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Joy Of Christmas PastGRP Records rose to prominence as purveyors of synthesized smooth jazz and fusion pop during the 1980's. The label was bought by MCA in 1990, and MCA owned the rich archives of dozens of labels including Decca, ABC, Coral, and Chess. After MCA opened those vaults, The Joy Of Christmas Past (1994) was one of GRP's earliest archival efforts. It was part of their Gold Encore Series which collected wonderful vintage jazz - not a synthesizer in sight! Most of the songs on The Joy Of Christmas Past were extremely rare at the time and, years later, some still are.

Beginning with "Swingin' For Christmas," Gene Ammons' raucous 1948 hard bop assault on the holidays, we travel through two decades of jazz. We stop along the way for Mel Tormé's original 1954 recording of his own "Christmas Song," forever associated with Nat King Cole. We get three tracks from Louis Armstrong, including both sides of his historic 1955 Decca single, and three more from Ramsey Lewis' early 60's Sounds Of Christmas series. By the late 60's, we are witnessing forward-thinking performances like Kenny Burrell's "Little Drummer Boy" (which resembles funk) and the Soulful Strings' "Sleigh Ride" (which resembles disco), as well as Duke Ellington's heady arrangement of Ron Collier's "Silent Night, Lonely Night."

Simply put, there's a lot to like on The Joy Of Christmas Past, with nearly all the songs qualifying as essential listening (see below). Best of all, the album takes a broad, inclusive approach to the genre. Vocals and instrumentals are almost evenly split, and the sound ranges from a bright, brassy "Let It Snow" from Les Brown to a quiet, meditative "Snowfall" from Ahmad Jamal - perhaps my favorite arrangement of that great Clause Thornhill composition. With such variety, The Joy Of Christmas Past really holds the listener's attention - except, perhaps, on the two versions of "Silent Night," a song that almost always bores me to death....

Traditional Jazz ChristmasOur jazz journey through Christmas past concludes, somewhat incongruously, with Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World." It's a lovely song, and it serves as something of a benediction for Armstrong's long, beatific career. The problem is, it's a pure pop song - just strings and Louis' vocal - and it literally never mentions the holidays. Released in 1967, "What A Wonderful World" was a minor hit in the United States in 1968, but it was a #1 smash in England. Much later, it cracked the Top 40 in America after being featured in the 1988 Robin Williams movie Good Morning Vietnam. But, I've searched high and low for a tangible reason why "What A Wonderful World" became a popular Christmas song, and I can't find one. It just did - like it or not.

All the same, if you were going to buy just one jazz Christmas album, GRP's The Joy Of Christmas Past would be a pretty good choice. But, it's worth noting what you wouldn't get. All 16 tracks were drawn exclusively from archives owned by MCA, so you'd get no tracks from the rich Polygram vault, including the Verve and Mercury labels, nor from Capitol Records, which includes Blue Note. At the time, those were all separate companies, though they eventually consolidated under the Universal umbrella. You'd also miss out on any of the Columbia or RCA masters, today both owned by Sony, or any of the countless independent labels like Riverside, Okeh, and Bethlehem that contributed to America's jazz legacy. So, bottom line, you need more than one jazz Christmas album....

Consumer Notes

The Joy Of Christmas Past was released on compact disc, and it's never been reissued for download and streaming. It is, however, very similar to GRP's later Traditional Jazz Christmas (1997), and that album did make the leap into the digital realm. Traditional Jazz Christmas subtracts three cuts from The Joy Of Christmas Past, but it adds in Lionel Hampton's rarely anthologized "Swingle Jingle" from his 1964 Impulse album You Better Know It!!! And, I feel compelled to point out that Traditional Jazz Christmas is the companion to Contemporary Jazz Christmas, which I don't recommend at all... [top of page]

Albums Albums

SongsEssential Songs

  • Christmas Blues (Ramsey Lewis, 1961)
  • Christmas In New Orleans (Louis Armstrong, 1955)
  • Christmas Night In Harlem (Louis Armstrong, 1955)
  • The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) (Mel Tormé, 1955)
  • Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Les Brown, 1952)
  • Little Drummer Boy (Kenny Burrell, 1966)
  • Ring Those Christmas Bells (Peggy Lee, 1953)
  • Silent Night, Lonely Night (Duke Ellington, 1968)
  • Sleigh Ride (Soulful Strings, 1968)
  • Snowfall (Ahmad Jamal, 1961)
  • Swingin' For Christmas (Gene Ammons, 1948)
  • Swingle Jingle (Lionel Hampton, 1964)
  • The Twelve Days Of Christmas (Ramsey Lewis, 1961)
  • What A Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong, 1969)
  • What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (Ramsey Lewis, 1961)

Further ListeningFurther Listening

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