Christmas Jazz (Part 3) ⛄️

A semi-legendary thread, now in your inbox.

Heyyy we’re in the home stretch of our Christmas jazz thread reenactment! This is my third and final post in the series¹ — here are Part 1 and Part 2, in case you came in the side door. Before we dive in, a few acknowledgments and a quick plug.

First, as you may have heard, Brenda Lee just reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 with “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” 65 years after the song’s debut. This is a feel-good story with some interesting chart calculus behind it. (Billboard naturally has the most detailed explainer.) I want to pipe up with propers for Boots Randolph, who played the famous tenor saxophone solo on the track: 16 bars with a pickup, including a clever rhythmic displacement from the end of the eighth bar into the ninth. What makes it perfect is how naturally it leaps out from the frame, before neatly receding. Lee, who turns 79 next week, deserves her flowers. Maybe save one for Boots.

And speaking of rock ‘n’ roll sax that defines the season: this is a time of year when I always delight in the surging charisma of Mars Williams, who can be heard on the full version of The Waitresses’ new wave anthem “Christmas Wrapping” — and on a series called An Ayler Christmas, beginning in 2017. The most recent is Vol. 5.

Sadly, Williams died on Nov. 20, after a long cancer battle. I still haven’t read a better tribute than this one, which

Peter Margasak

posted straightaway from Berlin (but with his heart in Chicago). Save some flowers for Mars, too.

I don’t own a physical copy of any Ayler Christmas album, which is the only reason they aren’t in the thread. (Them’s the rules. Arbitrary, but I stick to ‘em.) I also didn’t yet grab copies of the fine new releases by Gregory Porter and Samara Joy, which explains their omission below. (I did pay respects with this episode of The Late Set, icymi.) And with that, I’ve exhausted the preambulatory runway. Let’s get to it.

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The Semi-Legendary Christmas Jazz Thread (Part 3)

Good things come to those who wait: Norah strikes a delicious balance of downcast and dreamy here, introducing a few future classics. And if you’re an HBO music supervisor but haven’t yet peeped her “Christmas Don’t Be Late,” you should fire yourself 🐿

The Westerlies: a brass quartet with chops for days, but an even deeper lyrical heart. Their holiday effort is a quiet stunner with some Britten, some Bill Evans, and a hip, heraldic “Deck the Halls” 🎺

Duke Pearson was still doing A&R for Blue Note in 1969, when he made Merry Ole Soul (which the label reissued on vinyl this year). Such a cool session, in no way overthought or overworked. Mickey Roker just kills it on “Little Drummer Boy” 🥁

A mug of hot cocoa with peppermint schnapps: that’s the Kat Edmonson vibe. Exceptional payoff on “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm” 🛷

Merry Christmas From José James coulda/shoulda been titled ‘Merry Old Soul.’ A post-Dilla take on Hathaway, a sublime “Christmas Waltz.” Ben Williams and especially Aaron Parks putting in the MVP effort 🎄

Finally had to cop the LP. Kenny Burrell’s 1966 Christmas album is just beyond: effortlessly hip, eminently cool, a symphony of groove.

Grabbed this revised comp off eBay mainly for Herbie and Chick’s “Deck the Halls” (Woody Shaw!) — but it’s also top-shelf Duke, Carmen, and Miles w/ Bob Dorough.

An assemblage, not a proper album, but why quibble? Just A+ all the way, with the OG “‘Zat You, Santa Claus?” and “Christmas in New Orleans,” a lovely Ella duet, and a poetry reading that’s literally a gift from Pops’ home to yours.

You know you’re in good hands when Christian Sands sets “God Rest Ye” as a cha-cha-chá. Add Stefon Harris on two earnest originals, and you have a true crowd-pleaser ☃️

Snappy and serious, resolute in its refusal of kitsch, George Burton’s Yule Log is the Christmas jazz album for skeptics. Beautifully done, with a warm, centered vocal turn by Nancy Harms. 🍸

1. Until next year? Don’t threaten me with a good time.