2025 marks the 75th anniversary of Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts, which debuted in a mere seven newspapers on October 2, 1950. It’s also the 60th anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas, which debuted December 9, 1965. Likely as a result, several of the regional combos that have made a cottage industry of holiday-themed shows dominated by Guaraldi’s music from A Charlie Brown Christmas have released albums this season. They’re covered below, along with the usual assortment of tasty entries from all manner of folks.
Onward!
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The interplay between Sasse and Gjakonovsky is terrific throughout, whether the bass comps behind improv piano bridges, or vice versa.
The album opens with a feisty, mid-tempo reading of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” highlighted by the first of Sasse’s many inventive improv solos: both cascades of single-note melodies, and — when the bridge shifts into swing time — equally sparkling chord progressions. “White Christmas” is as an equally up-tempo finger-snapper, boasting a lightning-swift piano bridge against Gjakonovsky’s sleek walking bass … along with a nod to Count Basie, during the three-note finale.
The trio is equally adept at gentler numbers, such as a sweetly solemn reading of “Angels We Have Heard on High,” the hymn-like arrangement of “Lo, a Rose E’er Blooming” and a bittersweet handling of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Sasses’ improv bridge of the latter wanders all over the keyboard, with deconstructed bits of melody reflecting the emotion of the melancholy moment in 1944’s Meet Me in St. Louis, when Judy Garland sings the tune to young Margaret O’Brien. The sacred German carol “Heiligste Nacht (Most Holy Night)” also gets a hymn-like approach and lyrical keyboard bridge.
The pace picks up again in a dynamic handling of the German Christmas carol “Zu Bethlehem Geboren (Born in Bethlehem),” boasting lively keyboard runs with lightning-fast filigrees and a tasty (albeit too brief) drum solo. The album concludes with a kick-ass arrangement of “Sleigh Ride,” with the melody taken on pennywhistle (!) against Gjakonovsky’s fiery walking bass; you can practically hear the snow-driven sleigh runners. Sasse inserts a vibrant keyboard bridge, and then everybody brings the tune home: a great finish to a truly enjoyable album.
As often is typical of South American styles, Quintero delivers plenty of repetitive, vamp-like phrases on his guitar; known as montunos; when his fellow sidemen do it, such rhythmic patterns are known as tumbaos. Unlike some musicians who beat such patterns to death, however, Quintero weaves brief repetitive stretches in and out of a given song’s core melody; the result always is charming.
The album opens with a lovely reading of “Jingle Bells,” highlighted by the first of Quintero’s many sparkling improv bridges against Borrero’s deft bass comping. “Let It Snow” and “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” are peppy finger-snappers powered by Serfaty’s drum work; the latter is a terrific swinger with dynamic improv bridges on both guitar and bass.
The clever arrangement of “Away in a Manger” emerges in fast waltz time, with many of the melody’s notes landing just slightly behind the beat.
Quintero shows the gentler side of his lyrical guitar on “Greensleeves” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” the latter featuring a dexterous and energetic guitar solos against a cool bass and drums tumbao.
Two tracks are guitar solos: a contemplative handling of “Angels We Have Heard on High,” with a sparkling final bridge; and an inquisitive reading of the traditional Spanish lullaby “A La Nanita Nana (To Nanny Nanny),” highlighted by effervescent finger work that seems to pose a question, and then replies with a flourish, before slowing again to a quiet finale.
It's a splendid way to conclude an enchanting album.
Mozart y Mambo spawned an offshoot named after her: The Saranbanda, which blends traditional Cuban band music with her French horn. That unit’s first album debuted in September 2024; it has been followed by the recently released Cuban Christmas, one of the most distinctive holiday jazz albums to cross my threshold. The 18-member unit features Willis (French horn), Yuniet Lombida (sax), Harold Madrigal Frías (trumpet), Ernesto Oliva (piano), Carlos Garcia (bass), Adel González (congas), Alejandro Aguilar (timbales), Jesús Estrada (bongos and percussion) and a 10-piece string section.
The result is a bit uneven, in part because — on a few tracks — the strings overwhelm the other instruments, veering more toward Cuban-style classical than jazz: particularly true of an ambitious attempt to wrap this stylistic mélange around Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto ... which doesn’t quite work.
The album’s showpiece is a six-track Nutcracker Suite that definitely makes the listener pay attention. It begins with a mid-tempo handling of an initially cute “Overture,” which establishes a wicked beat, the melody carried by lovely unison horns. Oliva’s slick piano runs and unison horn fanfares highlight a swing-time “March,” followed by a delicate, mysterious, tip-toe-melodic approach to “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.”
