After years of culling through album bins, CD collections and hard drives... here is one must-have for your Christmas collection.HAVE YOURSELF A JAZZY LITTLE CHRISTMAS. (verve)
I went through a jazz phase years ago and one of the lessons I learned during that time is that ANY recording put out on the Verve label is solid. This is no exception to that rule.
Another truism is that most holiday music is smaltzy, derivative... unrefined. This group of recordings is the opposite of that, it's fun and builds on the classic feel of the tunes. Jimmy Smith on the Hammond organ doing Jingle Bells... Billie Holiday... Ella... they are the heavyweights of jazz.
These songs remind me of an event Andy and I went to when we lived in NYC, the Jazz Nativity. Jazz musicians (and tap dancers) would come forward and give baby Jesus their gifts (sax solos, etc). If you can't get yourself to NYC for the Jazz Nativity, get this instead.
To purchase.
Info. Verve. (listen to the entire CD here)
Buy. Amazon. itunes.
I went through a jazz phase years ago and one of the lessons I learned during that time is that ANY recording put out on the Verve label is solid. This is no exception to that rule.
Another truism is that most holiday music is smaltzy, derivative... unrefined. This group of recordings is the opposite of that, it's fun and builds on the classic feel of the tunes. Jimmy Smith on the Hammond organ doing Jingle Bells... Billie Holiday... Ella... they are the heavyweights of jazz.
These songs remind me of an event Andy and I went to when we lived in NYC, the Jazz Nativity. Jazz musicians (and tap dancers) would come forward and give baby Jesus their gifts (sax solos, etc). If you can't get yourself to NYC for the Jazz Nativity, get this instead.
To purchase.
Info. Verve. (listen to the entire CD here)
Buy. Amazon. itunes.
Christmas is about something new, something wild... something other-worldly. The Jazz Nativity event was that for me. The truth is that I'd point you to that event above suggesting you buy this disc but I'm guessing that's unrealistic.
I remember sitting in the pews of St. Bart's on Park Avenue... a cavernous space... watching a tap dancer's shadow shrink from 100 feet tall to 6 feet tall as he tapped down the aisle on his way to present his gift to the Christ child. It all came together for me. We each have gifts as unique as our fingerprints. They are ours to give away.
This set of recordings is the next best thing to Jazz Nativity.
