Christmas Music

[Late]

2 hours ago, Kevin Bresnahan said:

Urbie Green's "A Cool Yuletide" is pretty awesome.

Yes!!

[Late]

A few years back, Real Gone Music had a Christmas album reissue campaign (think Andre Kostelanetz, George Melachrino, Jack Jones)—mainly albums from the 50's and 60's—that brought back vintage holiday music from the Lp days onto compact disc. I've noticed that some of these titles are now out-of-print and going for absurdly high prices on the used market.

What Christmas albums from the 50's and 60's did you listen to back in the day, and what do you recommend? I always liked the Firestone holiday albums, even if some tracks were fairly tepid. I think my family had 2 or 3 of the volumes.

[Ed S]

I fondly remember those Firestone records, and while some of the stuff was pretty lame, the memories I have of those Christmas songs being played at Christmas time as a kid are not.

A few albums I enjoyed then and have CDs of now are the Nat King Cole  - The Christmas Song, Christmas with Chet Atkins, Glen Campbell - That Christmas Feeling, and Harry Belafonte - To Wish You A Merry Christmas.

[mikeweil]

On 11/15/2025 at 5:58 AM, Late said:

 

One of my all-time favorite Christmas albums. Dorothy Ashby is such a badass.

Is there any info about the rhythm section?

Cleveland Eaton on bass? Henry Gibson on congas?

It is really very nice, but copies go for high prices.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

When I was a kid, my parents played Mitch Miller & the Gang's "Holiday Sing Along With Mitch" quite a bit. I remember singing along with my family, although singing might not be the right word... more like screaming along with Mitch.

[Late]

40 minutes ago, mikeweil said:

Is there any info about the rhythm section?

Cleveland Eaton on bass? Henry Gibson on congas?

It is really very nice, but copies go for high prices.

I just read through the liner notes, and there's no designated listing of personnel. That said, certain players are mentioned. They are:

Richard Evans: arranger
Cleveland Eaton: cello (!)
Dorothy Ashby: harp
Phil Upchurch: guitar
Bobby Christian: vibes
Lenard Druss: flute, English horn
Ron Steele: sitar
"Uncredited": drums & conga

(Note: Druss does spell his first name "Lenard" as opposed to the more common "Leonard.")

Full album

Claude Thornhill's "Snowfall" is covered.👌

 

12 hours ago, Ed S said:

I fondly remember those Firestone records...

Me too (from those I've heard). My favorite track was Jack Jones on "This Is That Time of The Year," which (if I'm not mistaken) was written expressly for the Firestone release.

 

 

[JSngry]

Goodyear had a series too 

[Late]

13 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Goodyear had a series too 

Christmas and car tires. A natural partnership! 😛

[JSngry]

Trees.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I seem to remember those Firestone & Goodyear LPs in my parents' record stash. My brother might have all of those Christmas records. I was offered them when my parents passed but they were very heavily played on an old console record player, probably with a ceramic cartridge and usually with them stacked 3 or 4 LPs high. I actually did take one home - Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" but it was so scratched up, I could barely hear the music. Record care was not a thing back then. 

[mikeweil]

How about suggesting a Soulful Strings box set to Mosaic?

[GA Russell]

On 11/14/2025 at 12:39 PM, GA Russell said:

Jeremy Pelt Christmas Interlude Impacting November 14th, 2025 Format: Jazz   # Artist and Track Title Time       1. Jeremy Pelt - The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) 04:10       2. Jeremy Pelt - We Three Kings 04:20       3. Jeremy Pelt - Christmas Time Is Here 04:39       4. Jeremy Pelt - The Little Drummer Boy 03:52       5. Jeremy Pelt - Winter Wonderland 04:53     New from HighNote Records JEREMY PELT - Christmas Interlude Jeremy Pelt - trumpet Victor Gould – piano, Fender Rhodes (tr. 2-4) Leighton Harrell – acoustic bass (except tr. 1) Jared Spears – drums (except tr. 1)   Jeremy Pelt isn't content to just dust off the holiday songbook — he gives it a bright new shine. One of today's most creative and consistently compelling trumpeters, Pelt brings his signature mix of smarts, soul, and swing to this inspired set list, where classic fare gets a decidedly contemporary spin. In the capable hands of this all-star quartet, “Winter Wonderland” bounces along with straight-ahead joy, “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire” glows with intimacy, while “The Little Drummer Boy” and “We Three Kings” get a sleek, modern makeover courtesy of the Fender Rhodes and the group's   cool, clever arrangements. It's all vintage Pelt — inventive, soulful, and deeply musical. Sure, it's a Christmas album, but at its core, it's a sparkling celebration of jazz itself, played with warmth, wit, and real sophistication. - Ray Osnato for HighNote Records Like our stuff?  Let’s hear from you. Record Company Contact Barney Fields • HighNote Records, Inc. jazzdepo@ix.netcom.com • (212) 873-2020 • www.jazzdepot.com   Jeremy Pel... Jeremy Pel...

Taken together, these performances show that Jeremy Pelt never intended simply to play Christmas music – he endeavored to rethink it, with each track unfolding like a conversation between respected tradition and present-tense imagination.

The venerable Christmas standard “We Three Kings” is transformed into a sleek, modern jazz waltz with a distinctly hip vibe that recalls Freddie Hubbard's “Blue Spirits.”

The colors and phrasing the ensemble brings to “Christmas Time Is Here” are impressively unique and beautifully call to mind  the song's hopeful last line: “Oh, that we could always see such spirit through the year.”

“The Little Drummer Boy” receives a strikingly modern treatment with a distinctive, thought-provoking interpretation of a tune you thought you knew.

In the capable hands of this all-star quartet, “Winter Wonderland” bounces along with straight-ahead joy, while “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire” glows with whispered intimacy.

It's all vintage Pelt — inventive, soulful, and deeply musical. Sure, it's a Christmas album, but at its core, it's a sparkling celebration of jazz itself, played with warmth, wit, and real sophistication. - Excerpted from the liner notes by Ray Osnato