Blue Xmas

Christmas is a week away from today. I'm continuing a holiday tradition here at SIART by posting this gem from Miles Davis and Bob Dorough...

I like Christmas music, but my tastes tend towards the traditional - massed choirs, orchestral interpretations, the classic takes of the '40s, '50s and '60s. I also really like jazz versions of Xmas music, and one of my fave holiday records is an old Columbia Records album called Jingle Bell Jazz that features mostly recordings from 1961 and 1962. Some of the tracks featured include Duke Ellington's "Jingle Bells," the Chico Hamilton Quintet playing "Winter Wonderland," and the Dave Brubeck Quartet doing "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town". It also has the classic little Miles Davis and Bob Dorough duet Blue Xmas (To Whom It May Concern), a witty romp about the rampant consumerism of the holidays that still rings true today. A delightful little number sure to make you smile.