigged at Dolphin Mall in Sweetwater. Those grueling three one-hour sets, sometimes played in a 90-degree swelter, steeled the band’s Latin funk sound and made the members better players.
During the holidays, the mall would inevitably roll out the Christmas décor and host a “magical snowfall”. Being gamers and the shopping clientele ~90% Hispanic, the band learned and began performing several holiday standards, including “Feliz Navidad”, “Little Drummer Boy” (redux and recorded as “Little Conga Boy”), and “Jingle Bells,” all with a heavy Latin flavor.
This year, in the spirit of the festival of Yule, overeating, and maxed-out credit cards, Electric Piquete decided to capture the song and release it in time for the holidays. The first spin happened on WDNA during Viviam Maria’s December 3 Cubaneando show; it’s now streaming on YouTube.
After shedding the track in early October, drummer Ed Rosado, bassist Michael Mut, and keyboardist Charles Gardner entered the Shack North Rehearsals and Recording mid-November and put down the basic tracks live in a session engineered by longtime friend and band producer Ferny Coipel.
A couple of weeks later, Robert Smiley (tenor sax) and Patrick Araujo (trumpet / flugelhorn) came in and cut horns. Coipel sprinkled in some guitar for effect, and Rosado topped it off with some percussion flourishes.
Wishing everyone a safe and Happy Holiday season, and a healthy, happy 2026! Thanks for listening and supporting the band all these years.
