The decorations are up, and now it’s time to break out those once per year CDs and listen to some Christmas tunes. We have hundreds of CDs, but only four Christmas ones, so here they are:
- Jingle Bell Jazz. It came out of the bargain bin years ago, but it really is good jazz with some cool takes on the classic caroles by Duke, Miles, Brubeck, Herbie Hancock and others.
- Yule Be Miserable. This one came as a birthday gift a few years back from some friends who know me well. Click here for a good look at the cover. This is a great drunk and passed out in a bar with Santa blues and jazz collection featuring the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, BB King, and Billie Holiday. I look forward to this one every year.
- Merry Christmas from Yo La Tengo. This one came from Yo La Tengo’s website a few years ago, but doesn’t seem to be available any longer. It’s three Santa songs that rock. I love Yo La Tengo, and I’d go to their Hannukah shows if I lived in New York.
- A Charlie Brown Christmas by Vince Guaraldi. This one is, for me, the sound of the season.
I always look forward to these CDs each year. I suppose I could listen to them at other times than Christmas, but then they probably wouldn’t be as fun as they are when I only listen to them for two weeks at the end of the year. Well, the CDs are playing, the decorations are up. What’s next? Christmas TV. Yes!
James Brush is a teacher and writer who lives in Austin, TX. He tries to get outside as much as possible.
I agree on the Vince Guaraldi. One of my favorites. And I did listen to it throughout the year one year, and the “magic” was lost when Christmas actually came around. It’s just that much better because of the rarity of play.
I went through a listen to all my jazz in one summer thing once, but I skipped over the Christmas stuff for that very reason.