The subsequent “Trepak” is a total wow, with dynamic percussion and fiery unison horns that build to a frantic finale. The tone gets soft again for a clever arrangement of “Dance of the Reed Pipes,” with gentle horns backed by clip-clop percussion. The concluding “Waltz of the Flowers” is a finger-snapper highlighted by terrific percussion; the melody is traded between solo horns, until the entire band brings it all home.
At the quieter end of the intensity spectrum, the bolero-hued “Silent Night” is a gorgeous showcase for Willis’ French horn. The entire band delivers a lively handling of “Feliz Navidad,” which blends group vocals, hand claps, sizzling piano runs, and sharp fanfares on unison horns; you’ll feel breathless when it’s over.
Granted, most of Alpert’s early Tijuana Brass albums clocked in at just a little more than half a hour, and 1968’s Christmas Album was no exception. But that disc had 10 songs, rather than a dozen … and I’d argue that a tune “breathes” better at between three and four minutes, than between two and three minutes, as is the case with this new album. Worse yet, several of these tracks fade out, rather than concluding properly. Who does that any more?
That said, Alpert’s trumpet work is pure and sweet throughout; at 90 years young, he certainly hasn’t lost any of his chops.
Jon Gilutin’s keyboard comping adds lively sparkle to a cute reading of “Santa Baby,” while the spunky handling of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” gets its oomph from Tom Ranier (clarinet), Ryan Dragon (trombone) and Ivan Malespin (bass trombone). Jiffry’s bass and Ray Brinker’s drums turn “Winter Wonderland” into a sassy finger-snapper, and Brinker also powers an unexpectedly peppy reading of “The Christmas Song.”
A rollicking arrangement of “My Favorite Things” sounds like vintage TJB, thanks to drummer Jaz Sawyer, bassist Andre de Santanna and trombonist Ryan Dragon.
On the gentler end, Alpert’s horn is positively wistful on “Christmas Time Is Here,” and a meditative reading of “Greensleeves” backs the trumpet line with gentle touches from Gilutin’s keyboards and Jiffry’s bass.
Ultimately, though, the album is a constant case of wanting more from each track … which I suppose is a compliment, albeit a backhanded one.
The album opens with a swinging version of “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” with Burtschi and Barbier laying down a vamp that sorta-kinda evokes Miles Davis’ “All Blues.” Wilkinson’s solo showcases his lightning-fast finger work; Burtschi then delivers lovely bass improv against Wilkinson’s sweet guitar comping.
A strong percussive beat introduces a finger-snapping cover of “White Christmas” that’s a lot of fun; an initially whimsical arrangement of “Deck the Halls” slides into a swing-time bridge that showcases Burtschi’s deft walking bass. “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” is slow and deliberate, sounding like the trio is tip-toeing through the melody; walking bass once again backs a sweet guitar solo. “The Christmas Waltz” is equally gentle, with Wilkinson’s guitar backed by quiet bass riffs and brushed drums.
On the other hand, the organ and faux string enhancements by “special guest” Thomas J. Dawson Jr., on several tracks, hardly reflect his origins as a founding member of the soul-funk band The Commodores. His sugary elements overwhelm the guitar and bass on “Silent Night,” which can’t be called jazz, and a monotonous organ “shimmer” is similarly distracting during a slow reading of “Little Drummer Boy,”
I’d have been happier if Wilkinson stuck with a trio format throughout, but there’s still plenty to enjoy on this album.
Kellso is joined by Harry Allen (tenor sax), James Chirillo (guitar and banjo), Mark Shane (piano and vocals), Pat O’Leary (bass) and Dave Ratajczak (drums). I’m particularly enchanted by the interplay between piano and guitar on numerous tracks; Chirillo and Shane seem to read each other’s minds.
(Just in passing, Allen’s 2007 album, Christmas in Swingtime, is a must for your holiday jazz library.)
Lush Life gets off to a feisty start with a vibrant arrangement of “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,” which boasts lovely unison horns and tasty solos by — in sequence — Allen, Kellso and Chirillo (on guitar). A playful percussive vamp opens “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” after which Kellso and Allen have fun trading the melody back and forth, followed by some lively piano and drum work.
The Dixieland vibe is prominent in a leisurely handling of “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” with Chirillo’s banjo taking the melody against Shane’s keyboard comping; muted trumpet, sax and bass then toss the melody back and forth until the tune fades out. Shane takes the microphone to croon his way through a similarly Dixieland stroll through “Santa Claus Came in the Spring,” backed by oom-pah percussion, sax and muted trumpet.
On the softer side, Chirillo’s lovely guitar opens a gentle reading of “Silent Night,” trading the melody with Allen’s sax, against Shane’s keyboard comping; all three subsequently wander in and around the core melody. “Joy to the World” is a surprise: an up-tempo ragtime arrangement by Shane, on solo piano, with just a touch of backing percussion.
