While none of the songs included here paint an especially original picture, this offering's toasty fireside atmosphere more than makes up for it by providing a different mood and feel than the usual exuberant blowing sessions and somber holiday recordings.Īlmost obligatory at this point. While songs such as "Good King Wenceslas" and "Angels We Have Heard On High" are usually better served by a classical string orchestra, the band's decision to include them offers a welcome reprieve from tiresome tunes about Santa Claus and will please those hoping to hear a more spiritual take on the holiday.Ī warm yuletide album that typically finds itself relegated to background music, Byrd's Christmas is the only acoustic guitar featured on this list. It is refreshing to see that Kenton's orchestra decided to mix in a few more traditional hymns and carols with the typical Christmas fare. The large orchestra simmers down only once, for their rendition of "O Come, All Ye Faithful." Even "O Holy Night" is given a triumphant, brassy treatment.
Though recorded in 1961, the album has a timeless feel about it. Even so, Silent Nights is a relaxed, reflective half hour of brassy holiday horn playing, certainly worth a yearly listen.ĭefinitely not for a romantic evening in front of the fireplace, Kenton's A Merry Christmas is bombastic, sounding like a Christmas day parade marching through your living room. Silent Nights starts mellow and picks up the pace halfway through, after Baker's breathy "Nobody Knows The Trouble I Have Seen." It would have been nice to see the trumpeter make something more of these (mostly) typical Christmas tunes, but he plays it safe, holding most of these songs to under four minutes, leaving little room for improvisation.
#CHRISTMAS JAZZ PIANO CD FULL#
Worth noting is that this particular album is one of the only places to find Dexter Gordon's full 9 minute, 39 second recording of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." The legendary saxophonist shows no restraint, turning the ubiquitous December song into a true jazz tune that genre aficionados would be happy to listen to all year long. However, any album starting with Dexter Gordon and McCoy Tyner and ending with Wynton Marsalis is worth a trip to eBay, where it can still be found on vinyl, CD, and cassette. A Very Swingin' Basie Christmas offers a pleasant mix of up-tempo swinging sleigh bell tunes and slow winter ballads.Īnother slightly obscure collection, this time from the early 1980's. The album features pianist Ellis Marsalis and tenor saxophonist Plas Johnson, as well as singers Johnny Mathis, Ledisi, and the excellent Carmen Bradford. While Basie passed away from pancreatic cancer in 1984, his big band orchestra is kept alive in his spirit by alumni directors, in this case Scotty Barnhart.
This was his "A Letter To Dexter" rhythm section, and while Lewis restrains the tempo by using only brushes, Cables does branch out a bit, adding some welcome personality to what may be the most played song on this list while keeping its spirit well intact.Ī standout modern classic in an era where Christmas albums are all-pervasive. The album's highlight would be The George Cables Trio performing "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas." Cables plays with bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Victor Lewis. However, the musicians all are afforded the opportunity to improvise, keeping the melody while adding their own character to the chestnut tunes everyone has heard hundreds of times. This collection of songs errs traditional, and none of the titles are unexpected. Whether you're dusting an eggnog with nutmeg and settling in for a quiet evening by the fire, or frantically wrapping last minute gifts, with these ten offerings you'll have something for every occasion during the season.įeaturing Stanley Clarke, Eddie Henderson, and George Cables among others, Mellow Jazz Christmas is compulsory Christmas Eve material. Instead, I've put together jazz's greatest Christmas albums from the golden age to today. You won't find (many) singers on this list, since most people already know and have records by Frank, Dean, Ella, Karen, and more. For those looking to listen to the sounds of the season without resorting to December's relentless slew of glossy, generic cash-grabs, jazz can be a breath of fresh, wintry air. As temperatures drop and days grow short, Winter is once again upon us.
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