Customer Reviews

Jingle Bell Jam: Jazz Christmas Classics

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you're tired of hearing the same traditional songs done the same old way, buy this cd. Every track is performed to perfection by everyone. The order in which the songs are presented and the mixture of jazz styles don't clash, they accentuate one another.

The only fatality is track 18 which was recorded lower than the others (you have to really crank it up) for whatever reason.

A great buy for the holidays. Highly recommended

Nat King Cole is terrific, but sometime around the middle of December, after IÕve heard his version of The Christmas Song for the 5 billionth time, I start to feel like I never want to hear another traditional carol crooned again, and thatÕs usually when I get out this album, and go straight to Carmen McRaeÕs sultry, bluesy version of the same song Ñ and suddenly that old chestnut (roasting on an open fire) sounds great again.

Not every song on this album is that great, by any means. The standouts, for me, besides McRaeÕs track, are Duke EllingtonÕs amazingly inventive Jingle Bells, Ella FitzgeraldÕs earthy Good Morning Blues, and the Modern Jazz QuartetÕs lovely EnglandÕs Carol #1. Charlie ParkerÕs White Christmas is also breathtaking, probably the best thing on the album, although unfortunately the sound quality is poor. Besides those, there are a half-dozen more excellent tracks that break through the usually dull holiday music. The rest are so-so Ñ listenable, but nothing to get excited about.

But I like the album a lot better than that last sentence might lead you to expect, because it has such a fine mix of styles. ThereÕs swing, modern jazz, blues, and even a little r&b. This is one of the few Christmas albums I own (and, honestly, IÕm a Christmas music addict) that I can listen to straight through without feeling like IÕm hearing the same song over and over again. ItÕs not perfect, but this is one classy and enjoyable Christmas CD.

I got this as a gift from my fiance and it instantly became my favorite cd! I love jazz and this one is just perfect. It pus me in the best holiday mood! I buy jazz Christmas cds every year, and I always end up putting this one in time and again. I love it and highly reccommend it to anyone who loves Christmas music and/or jazz.

This is a great CD. Some may not like the mix of styles - but those are likely jazz snobs who believe nobody should be allowed to blow a sax but Charlie Parker. (Parker is on this CD with a great version of White Christmas)

Duke Pearson's Sleigh Bells is worth the purchase alone. If you want some excellent music - and a change from the usual Christmas schlok, then this is your disc.

I agree with the reviewer below on many points but have a different opinion of the disk as a whole. There are some that I like better than others, but to me, most of the tunes are outstanding, with one or two that aren't bad, but less great than the others. The tunes are an ecclectic mix of a wide variety of styles, but I rather like the way they hang together. The difference in styles makes it less monotonous than many other collections. Especially when one considers that we've all heard most of these songs hundreds of times (at least!). There's a nice balance between 'out' interpretations and more straight ahead ones, the overall effect (for me, at least) is an elusive quality with even a slight attitude, or sense of humor. Also, I agree about the Charlie Parker cut being worth it alone!

And, perhaps best of all, it's mercifully free of the cheesey schlock.

This Cd is great... I made a tape from a friend and played it so much I wore it out! It's truly the best from these artists... and the whole CD is good.

Considering the excellent quality of Rhino's other jazz and blues Christmas compilations, Hipster's Holiday and Blue Yule, this one listens like an unfocused mess. There's a few vocal pieces here, some bebop instrumentals there, a few hard bop numbers here, not sequenced very well by style or chronology. The saving grace is some of the material. Charlie Parker's ultra rare, lo-fi 1948 air-check of "White Christmas" makes it essential for me. Dexter Gordon's 1970 reading of "The Christmas Song", Duke Pearson's "Sleigh Ride", Duke Ellington's "Jingle Bells", and The Modern Jazz Quartet's "England's Carol #1 (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen)" are also essential. Among these gems are scattered less rare but still worthwhile material by Lou Rawls, Ella Fitzgerald, Booker T & The MGs, and King Curtis. Being on Rhino Records, I would have expected fewer songs that are widely available or available on other Rhino comps (the plaintive and excellent "Santa Claus, Santa Claus" by Louis Jordan, one of his last recordings, is repeated here and on Blue Yule - that's sloppiness on the label's part). Rhino archivists could have dug up other jazz artists' Christmas sides that aren't all that easy to find, like Louis Prima. There are a few lumps of coal, too, like The Inner Voices "Boogie Woogie Santa Claus" and Carmen McRae's less than stellar reading of "The Christmas Song". All in all, the excellent material far outweighs the lesser points. I just expected better sequencing and selection from Rhino.

Fell asleep with this on, it's that dull. Despite the big name artists doing their versions of holiday tunes, this isn't their best work. I've tried listening to it several times, even trying different tracks rather than in the order they are on the disc. Just not my cup of tea, I guess.