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Holiday music treats boast strong San Diego flavor

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There’s a sound reason why Taylor Swift released her new album earlier this month and why U2 will be putting its new album out on Dec. 1. More albums are sold, whether in physical or digital form, in the last quarter of the year than in the previous nine months, combined.

Prefer music DVDs and books? Our holiday shopping guide provides those options, too.

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Eric Clapton: “Eric Clapton Live in San Diego, with Special Guest JJ Cale”

Recorded in 2007 at the iPayOne Center — as the San Diego Sports Arena (now Valley View Casino Center) was then briefly known — this 15-song live outing is available as a double-CD, DVD and Blu-Ray. It was recorded at the only concert that year where blues-rock legend Eric Clapton was joined on stage by his longtime idol, reclusive Valley Center troubadour JJ Cale (who died in 2013 at the age of 74). Their five songs together here are a downhome treat. So are the solos by bottleneck guitar ace Derek Trucks, whose superb playing inspires Clapton nearly as much as Cale does. $11.99-$13.09. amazon.com

“Smithsonian Rock and Roll: Live and Unseen,” by Bill Bentley

Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Tom Waits, Carlos Santana and Frank Zappa — who grew up in San Diego, Tijuana and La Mesa and Mission Beach, respectively — are among the 148 rock, soul, blues and hip-hop legends and cult heroes featured in this lovingly compiled coffee-table book. It mixes expertly written essays by music biz veteran Bill Bentley with 362 photographs shot mostly by fans. The juxtapositions on facing pages — Black Sabbath and Bonnie Raitt, Al Green and Roxy Music, Devo and Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five — are a genre-leaping delight. $25.47. amazon.com

Ravi Shankar: “Ghanashyam: A Broken Branch”

Indian music giant Ravi Shankar was 92 when he died here in late 2012, 20 years after settling with his family in Encinitas. A master of the 19-string sitar, he was the first artist to expertly perform the Carnatic style of Southern India and the Hindustani style of Northern India. Both are represented on this fascinating album, which first came out in the early 1990s and was re-released this year with 20 minutes added to its initial hour of music. Commissioned by the Birmingham Touring Opera Company, which premiered it in 1989, “Ghanashyam” is a musical theater piece inspired by Shankar’s concern about the debilitating effects of drug abuse on young people. Featuring a cast of nearly two dozen musicians and singers, it joins his 1987 release, “Tana Mana,” as one of Shankar’s few album to use synthesizers. $9.49. amazon.com

Chris Hillman: “Bidin’ My Time”

After growing up in Rancho Santa Fe and playing in the seminal San Diego bluegrass band the Scottsville Squirrel Barkers, Chris Hillman moved to Los Angeles. He soon achieved stardom as a founding member of The Byrds and played key roles in The Flying Burrito Brothers, Manassas and the Desert Rose Band. “Bidin’ My Time,” his first solo album in 12 years, was produced by longtime Hillman fan Tom Petty, who plays on several songs. Other guests on this earthy and enchanting album include Byrds alums Roger McGuinn and David Crosby (although, sadly, not on the same songs) and members of The Heartbreakers. Petty’s untimely Oct. 2 death gives “Bidin’ My Time” a bittersweet tone, but it’s still an enchanting musical valentine from him to Hillman. $11.99. amazon.com

Joe Garrison and Night People: “The People Upstairs”

A San Diego musical treasure, Joe Garrison shines equally whether composing for a brassy big band or for the outstanding, eight-piece chamber jazz ensemble on his latest album. Six songs strong, “The People Upstairs” is an enchanting showcase for his richly textured and constantly invigorating compositions. Garrison, who plays piano on the album-closing “The Two Stars,” benefits greatly from his very gifted collaborators. They include flutist Lori Bell, flugelhorn player Derek Cannon, clarinetist Ariana Warren, pianist Melonie Grinnell, bass trombonist Brian O’Donnell, bassist Tim McNalley and drummer Michael Hayes. $5.94. amazon.com

george.varga@sduniontribune.com

Twitter @georgevarga

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