The set concludes with a slow, appropriate gentle handling of “The Christmas Song,” primarily as a piano and guitar duet, with O’Leary’s bass adding quiet shading during Shane’s sweet keyboard solo. Indeed, all of the three final tracks are mellow ballads: quite a change, from the fiery, full-speed-ahead enthusiasm that dominates half of these 17 tracks.
The musicianship is terrific, with everybody displaying great jazz chops and theatrics, always tightly in tune with each other. That said, I do wonder whether the improv tail too frequently wags the melodic dog. Melody often seems like an afterthought, in favor of lengthy improv jams.
This hour-long session features only seven tracks, a few of which are overly self-indulgent: most notably an 11-minute assault on “Do You Hear What I Hear?” It begins with a ferocious keyboard flurry, after which Hill’s sax delivers a choppy arrangement of the melody, with perky piano echoes. The tune then vanishes during lengthy solos on sax and bass, followed by a keyboard and bass duel, then a drum solo against a piano vamp, after which the familiar melody (finally!) resurfaces in time for a furious finale.
The menu includes four key tunes from A Charlie Brown Christmas, starting with a sassy, up-tempo reading of “Linus and Lucy.” Mintel and Hill trade the melody, each supplying lively fanfares; a swing sax bridge and bass solo then shift back to Mintel, whose improv solo unexpectedly slides into several bars of “Mr. Heat Miser” (which belongs to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy these days). Mintel and Hill then return to “Linus and Lucy,” and build to a droll finale.
Mintel clearly enjoys inserting brief nods to other tunes. The combo’s sassy cover of “Skating” begins with the familiar cascade, shared here by piano and sax, then slides into a sax solo against keyboard comping and walking bass, suddenly interrupted by a few bars from “Pure Imagination.”
Mintel introduces an original composition, “Christmas Past,” as “a nice ballad.” I’ll take him at his word, but it’s difficult to extract the mid-tempo 4/4 tune from each musician’s improv solos, along with a fleeting quote from “I Can See Clearly Now.”
The set concludes with a feisty handling of Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five”: obviously not a holiday tune, and — in fairness — tagged as a bonus track. Mintel’s aggressive rolling bass keyboard vamp anchors Hill’s handling of the melody; subsequent improv solos include quotes from “My Favorite Things” and the “Flying Theme,” from E.T.
The performances are tight throughout, and the solos dynamic and captivating — although Hill’s sax gets too shrill at times — but I can’t help feeling that folks expecting to (mostly) hear the familiar melodies, will be disappointed.
This album, recorded last year at the title venue, covers almost all of that soundtrack album, with a couple extra Guaraldi tunes thrown in to fill the hour. All three musicians are dynamic and inventive performers; Versace favors keyboard-spanning runs during his solos, and Black’s walking bass work is equally tasty. Indeed, he’s much more prominent than many bassists, who too often remain in the background.
They kick off with a standard handling of “Linus and Lucy,” perhaps to establish their reverence of Guaraldi. That’s followed by a sweet reading of “Christmas Time Is Here,” which opens with a lovely keyboard “shimmer” effect, and shifts into swing for a bridge that wanders in and out of the melody. Versace perfectly handles the keyboard cascades that open “Skating,” and then goes wild during a lengthy improv bridge, with Black’s bass maintaining equal intensity.
A fleeting arrangement of “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” opens with lyrical solo piano, after which Black’s bass takes the melody; Vint’s initially gentle drums become aggressive as the song suddenly segues into “Oh, Good Grief,” the melody of which is merely a brief excuse for all three musicians to launch into a series of dynamic improv runs.
That’s the thing about many of Guaraldi’s compositions: He deliberately structured them as head-solos-head arrangements, which allows for all manner of noodling in the middle. (Indeed, Guaraldi and his combos never played a given song the same way twice.) Versace, Black and Vint follow that pattern with vigorous solos during “Oh, Good Grief,” “Cast Your Fate to the Wind” and “What Child Is This.”
Things calm down for a gentle arrangement of “My Little Drum” — again very much in Guaraldi’s mold — that includes soft vocalese “pum-tiddly-pum-pums” behind Versace’s soft piano touches. But that’s no way to end a concert, so — no surprise — the trio truly kicks into gear during “Christmas Is Coming,” which has it all: frantic keyboard runs; some great bass improv, with a nod to “Frosty, the Snowman”; and a finale the employs the core melody as a piano vamp while Vint cuts loose on his drums.
These guys put on a heckuva show.
But I was quite impressed by Shirey’s efforts on Guitar for Guaraldi, released back in 2021. He has just expanded that album's eight tracks with seven more, for Guitar for Guaraldi: A Deluxe Christmas Tribute, literally released as this column was going to bed. He’s ably accompanied by Nick Fane (upright bass) and Dave Brandwein (drums for the original eight tracks) and Joey Buttlar (drums for the new tracks). Their interplay is solid, and I’m particularly impressed by Fane’s comping and counterpoint throughout the entire album. Brandwein and Buttlar never indulge in flash, like so many drummers; they're content to supply the mellow backdrop these songs demand.
