Customer Reviews

Jingle Bell Jazz

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are looking for the Original (Columbia "CS8693") Jingle Bell Jazz (cover has Red Santa Sack full of gifts)issued October 17, 1962, THIS IS NOT IT. The reissue ("PC 36803")of Jingle Bell Jazz (cover has Snow filled N.Y. streets with Taxi Cabs)in September, 1973 is GREAT. This latest "reissue" IS NOT. If you are expecting either of the "Original" issues on CD, you will be greatly offended. There is no Chico Hamilton, no Paul Horn. In 1985, CBS stupidly combined Jingle Bell Jazz with another Columbia recording called God Rest Ye Merry Jazzmen and the sad result is THIS CD. Do youself a favor, secure the Vinyl Original and burn your own CD. "You'll be glad you did." (...) I'd sell you my CD but it was so sorry, I couldn't sell it, I GAVE it away.

As some of the other reviewers have stated, there are indeed many unfortunate omissions on this cd that were included on the original vinyl release. Hopefully Sony will see fit in the near future to reissue the recordings as they originally appeared. Having said that, I will make two comments. First of all, Chico Hamilton's "Winter Wonderland" is indeed available on cd. It is on a Sony Music Special Products cd called simply "Jazz Christmas". It is available from amazon, and it's worth the search, even it if it is very short in length, and has tawdry packaging. To my knowledge, this is the only way to get the song on cd. Secondly, this is still a wonderful cd, and one I seem to never tire of hearing. McCoy Tyner's solo piano rendition of "I'll Be Home For Christmas" is beautiful and reflective; Duke Ellington's raucous version of "Jingle Bells" is loads of fun; Carmen McRae's touching version of "The Christmas Song" still conjures up images of light snowfall with the faint glow of candles in the background; Dave Brubeck's midtempo rendition of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" has some wonderfully swinging alto work from the great Paul Desmond; Dexter Gordon is bluesy and swinging on "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas". All in all a fine and diverse Christmas cd with plenty of moods and melodies. Always worth hearing and worth owning despite the omissions.

I take a star off just because those who have owned the original JINGLE BELL JAZZ on CBS (w/ the taxicabs by the snowy street corner shown on the cover) may be disappointed to discover that the CD issue does not include several cuts from the old album. To make room for new cuts by Dexter Gordon, McCoy Tyner, Arthur Blythe, the Heath Brothers, Paquito D'Rivera, and Wynton Marsalis, the label left out Chico Hamilton's wonderful "Winter Wonderland," Paul Horn's "We Three Kings," The Manhattan Jazz All-Stars' "If I Were a Bell," and Marlowe Morris' "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree."

Nothing against Dex, McCoy, and the Heath Brothers, but the absence of the Hamilton and Horn cuts in particular are a real loss to the collection. Chico's arrangement of "Winter Wonderland" perfectly captures that hushed, peaceful feeling you get when walking along a snowy hillside on a cold, clear night. It's beautiful, and I can hardly imagine going through the season without hearing it. Why is it missing here?? The track time on this CD is just short of 62 minutes; Columbia should have had room at least to keep Hamilton and Horn. And if it meant trimming "Blue Xmas" or Wynton (he has his own Christmas album, anyway) to make room for "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"--so be it!

Anyway, what's here is still pretty nice. If you got this, JINGLE BELL JAM on Rhino, and Ellington's THREE SUITES (featuring his arrangement of "The Nutcracker Suite"), you'd have an excellent selection of Holiday Jazz. I hope that Columbia will reissue an expanded version of this album, with Chico Hamilton, soon. Meanwhile, look through cassette racks and used LP bins, and the original set might turn up.

I bought this CD about 5 years ago and it is simply exquisite. On one collection, you have some rare finds from Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis and Duke Ellington. The selections from Dexter Gordon and Herbie Hancock are outstanding. The Arthur Blythe Quartet's rendition of The Christmas Song is as good as any one will ever hear. This CD puts me in the spirit whether I'm in the car shopping, out taking a walk, or sitting in front of the tree. It's a bargain. Buy it.

This is a great CD in what's here. Dexter Gordon's solo on have Yourself.... is worth the price, and playable the other 11 months. What's interesting is that there are some outside arrangements (we three kings) along with the straight ahead material.

Worth buying!

I have the original LP wich this album is taken off of. I have enjoyed it for many years and am glad to finally see it out in a new medium. Like I said, This is excellent jazz, this is wondrful music, and it is absolutely the best Christmas album put out in the history of audio recording. I only hope that others will be able to listen to the same sounds that have enthralled me for the last 14 years of my life. Peace---Out......

Well here it is,right here! I have given more copies of this cd ,to friends,than Columbia has sold.And it's so cheap!!!

Essential list: 1 Jingle bell jazz
2 A Charlie Brown Christmas(Vince Guaraldi Trio)
3 Bottle of Leeuwin Estates "Art Series" Chardonnay
4 Carpenters 'Christmas Portrait"
5 Bottle of "Conundrum" varietal (don't let the screw cap scare you)
6"A Christmas Festival" With Arthur Fiedler & The Boston Pops
7 Diana Krall "Christmas Songs"
8 Krug "Grand Cuvee" any Krug will do
9 Maybe some Time/Life X-mas stuff

Now how can you be depressed? Merry Christmas Everybody!!!!

Dexter Gordon's rendition of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is reason enough to buy this CD. It is a brilliant, upbeat arrangement of a generally maudlin song that gives the tune a whole new meaning.

This CD combines two older LPs, and is thus a bargain as well as good listening.

The music here is quite good, but I take off one star for the absolutely indefensible decision to remove Chico Hamilton's masterful "Winter Wonderland" -- the best version of this song ever recorded, and I've heard plenty -- as well as the excellent "We Three Kings" by Paul Horn, which is unavailable on CD. Both of these recordings were on the original Jingle Bell Jazz album, and were highlights among the many great versions of these Christmas standards.

Columbia/Sony: Please give us a remastered version of Jingle Bell Jazz that restores the full line-up! I'd gladly pay for a two-disc set to hear everything from the original album, plus the other cuts that were added later.

I have nothing against the newer stuff that they added -- Wynton Marsalis, Dexter Gordon, Paquito Rivera, and McCoy Tyner, among others, all do outstanding work here. But Columbia/Sony have done the listeners -- and themselves -- a disservice by omitting several of the original cuts, since those original cuts would undoubtedly attract more listeners.

This is a very good collection, but a bit disappointing since it easily could have been that much better -- with the original cuts restored, I would give this five stars easily (and more if I could).

Insted we get Two (2) albums combined, and because of time configurations Four (4) artists Chico Hamilton, Paul Horn, Manhattan Jazz All Stars, and Marlowe Morris had to be REMOVED! WHY? WHY? WHY? When I'm pretty sure Columbia has MORE than enough in their vaults to give us TWO (2) Volumes of Christmas Jazz...You'd think?. But now if you're jazz trying to make a Jazz Head ALMOST happy this might work. The key word to remember...MIGHT. The music to be found here is real nice like: Dexter Gordon "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", Duke Ellington
"Jingle Bells", Lionel Hampton "White Christmas", and Carmen McRae "The Christmas Song", but for the most part the good folks at Columbia (Sony) & Now Sony/BMG could have done a far better job in putting this together. You know what maybe they used the old Western Theory: "Shoot 'Em All, And Let God Pick Out The Good Ones", but in this case the question would be Did They Make The Right Choices?.