Swingin' Christmas

Rate It! Avg: 4.5 (53 ratings)
Swingin' Christmas album cover
Album Information

Total Tracks: 20   Total Length: 55:52

eMusic Review 0

Avatar Image
Sam Adams

eMusic Contributor

Sam Adams writes for the Los Angeles Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Onion A.V. Club, Time Out New York, Time Out Chicago, Cowbell and the Philadelphia Ci...more »

09.27.06
Various, Swingin’ Christmas
2001 | Label: Membran Ltd. / The Orchard

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.

Write a Review 1 Member Review

Please register before you review a release. Register

user avatar

Good stuff

HerculesMulligan

I really dig this collection -- it has a great balance between familiar favorites and forgotten stuff like "Santa Claus Came in the Spring." Great party soundtrack.

Recommended Albums

eMusic Features

0

Rising Tide of Female Jazz Singers

By Dan Ouellette, eMusic Contributor

While the legendary voices of such jazz icons as Billie, Ella and Sarah still ring true, subsequent generations of female jazz vocalists have taken the music in new directions, especially in the '90s, ranging from Cassandra Wilson's new-standard caress to Diana Krall's classics with a twist. Taking their lead, young singers over the last decade have been swinging the vocal tradition onto a new plateau with a pop sensibility. In the mix are tunes by… more »