Holiday | The Mark Of Jazz

Dreams Of Christmas

by Fred | Dec 24, 2021 | Holiday

Arguably, the greatest Christmas movie ever made is Irving Berlin’s star-studded White Christmas. The topmost video is the grand finale from that motion picture, guaranteed to catapult you into the Christmas spirit … in case you’re not already there. Below that are performances by young Joey Alexander and The Swingle Singers in a medley from one of their two spirit-inspiring Christmas albums. Finally I have brought The Christmas Show forward from our Jazz Scene Podcast page. May you enjoy every minute of this musical Christmas card and have the Merriest of all Christmases with the ones you love!

Joey Alexander was already an accomplished piano genius at the tender age of 14 in this performance of My Favorite Things. Clearly, jazz is one of his favorite things … and his music is one of mine!

The Incredible Swingle Singers take a step back from their usual jazz interpretations of classical music to perform a Christmas Medley in a more traditional fashion.

The Christmas Show

by Fred Masey | Jazz Scene Podcast

Steppin’ Out With My Baby – Fred Astaire

by Fred | Apr 4, 2021 | Big Band, Holiday, Soundtrack

Here’s a scene from the 1948 movie Easter Parade that is guaranteed to please any Fred Astaire fan and make a fan out of anyone who isn’t already! Astaire was unquestionably one of the greatest entertainers of all time, but as you watch him perform you realize that, as a dancer, he also had to be an extremely well conditioned athlete. Along with Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies and marshmallow Peeps … Easter Parade, Fred Astaire and Judy Garland are musts for your Easter Holiday basket. Though loosely defined as jazz, this bit of cinema magic demands that we toss away the dictionary, at least for one day every year!

Remembering Christmas Past

by Fred | Dec 24, 2020 | Holiday, Vocal

Bing Crosby was always a hero of Michael Bublé. At last in 2012, during Bublé’s Home For The Holidays Christmas Special, Michael got to realize his long standing dream of singing a duet with Bing. Through the miracle of modern technology they sing White Christmas together, and even exchange a bit of banter!

In 1963, Judy Garland hosted a live Christmas special and created a rare moment with Mel Torme and his now famous composition, The Christmas Song. Mel’s tune became an instant Christmas standard … although it was actually written in July of 1945 during a blistering hot summer in an effort to “think cool!”

Next Entries »

Real Jazz, Right Now!

This website is dedicated to the preservation and appreciation of “America’s Classical Music.” Enjoy the sights and sounds of traditional jazz and the artists who create them. Here you’ll find videos, interviews, photos and a variety of material that is sure to grab your attention.

Click!

To join our Mark Of Jazz Facebook discussion group.

also …

For more posts and to leave comments on Twitter.

You Can Subscribe

As well as follow and download the Jazz Scene Podcast on iTunes, too!

Recent Performances

Past Performances

Search Web Site

Quotables

• “If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know” — Louis Armstrong

• “Don’t play what’s there, play what’s not there” — Miles Davis

• “Some days you get up and put the horn to your chops and it sounds pretty good and you win. Some days you try and nothing works and the horn wins. This goes on and on and then you die, and the horn wins” — Dizzy Gillespie

• “Well, jazz is to me, a complete lifestyle. It’s bigger than a word. It’s a much bigger force than just something that you can say. It’s something that you have to feel. It’s something that you have to live.” — Ray Brown

• “I am an optimist. From where I sit, music is mostly all right, or at least in a healthy state for the future, in spite of the fact that it may sound as though it is being held hostage.” — Duke Ellington

Dreams Of Christmas

The Christmas Show

Steppin’ Out With My Baby – Fred Astaire