Christmas Jazz Jam
| Christmas Jazz Jam | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 9, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | January 6–7, 2009 | |||
| Genre | Christmas music, jazz | |||
| Length | 68:31 | |||
| Label | Compass Productions | |||
| Producer | Jeff Jones | |||
| Wynton Marsalis chronology | ||||
| ||||
Christmas Jazz Jam is a Christmas album by Wynton Marsalis that was released in 2009 by Compass Productions. Musicians on the album include Wessell Anderson on alto saxophone, Vincent Gardner and Wycliffe Gordon on trombone, Victor Goines on saxophone and clarinet, and Herlin Riley on drums.
In 2009 the album reached peak positions of number six on Billboard's Jazz Albums chart, number nine on the Top Holiday Albums chart, and number nineteen on the Top Independent Albums chart. In 2010 the album reached number 125 on the Billboard 200.[1]
Background and composition
Christmas Jazz Jam marked Marsalis' first holiday album in twenty years. For the album, Marsalis assembled a group of ten musicians to perform uncredited arrangements of twelve holiday standards.[2] Following "Mary Had a Baby" are traditional New Orleans jazz-style renditions of "Jingle Bells" (James Pierpont) and "Blue Christmas" (Billy Hayes, Jay W. Johnson).[2]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Los Angeles Times |   [2] |
Kirk Silsbee of the Los Angeles Times awarded the album three of four stars and called the arrangements "smart yet not ostentatious".[2]
Track listing
- "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" (John Frederick Coots, Haven Gillespie) – 4:50
- "Mary Had a Baby" – 4:03
- "Jingle Bells" (James Pierpont) – 4:43
- "Blue Christmas" (Billy Hayes, Jay W. Johnson) – 5:24
- "Go Tell It on the Mountain" (John Wesley Work, Jr.) – 7:08
- "O Christmas Tree" (Ernst Anschutz) – 7:25
- "O Little Town of Bethlehem" (Phillips Brooks) – 7:21
- "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (Johnny Marks) – 6:05
- "The Christmas Song" (Mel Torme, Robert Wells) – 5:30
- "Good King Wenceslas" (Thomas Helmore, John Mason Neale) – 6:49
- "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane) – 7:08
- "Greensleeves" (traditional) – 2:05
Charts
In 2009 Christmas Jazz Jam reached peak positions of number six on Billboard's Jazz Albums chart, number nine on the Top Holiday Albums chart, and number nineteen on the Top Independent Albums chart. In 2010 the album reached number 125 on the Billboard 200.[1]
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard's Jazz Albums | 6 |
| Billboard's Top Holiday Albums | 9 |
| Billboard's Top Independent Albums | 19 |
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
| Billboard 200 | 125 |
Personnel
- Wynton Marsalis – trumpet
- Victor Goines – soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, clarinet
- Walter Blanding – soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
- Wessell Anderson – alto saxophone
- Paul Nedzela –baritone saxophone, bass clarinet
- Vincent Gardner – trombone
- Wycliffe Gordon – trombone, tuba
- Reginald Veal – double bass
- Herlin Riley – drums
- Dan Nimmer – piano
- Don Vappie – banjo, guitar, vocals
- Roberta Gumbel – vocals
- Jeff Jones – producer
- Joanne Levey – assistant producer
- Jason Dale – engineer
- Justin Gerrish – assistant engineer
- Fernando Lodeiro – assistant engineer
- Evan Manners – assistant engineer
- Shinobu Mitsuoka – assistant engineer
See also
- Best-selling Christmas/holiday albums in the United States
- Christmas carol
- List of Christmas carols
- Wynton Marsalis discography
References
- ^ a b "Christmas Jazz Jam: Charts & Awards". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Silsbee, Kirk (December 10, 2010). "Holiday jazz CDs". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. ISSN 0458-3035. OCLC 3638237. Retrieved November 4, 2011.