eMusic Review 0
By the time Christmas day rolls round, you've had an earful of holiday cheer, but these jazzed-up holiday tunes don't wear out your welcome mat. From the bouncy strut of Benny Goodman's "Jingle Bells" to Lionel Hampton's mellow "Merry Christmas Baby," they're hot enough to melt the stoutest snowman. Ella Fitzgerald's "Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney" (double entendre optional) throws a dash of spice in the Christmas punch, while Louis Armstrong wraps his sandpaper voice around "Is Zat You Santa Claus?" Harry James '"Brazilian Sleigh Bells" is in a class all its own, a lightning-fast Latin fanfare that moves with the speed of an eight-year-old tearing off wrapping paper Christmas morning. It may not be the most traditional collection, but Swingin 'Christmas is good enough to pull out any time of year, whether or not there's frost on the ground.