Christmas Jazz/Pop/Rock Albums You Would Recommend

[page]

I think I have a cassette of the Carpenters singing carols somewhere, can't remember the title of the album though.

[mjzee]

[A Lark Ascending]

I think I have a cassette of the Carpenters singing carols somewhere, can't remember the title of the album though.

Might it have been in Bethlehem? That stable probably needed fixing up and they might have been singing in their break.

[page]

I think I have a cassette of the Carpenters singing carols somewhere, can't remember the title of the album though.

Might it have been in Bethlehem? That stable probably needed fixing up and they might have been singing in their break.

I'm not sure. I'll have to look for it, it is probably in the attic. I do not play my cassettes very often these days, but I still have some.

[BFrank]

If you're a fan of NIck Lowe's current 'crooner' phase, there's some good stuff here - incl some originals.

[Shawn]

Not strictly a Christmas album but does have a nice winter/holiday vibe to it. All instrumental (with some backing wordless choir vocals on some tracks), mellow progressive rock album featuring some beautiful guitar playing by Andrew Latimer.

Camel - The Snow Goose (1975)

[GA Russell]

I see that an old Paul Revere and the Raiders Christmas album which I don't recall called A Christmas Present...and Past has been re-released, and is up on Spotify as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Present-Past-Revere-Raiders/dp/B000AXWHLW/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1386827481&sr=1-1&keywords=paul+revere+and+the+raiders+christmas

[jeffcrom]

Staple Singers - 25th Day of December (Riverside). From their early-60s Riverside stint, when they were still a raw, unadorned gospel group.

[page]

So today at work I heard a song and I recognized the singer but thought: "Which song is that?" So I looked for the playlist of the radio station and I saw "What are you doing New Year's Eve?" with the album cover that belonged with it and I thought: "I have that album myself!" Since I usually do not listen to Christmas music outside the season, I hadn't recognized it. I bought the album at the time since I had to perform a song at a Christmas recital and had picked a classic, but really liked the rendition of this singer and wanted to do something similar. That song was "Christmas time is here." Still, one of my favourites, although not my favourite Christmas song.

The album: Christmas Songs by Diana Krall


This is my favourite Christmas song of all time:

Fay Lovsky - Christmas was a friend of mine. Fay is a wonderful talented musician, talented in many ways. I have admired her for a long time. She plays several instruments with the theremin and singing saw among them. This was her first hit probably and I never forgot about her so I play it every year. I especially like the choir part at the end.

[Chuck Nessa]

[page]

Bugge Wesseltoft is wonderful jazz pianist. I still have to get this album, but I didn't get to it yet as I want to get his album "Songs" first. Can't buy everything at once.
This is the title track:

Bugge Wesseltoft - It's snowing on my piano

Edited December 14, 2013 by page

[TedR]

James Taylor At Christmas. A holiday favorite of my wife and mine.

[Ted O'Reilly]

From the more jazz-traditional side, there's a terrific LP (never on CD?) by the World's Greatest Jazz Band of Yank Lawson and Bob Haggart. And another that always appeals by the Black Eagle Jazz Band...

[A Lark Ascending]

A lovely one I've recently acquired. French folky stuff - lovely vocals, folky instrumentation.

French folk music does not seem to get much attention outside of France - I have a couple of dozen discs but getting any idea of the history, key performers, best records etc is hard. Everything seems to stop after Alan Stivell, Malicorne and Pierre Bensusan.

I do like the hurgy-gurdy/bagpipe driven stuff.

Edited December 18, 2013 by A Lark Ascending

[Soulstation1]

I totally love Blue Christmas by Elvis Presley

[medjuck]

I totally love Blue Christmas by Elvis Presley

And there's a 6 1/2 minute version of Charles Brown's Merry Christmas Baby that's really good on a cd called "Reconsider Baby (Elvis Sings the Blues)".

[Soulstation1]

Charles Brown

Please Come Home For Christmas

[Homefromtheforest]

I always pull out my John Fahey Christmas CDs/Lps this time of year. He brings his dynamic sensitivity to this wonderful music...

[GA Russell]

Charles Brown

Please Come Home For Christmas

This King album is a favorite of mine. It goes in and out of print. I see that the CD is now going for $39.87, but the cassette is going for only $2.75

http://www.amazon.com/Please-Come-Christmas-Charles-Brown/dp/B0000017BB/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1387950400&sr=1-2&keywords=charles+brown+please+come+home+for+christmas