Holiday music on non-holiday albums

[colllin]

It seems fairly common for a holiday song to get issued on a non-holiday jazz album. I especially like Santa Claus is Comin' to Town on Bill Evan's Trio 64. When you expand the search to include Greensleeves and My Favorite Things, the list gets very long. Which songs along these lines do you recommend? Thank you in advance.

[jlhoots]

MJQ: Plastic Dreams - 2 Christmas carols

Also MJQ At Music Inn, Vol. 1 (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen)

[GA Russell]

Pure Imagination has become a Christmas standard. I have heard it on the radio a great deal the past couple of years.

[A Lark Ascending]

Far from a Xmas CD. But it ends with an utterly exquisite version of 'In the Bleak Midwinter', my favourite Xmas tune.

There's also that Charlie Parker 'White Christmas' from the Royal Roost in '48. No doubt out in many different forms.

Edited November 28, 2010 by A Lark Ascending

[crisp]

White Christmas on the CD edition of Booker Ervin's Structurally Sound.

We Free Kings on Roland Kirk's album of the same name (not a Christmas album).

The Christmas Song by Dexter Gordon on The Panther.

[lipi]

"I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm", Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong (on "Ella and Louis, Again")

[king ubu]

Here's Eric Dolphy playing some Holiday music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYJ_4vSruog

[Chas]

Two that many will be familiar with :

Chet Baker - Winter Wonderland (from the LP Pretty/Groovy on World Pacific)

Paul Bley - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (from the LP Introducing Paul Bley on Debut)

And one that few will be familiar with :

Patty McGovern - I Like Snow (from the LP Wednesday's Child on Atlantic)

[AndrewHill]

Roland Kirk-Bright Moments. On disc one, track two, at the end of Pedal Up, Kirk performs Greensleeves.

[king ubu]

The bonus track on Lionel Hampton's Impulse album is "Jingle Bells"... quite a bit of fun!

[medjuck]

Miles version of Blue Xmas. It's on the Miles/Gil compilation-- though it was originally done for an Xmas compilation. BTW does We Free Kings Count?

[sidewinder]

'Happy New Year/Its Xmas Time' Sun Ra singles issue. Included on that fabulous Evidence 2CD 'The Singles' set.

Can't beat Miles 'Blue Xmas' bah humbug either.

Edited December 15, 2010 by sidewinder

[crisp]

Just going through my collection looking for Christmas music on non-seasonal CDs and I've found The Christmas Song on both That's All by Mel Torme and Lover Man by Carmen McRae. The Torme also includes a Christmas song called One Little Snowflake.

PS There are Christmas songs on some Mosaic sets.

Condon Mob has Dixieland Band From Santa Claus Land and Prima/Manone has What will Santa Claus Say When he Finds Everybody Swinging. Of course there's the whole album Merry Old Soul on the Duke Pearson select.

[crisp]

Also on Mosaic sets there is Gin for Christmas on the Lionel Hampton set, Everyday is Christmas by Joe Bushkin on Piano Moods and Santa Claus Blues on the Bob Brookmeyer select. Unfortunately none of them sounds at all Christmassy!

[king ubu]

the James Brown x-mas stuff (singles) can be found spread over a few of those great 2CD sets ... some of it is pretty fun, actually ... (I think there's also a one disc set pulling it all together, but that would be too much of a good thing for me).

[mikeweil]

The MJQ hat God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen and Variations on a Christmas Theme, probably more, slipped in on various albums. A whole album with Xmas music by them would have been a treat.

[A Lark Ascending]

Richard Strauss - "Die Heiligen Drei Könige"

Can be found on a fair number of Strauss song recital discs. Utterly gorgeous.

[crisp]

Sonny Rollins does Winter Wonderland on The Standard Sonny Rollins. It's on the complete RCA box of course.

Nat King Cole did a remake of The Christmas Song on The Nat King Cole Story and Sammy Davis Jr did a version for his Torme tribute California Suite (reused on his Cole tribute The Nat King Cole Songbook).

BTW did Torme make a fortune from The Christmas Song? It seems to be the most recorded modern seasonal song after White Christmas.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Pharoah Sanders' Theresa album 'A prayer before dawn' includes 'The Christmas song'. A lovely version, too.

Hank Crawford's 'South-Central' includes 'O holy night', a track left over from his previous album with Gloria Coleperson on organ.

'Dr John plays Mac Rebennack' includes 'Silent night'.

MG

[crisp]

The Eddie Cantor set The Columbia Years 1922-1940 (this one) has a lovely obscurity, The Only Thing I Want For Christmas (Is Just To Keep The Things That I've Got). Don't be put off by the title!

Bing Crosby does When A Child Is Born on Beautiful Memories and Sleigh Ride on Seasons, both latterday albums in his career.

[crisp]

Tony Bennett sings White Christmas on Bennett/Berlin.

[jazzbo]

I really love Tony Scott's tribute to Billie Holiday album, Billie herself doesn't appear on the album.

[Chuck Nessa]

Back in the olden days when Uptown records was operated by 2 guys they frequently recorded a Christmas tune at the end of a session for future release. The 2 guys divorced and formed Uptown and Reservoir as individual operations and they split the unissued masters. Bob Sunenblick's Uptown issued a Christmas cd and Mark Feldman put a holiday treat (Sleigh Ride) on Ralph Moore's Round Trip.

Edited December 14, 2013 by Chuck Nessa

[GA Russell]

Manfred Mann recorded God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemenn (sic).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Down-The-Road-Apiece-Recordings/dp/B000QGDHU8/ref=ntt_mus_dp_dpt_17

http://www.amazon.com/God-Rest-Merry-Gentlemen-1999/dp/B008ILOEJ6/ref=sr_1_cc_3?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1387074926&sr=1-3-catcorr&keywords=manfred+mann+god+rest+ye

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000I50R/ref=dm_ws_ps_cdp?ie=UTF8&qid=1387074926&s=music&sr=1-3-catcorr

[A Lark Ascending]

"River"

And then there's 'The Messiah'. Although associated with Xmas most of it relates to Easter.

Edited December 15, 2013 by A Lark Ascending