The local radio stations started playing Christmas music just after Halloween this year. I’m starting a drive to revise the Ohio state constitution to prohibit this in coming years. From my perspective, no Christmas music should be played until after Santa Claus arrives during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
But setting politics aside, I do have my favorites. I’m particularly enjoying Wynton Marsalis’s latest, “Christmas Jazz Jam”. It’s his second Christmas album, twenty years after “Crescent City Christmas Card,” another of my favorites. And I particularly like the boozy rendition of “Blue Christmas” on the new album. Imagine yourself walking down the streets of New Orleans on a late December night and hearing the sound of a house band after a long night of playing and drinking. Unlike the tired Elvis Presley version, this one sounds like that moment of acceptance after a painful breakup. Slow and alcohol soaked, “You’ll be doing all right, with your Christmas of white, but I’ll have a blue, blue Christmas.” Heavenly.
Here are some of my other jazz and swing Christmas favorites:
- A Dave Brubeck Christmas This wonderful piano solo work is hypnotic. Imagine this jazz master at your holiday party, alone at the piano. It is a complete short story of a party and absolutely wonderful
- Aaron Neville’s Soulful Christmas Wonderful all around, especially “Louisiana Christmas Day.”
- Harry Connick Jr.’s When My Heart Finds Christmas. Love that swing of “Sleigh Ride.” Big Band lives!
- Louis Armstrong What a wonderful Christmas The full album isn’t available – a partial one is on iTunes. But it’s worth it to get at least Armstrong’s “Cool Yule.’
- And although my jazz authority daughter doesn’t agree, I love a little Mel Torme, especially “It Happened In Sun Valley”.
Enjoy and Happy Holidays
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