Christmas Jazz Jam
Before a red background, a man in a suit is playing a trumpet with his eyes closed; the text "Wynton Marsalis Christmas Jazz Jam" appears in a black bar across the center
Studio album by
Wynton Marsalis
ReleasedOctober 9, 2009 (2009-10-09)
RecordedJanuary 6–7, 2009
Genre
Length68:31
LabelCompass Productions
ProducerJeff Jones
Wynton Marsalis chronology
He and She
(2009)		 Christmas Jazz Jam
(2009)		 Portrait in Seven Shades
(2010)

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 tenor & soprano saxophone and clarinet, and Herlin Riley on drums.

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.[1] 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).[1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Los Angeles Times[1]

Kirk Silsbee of the Los Angeles Times awarded the album three of four stars and called the arrangements "smart yet not ostentatious".[1]

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.[2]

Track listing

Wynton Marsalis performing in 2009
  1. "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" (John Frederick Coots, Haven Gillespie) – 4:50
  2. "Mary Had a Baby" – 4:03
  3. "Jingle Bells" (James Pierpont) – 4:43
  4. "Blue Christmas" (Billy Hayes, Jay W. Johnson) – 5:24
  5. "Go Tell It on the Mountain" (John Wesley Work Jr.) – 7:08
  6. "O Christmas Tree" (Ernst Anschutz) – 7:25
  7. "O Little Town of Bethlehem" (Phillips Brooks) – 7:21
  8. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (Johnny Marks) – 6:05
  9. "The Christmas Song" (Mel Torme, Robert Wells) – 5:30
  10. "Good King Wenceslas" (Thomas Helmore, John Mason Neale) – 6:49
  11. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane) – 7:08
  12. "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.[2]

Chart (2009) Peak
position
Billboard Jazz Albums 6
Billboard Top Holiday Albums 9
Billboard Top Independent Albums 19
Chart (2010) Peak
position
Billboard 200 125

Personnel

Wycliffe Gordon
  • 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
Technical
  • 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

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Silsbee, Kirk (December 10, 2010). "Holiday jazz CDs". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. ISSN 0458-3035. OCLC 3638237. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
  2. 1 2 "Christmas Jazz Jam: Charts & Awards". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
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