When the bells all ring and the horns all blow, with new love also comes the New Year and a desire to welcome it with the object of her affection. Her plaintive cry is to embrace the dream of new possibilities together.
He loves me, he loves me not …
In 1957, two giants of music paired up for a Christmas special guaranteed to put you in the Holiday mood. Here are Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby, in their prime, singing “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” and “White Christmas”.
“Marshmallow World” may not be jazz, but it is definitely Christmas … and these two characters are definitely Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra (in a 1967 TV special). You can’t rub them together without making sparks!
“The Christmas Song” (Merry Christmas To You) is a true classic, written by Mel Tormé and Bob Wells in 1944. It was first recorded by Nat Cole and the The King Cole Trio in 1946 … then recorded again in stereo with a full orchestra conducted by Ralph Carmichael, using the same arrangement for Nat King Cole’s Christmas Song album in 1961. Since then it has been recorded more than 254 times by artists ranging from Frank Sinatra and Mel Tormé himself, to the likes of Christina Aguilera and Justin Bieber in more recent times!
Get Hammered with jazz great Charles Mingus’s Egg Nog recipe!
Jazz pioneer Charles Mingus (1922-1979) had a secret recipe for eggnog that by all accounts was delicious, and incredibly potent. He shared the recipe with biographer Janet Coleman who published it in her book Mingus/Mingus: Two Memoirs. Maybe you’ll want to test drive this brew for the Holidays. Starting right now, drink a few cups everyday until Christmas. In case Santa decides to leave only coal in your stocking, you’re covered. You won’t care, anyway!
This video was taken on March 28, 1960 in Düsseldorf, West Germany during Coltrane’s first time in Europe. The band is one of Miles Davis’s first great quintets, but without Miles who chose to sit out this particular night. It’s John Coltrane on tenor with sidemen Wynton Kelly on Piano, Paul Chambers bass and Jimmy Cobb drums … all stars in their own right. The clip is sourced from the John Coltrane “Jazz Icons” DVD.
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