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New music for the holiday season(Pt 8)Merry Christmas-José James
Jazzy interpretations of some classics along with a few originals to help to make your holidays merry & bright!
Back to the jazzy side of new holiday music for our 8th selection in my “12 Faves of Christmas”…
It’s Merry Christmas from José James – the emerging jazz artist and jazz voice for this generation. He takes a fresh spin on holiday music while honoring pop stars of the 1950s. With the classic jazz-crooner elegance of Frank Sinatra and Nat “King” Cole with the earthy sophistication of soul legends Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway, this ten-track collection is a wonderful mix of tunes and listeners can find two original tracks “Christmas in New York” and “Christmas Day” along with popular ballads such as “The Christmas Song,” “White Christmas,” “Let it Snow” and “This Christmas,” a modern twist on the Hathaway holiday favorite. In James' version, he musically brings an aspect of R&B and hip-hop to the mostly Jazz collection and adds an element of family, with a guest vocal appearance by his 8 year old daughter.
On “Christmas in New York,” which was co-written with his partner Talia Billig and featuring the all-star trio of pianist Aaron Parks, bassist Ben Williams and drummer Jharis Yokley, the acclaimed jazz vocalist explains that he composed this idealized vision of Christmas-time “for people like myself, who aren’t able to see their families for another year.” That song follows the first single from this album, a take on the John Coltrane holiday staple “My Favorite Things” featuring acclaimed saxophonist Marcus Strickland.
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Yes, it's a new release this year - But it should prove to be a new 'classic' for many, many years to come!
Check out some of the tracks here:
