Membership of the Portland big band The Fogcutters typically hovers around 18 to 20 musicians, and that number will grow by several at its sixth Superfantastic Christmas Extravaganza on Saturday night.

I’ve attended all of them and always stand right up at front, soaking in the holiday merriment as a stage adorned with presents and decorations is packed with an exemplary group of players and vocalists.

This night is my personal gateway into feeling a sense of holiday spirit, and this year’s show promises to be an absolute doozy because the list of guest singers is downright epic, plus the band is celebrating the release of the new EP “Christmas in Maine.”

The single “New Moanin'” came out in 2020. Prior to that, The Fogcutters put out the full-length album “Flotsam” in 2016 and the holiday EP “Jingle These Bells” in 2012. There’s also a pair of live albums from two of the five Big Band Syndrome shows that have happened through the years.

I showed up while a rehearsal was wrapping up at the Midcoast School of Music to chat with a couple of Fogcutters about their excitement about the show and the band’s first release of music in several years.

I ran into trumpet player Emma Stanley in the parking lot and she said she looks forward to the holiday show every year. “I look around and see my friends, and it makes me so happy to me making music with them.”

Inside, I cornered co-band leaders Brian Graham (sax) and John Maclaine (trombone), who were happy to talk about making “Christmas in Maine.”

Graham said, in the past, the band has recorded songs with everyone playing together, but this time, the rhythm section was recorded first, followed by horns and vocals on subsequent days, most of it done at home or at the Midcoast School of Music. “It was a really great test run for what we’re gonna be doing probably next year, because we’re going to put out a whole new album,” said Graham. “We’ve got a lot of new music in the pipeline, which we’re working on and are really excited about,” he added.

Maclaine said he’s particularly excited that the band is back to having a full slate of guests, after a couple of pared-down pandemic era shows. Guests vocalists will be Griffin Sherry, Gina Alibrio, Zach Jones, Lyle Divinsky, Natalie Mishell, Spencer Albee and rapper MC 22.

“Christmas in Maine” features some of the above-mentioned singers, and on the title track, you’ll hear Griffin Sherry, formerly of The Ghost of Paul Revere. It’s a jazzy, funky, feel-good tune about the joyful moments of being with friends and family over Christmas and was the perfect choice to kick off the EP.

Next up is Gina Alibrio singing the heck out of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” It’s one of the few Christmas songs that lyrically breaks my heart with lines like “next year all our troubles will be out of sight.” If you spot someone sobbing at the show, it likely will be me, but they’ll mostly be happy tears, because Alibrio’s vocals are glorious and The Fogcutters provide her voice with a bed of scintillating horns that swell like waves.

I’ve heard Fogcutters Chas Lester and Megan Jo Wilson sing Donny Hathaway’s 1970 tune “This Christmas” live at least once and was thrilled to find it on “Christmas in Maine.” It’s a warm and fuzzy feeling in musical form.

One of the most unusual moments of last year’s show was when a rapper named MC 22 (Zack Jellis) came out on stage dressed as a leather-clad Santa Claus. His character for the night was named MC Saint Nick, and he slayed with freestyle raps over “Carol of the Bells.” On the album, he and Graham collaborated on a rap, and “Tick, Tock (Carol of the Bells)” features drums, electric guitar and a wall of horns as MC 22 raps about embarking on his global route as Santa Claus.

Copies of “Christmas in Maine” will only be available at the State Theatre show, so if you want an actual CD, hit the merch table as soon as you get there.

Then come say hi to me and my fellow Fogcutters uber fans up front.

The holidays can be complicated, but on this particular evening, you can leave any troubles at the door and have a blast, whether you’re down front or up in the balcony. Trust me on this.

The Fogcutters Superfantastic Christmas Extravaganza
8 p.m. Saturday. State Theatre, 609 Congress St., Portland, $22 in advance, $25 day of show. statetheatreportland.com

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