Category: jazz

Whether you think of your Tbone as a large trumpet or a paper clip, you must be one sliding cat to handle that sackbut.

AI calls out to us how Trombones swing and trumpets shout in the pretend jazz band of “Swingin’ Christmas Bells” by Hadrian Virtual Ensemble. There’s also glocks, but not the shooting kind.

In Corey Lynn Fayma’s “Gumbo Ya Ya Christmas” features jazz, funk, and blues–including Trombone Shorty! Clear the decks!

Channeling Elvis Josh Dower breathally intones “I’ll Trombone For Christmas.” This is not the parody you are looking for.

Splodgenessabounds calls it an ultraphone in his takedown of UK politics “you’ve got to have a dream”You’ve Got to Have a Dream.” Wacky music hall bit–Have a Banana!

Saving our musical acuities Poppa John Gordy and his Dixielanders jazz out “Santa Plays The Trombone (In the North Pole Band)” from 1954. Dixieland, i never thought i’d be so happy to see you back.

Hammers on strings? Is it percussive? Is it stringy? Play me a song, piano mass.

DG Solaris improvs “Christmas No.2” with a jaunty keyboard beat and a weird AF gratitude for what matters at Xmas. ‘Sworth a jazz minute.

D/troit’s “Motown X-Mas Song” namedrops like on a mission (incl. Marvin on the piano) to imagine the party to end all parties. More pop than R+B.

Brett Eldredge knows “It Must Be Christmas” when all his friends are in town and Tommy plays piano. Sassy easy listening with a skosh of jazz.

Boys in Shorts narrate their music making in “Christmas Lights,” a winsome reflection of light emotionality. Quite quite indie.

More shyly, UFO Race downplays the lights AND the party small talk in favor of commandeering the piano and creating a “Christmas Chime.” Frothy fun indie.

“Crazy 4 Christmas” is Mike Fish getting Dada with Xmas imagery in front of a rocking backdrop. Just my cup of shoe.

Lori (of Lori & David) promises that if you Sit by my white piano, I’ll sing you Christmas carols in the bouncy folk pop of “Ribbon on Top.” Adorable.

Den Dery gets nearly atonal with his jazzy euphoria–SHE’s here for Christmas! Puts him in a “Christmas Piano Mood.” I’m in a groovin’ kinda mood listening.

I tried to master the sweet potato at one time, even serenaded Jimmy Hollister on his KEX radio show back in the day. But i was terrible. It only had five holes in its ceramic body, still it was beyond me.

So let’s get goofy! 2 Dudes and a NES folk ballad us with “Link and Zelda’s Loving Christmas Love,” a young man’s early lessons in dealing with the opposite sex. And how to portal through these video games.

Three Sock Nonsense plays le jazz hot to overwhelm my senses with “Soap on a Rope.” The contents of the Xmas stocking we sneak a naughty peek into includes a blue ocarina… but there’s OH so much more. Mercy.

This wild wind-up stringed instrument with a keyboard is the party you did not get invited to.

I’ve been listening to a Sting song about a “Hardy Gurdy Man” from his Christmas album, but it’s not really a Christmas song. It’s a timeless tale of fleeting fame or some such misery.

Ryan Chisefsky’s “Hurdy-Durdy Christmas,” however, is the improvvable song about scatting for the Season. Jazzy. Something else.

Again: One of my favorites has Bill Wurtz contrast silly pop froth with coffeehouse beat iconoclasm. “Christmas isn’t Real” is awesome sauce, from that gossipy Easter Bunny to the two dollar scat.

“Real or Fake (Shit Ain’t for Everybody)” is the rap expose by way of Von Carter, BLUE ALERT and all the tea is spilled.

The Partitioners–also BLUE ALERT–party up the disappointment with “There is No Christmas.” Old timey rock’n’roll with a grudge.

Social Fever (feat. Diana Timbur) smash the 88 keys for the jazz purrer “There Is No Christmas Without Science” (Remastered Version). It’s the age old dilemma of faith: what we see vs. what we want to see. Cool.

Trying again, David Phelps returns us to 1983 for the hypothetical country rocker “If Everyone Believed.” More than Santa seems to be at stake here.

Looking over the evidence of Santa’s visit should be a “Beautiful Morning.” But Darkcave’s soothing indie take on this seems like the aftermath of a tragedy. Kids are going to need therapy here.

Blasphemous Basement (feat. Sinnysounds and Babbling Blubber) hit us with an experimental mixed media “Santa is Real” full of opinion and criticism. The debate is hotly contested.

“Santa Claus is a Real Guy” by Dnice and the Experiments tends to dink around but that’s all well in good in the Believe Santa campaign. Swallowed pop.

Comic relief from Eva Via repurposes the concept. “Make ’em All Believe” is about convincing the family that I Do Have a Boyfriend. This Guy I Brought. See? Poor recording of a pop hit.

Occam’s razor tells us when it smells like a rooftop landing “It Must Have Been Ol’ Santa Claus,” here revisited by Keli Vale. Changes a non-believer into a suspicious investigator. Ragtime fun.

Bucky Cash & The Low Point force the folk out of the rock in “Merry Christmas (If You Believe).” It’s not a contest, but you lost.

Southern Dogwood leads Sunday School with the pop quiz “Do You Believe in Christmas?” Santa is NOT one of the answers. Nailed to trees IS an answer.

James Lee Turner gets more secular with “Do You Believe in Christmas?” Lights and stockings get more airplay than God here. He’s name-dropped once. Could be AI, definitely dull pop.

Ben Inglis might require translating subtitles when he pounds club rock in “Do You Believe in Christmas?” Is Scots a dialect of English or nae?

Rebecca Turner dreams a dream only to recommend hugs and kisses when she asks “Do You Believe in Christmas?” Atonal folk (jazz?) that relies on the third eye more than the three French hens.

Eight million billion may be too many children for Santa. “The Grinch’s Dream” by The Yev is happy fantasy from The Mean One about Christmas interruptus.

Noelle Rose has pretty mundane dreams: trees, snow, fa la la la. Is her dull pop “Christmas Dream” an illusion, or a Target commercial?

The “Christmas Dream” of the Tartan Lads is of home. The heath, the heather, the weather… ’tis Scotland! Jesus is name-dropped as well.

What is he dreaming? asks the Christmas Choir with Murgatroyd & Burrell. Well, in “Teddie’s Christmas Wishes” the stuffy wants a… friend! New age kidsong.

Isaac Nightingale (Вадим Капустин)’s “Christmas Dream,” on the other hand, is pictures in his mind. This jazz lounge journey has a bit more suspense.

Time for electronic metal, kids! “I’m Dreaming of a Murdered Christ… mas (2023 Remastered Version)” is Sakura Pups chasing rainbows and petting kitties (kidding!).

Tony Trinidad has “A Christmas I Dream Of.” It’s pretty standard fare, i wouldn’t call in Freud or anything. A vocal coach might help this become the rap it wants to be.

Don’t let your “Dreams” be Memes warns Foster Gray and the JJ’s. Garage plinking wanders around the topic, so not as Christmassy as it could be.

When you’re not on the scene Kerry Pastine and the Crime Scene can only “Dream of Christmas Day” with an awesome bossa nova backbeat. Is that ALL you can do?