78 of 78 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'm The First??, Dec 18 2002
This review is from: Very Best Of Christmas Jazz (Audio CD)
I bought this cd last year and I love it!! This cd is a collection of classic performances by Verve's elite. The opening track is not Frank DeVol, who did indeed produce the track, it's Ella Fitzgerald. Another error found on this site is the artist listing for "The Christmas Song". It's Mel Torme's performance here. A couple of tracks reappear here, they were featured on Verve's release of "Have Yourself A Jazzy Little Christmas" probably repeated here because of artist merit and performance. One such noteable track is Oscar Peterson's moving rendition of "A Child Is Born."
Verve released a contemporary jazz Christmas album a few years ago and it featured such artists as Betty Carter and Shirley Horn. Shirley's performance of "Winter Wonderland" was lifted from that project and is here. The song is treated like any other Shirley would do, and the result is, well, seductive in an innocent way, the Shirley way. "'Zat You, Santa Claus" by Louis Armstrong has been featured on many budget Christmas releases, but the version here is so well restored it sounds like it was just recorded; the mastering of this disc as a whole is breathtaking. Jimmy Smith's "Jingle Bells" is pure camp, the song arranged as a Hammond b3 piece, "Silent Night" is made even more sacred by Dinah Washington's searing vocal.
This album is an excellent highlight of holiday performances by the living legends and those who have passed, of jazz and should not be overlooked by fans of the jazz genre and Christmas music.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic jazz performances for those old enough to appreciate them, Jan 6 2011
This review is from: Very Best Of Christmas Jazz (Audio CD)
I've been taking training in voice and jazz piano and recently have come to understand just HOW GREAT performers like Ella, Mel, Sachmo, Billy Epstein, Bill Evans and others on this album really were. As a kid growing up, I really couldn't appreciate their brilliance but I do now and this recording is a real blast from the past. If you're in the proper head space to appreciate top quality performances of classic songs and arrangements from the golden age, then don't hesitate to purchase this excellent recording.
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