jazz/xmas gig coming up - what "holiday" tunes should I know

[basss]

I have a gig described as "jazz standards/holiday" music coming up. I'm good on the standards part but would like to hear from people who have played "jazz christmas music". What tunes should I know? The band is a piano trio.

[Alex van Funk]

http://www.wikiupload.com/comment.php?id=77623 this is an intense version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

[Mingus Fingus]

i have a similar gig with a guitar duo for a wedding, and they requested some christmas tunes to be played. instead of taking the time to write them out i bought this book (the real christmas book)...seems to just be lead sheets and has plenty of stuff to cover a full gig. for $20 it was worth it to not have to transcribe a bunch of xmas music.

http://www.amazon.com/Real-Christmas...8172689&sr=8-1

[bassist14]

these are my favorites:

01. It s Beginning To Look a lot Like Christmas - Meredith Wilson
02. Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire - The Christmas Song. Mel Tormé & Robert Wells
03. The Christmas Waltz - Jule Styne & Sammy Cahn
04. Rudolph The Rednosed Reindeer - Johnny Marks
05. Adeste fideles - John Francis Wade o. John Redding o. Marcus Antonius de Fonseca o. Saint Bonaventure
06. Silver Bells - Jay Livingston & Ray Evans, T. Haven Gillespie
07. Winter Wonderland - Felix Bernard & Dick Smith
08. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane
09. Let It Snow! - Jule Styne & Sammy Cahn
10. Snowy White Snow And Jingle Bells - Billy Reid, Harold Irving, Ralph Ruvin, John Sheridan, Dennis Berger
11. I'll Be Home For Christmas - Walter Kent &: Buck Ram & Kim Gannon
12. Sleigh Ride - Leroy Anderson
13. O Holy Night - Adolphe Adam
14. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - J. Fred Coots
15. White Christmas - Irving Berlin

[Alexi David]

Last Christmas by George Michael

[basss]

Had my first one of the season last night. Great list of tunes Bassist14. I learned most of those and was good to go on the gig. I also picked up the Xmas real book too. I found Tony Bennet's A Swingin Christmas album on Napster - features the Basie band. Nice jazzy selection of xmas standards but not too highly arranged - the changes they use translate well to pick up groups.

[Alexi David]

If you go to my website, under recordings>sideman, there's a great version of "Let it Snow!" with me, Junior Mance and José James. I like to take a lot of those tunes and bluez em up!

[bassist14]

here you got the top 25:

http://www.ascap.com/press/2006/112706_xmassongs.html

(thats where my band searched for a cd-production. the above posted list (my post#4) is the tracklisting)

[MD]

We're adding Vince Guaraldi's "Christmas Time Is Here" to our list of two.

http://www.last.fm/music/Vince+Guara...s+Time+Is+Here

[MDEbass]

for this reason..i found a "christmas real book." its just like the other real books except xmas songs

[azureblue]

The two "real" Xmas jazz tunes:
Mel Torme's (The Xmas song (Chestnuts Roasting))
Christmas time is here (Peanuts Xmas)- I love the progression for this tune and how it uses a very simple melody to hold the chords together..

[Kevin Hsieh]

fast forward to the second half of the file and listen from there

http://www.columbia.edu/~ksh2115/music/band.mp3

[ZigyBass77]

what about Auld Lang Syne

[Marcus Johnson]

Made it all the way to last night (Christmas)..... no Xmas tunes up to that point. Then this gigantic Canadian kid came up and requested "Linus and Lucy", from "A Charlie Brown Christmas". Left us a nice tip, so no harm, no foul.

Afterwards, we figured what the hell, so we did a Monkified version of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"... ala "Blue Monk". Retired them tunes 'til next year.

[MDEbass]

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

Afterwards, we figured what the hell, so we did a Monkified version of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"... ala "Blue Monk".

haha. nice. i can imagine how that would sound

[Mark Perna]

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

Made it all the way to last night (Christmas)..... no Xmas tunes up to that point.

Man, you are lucky. I've been inundated with Xmas songs this year. The way I figure it, I'll have 'em down by New Year...

mark

[joel kelsey]

This may be a little late, but...Ray Brown has a Christmas album that sounds good. I made a Christmas CD for my extended family this year and I found Ray's album to be very helpful. EVERYBODY wants to hear Christmas songs played on the bass!

[Marcus Johnson]

Originally Posted by calivox

Man, you are lucky. I've been inundated with Xmas songs this year. The way I figure it, I'll have 'em down by New Year...

mark

I actually don't mind playing holiday music so much. Christmas is kind of like my own birthday, though.... it just seems to sneak up on me.

[Sam Sherry]

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

Christmas is kind of like my own birthday, though....

It seems appropriate to say that we are, indeed, graced with your presence here at TB/DB . . .

And no wonder you've chosen to spend your time in paradise . . .

[Marcus Johnson]

Oh man.... I did NOT mean it like that!

Now I gotta watch out for lightning bolts from above.....