In additional to the new tracks, the original eight have been remastered, and the overall result has a much crisper and dynamic audio presentation.
As with the original soundtrack, this album opens with a lovely reading of “O Tannenbaum”: the one track with strong echoes of Guaraldi’s arrangement. Shirey solos the meditative introduction; the tempo picks up as his mates enter after close to a minute. He and Fane take cool solos at the bridge, and then bring the tune home. Fane's thoughtful bass improv highlights the sweetly sensitive reading of “Christmas Time Is Here,” and Shirey’s hard-charging improv bridge adds plenty of spice to “Great Pumpkin Waltz” (long one of my favorite Guaraldi melodies).
Fane’s moody bass introduces a slow, melancholy reading of “What Child Is This,” then settles into a vamp behind Shirey’s guitar melody, followed by Fane’s meditative bass solo. The band takes an entirely different approach to “Greensleeves” (same tune, different title), which is a perky bossa nova arrangement powered by Buttlar’s side-stick drumming. This cheerful handling is highlighted by lyrical guitar improve and a mildly saucy bass solo. “Surfin’ Snoopy (Decorating Theme)” is a double-time explosion, heighted by cookin’ walking bass and Buttlar’s enthusiastic drum solo.
Shirey’s talent shines on his handling of “Linus and Lucy,” where you’ll notice he simultaneously plays the bass vamp and melody: no small feat! He’s equally adept with the Mount Olympus of Guaraldi challenges: the opening descending cascades of “Skating,” which are every bit as effervescent here (and Shirey impishly tosses in a brief quote from “Frosty, the Snowman”).
Shirey solos on brief, sweet readings of “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” and “Fur Elise”: just the right mood for both tunes. The handling of “The Christmas Song” is wholly traditional: no solos, no improv, just a quietly sentimental blend of guitar and bass, backed by Brandwein’s soft brushes.
As my father would have said, the result is “tasty,” start to finish.
I’d normally raise a skeptical eyebrow over the blend of jazz band and string section, but engineer Tim Sonnefeld also handled the string arrangements and (with Justin Flynn) horn arrangements, and the result never loses its all-important swing.
The set gets off to a roaring start with “White Christmas,” backing Judson’s lyrics with well-placed horn fanfares. He pauses for a terrific instrumental interlude by the entire band, which segues to Aaron Janik’s sweet trumpet solo. Judson picks up the tune again, and everybody concludes the song with a flourish.
“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” is a smooth, mid-tempo 4/4 ballad, with more emphasis on strings. Judson again yields the stage for a solo, this time by tenor saxman Bob Reynolds. This arrangement feels a lot like Sinatra, and the tempo slows for Judson’s heartfelt finale.
The EP’s title track is an original: a sweetly romantic “story song” focused on the joy of sharing Christmas traditions with a loved one. Unison horn “pops” echo the initial lyrics, then introduce an instrumental bridge that yields to another tenor sax solo by Reynolds. Judson resumes the lyrical narrative, which briefly slows for what seems like a wistful finale … until the tune bursts back into life for its finale.
Judson closes with an initially soft, contemplative reading of “Silent Night,” until bassist Mike Gurrola guides the tune into gentle, mid-tempo swing; Gary Matsumoto’s piano and Reynolds’ tenor sax comp soothingly behind Judson’s vocal, building to a lush finale.
My only complaint: Why just an EP, James? I want an entire album!
The set opens with a peppy, up-tempo reading of “Frosty, the Snowman,” propelled by Grace’s sparkling trumpet. After introducing the melody, she yields to Adkins’ sassy keyboard improv, which segues to a similarly feisty trumpet solo that includes a fleeting nod to “Jingle Bells.”
Grace employs a muted trumpet on a leisurely, playful handling of “Winter Wonderland,” initially trading the melody with Adams, who later delivers some lengthy keyboard improv against Tucker’s walking bass. Mysterious keyboard shimmers introduce “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” until Schabert kicks up the beat while Tucker introduces the melody on bass; he and Adkins take turns on lead and supportive comping, after which Schabert delivers several brief drum solos that segue back to the bass/piano melodic interplay.
Following a slow, lyrical solo piano intro, Grace’s trumpet is haunting during her melancholy reading of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” which superbly allows us to feel the impact of the song’s wistful lyrics.
The final track, however, is the reason for the (mostly) qualifier above. Peppy trumpet introduces “Little Drummer Boy,” which quickly segues to harsh and cacophonous randomness by both Grace and Adkins; the song is completely lost — never to return — in the mess that follows.
Seriously? After four nice tracks, that’s how Blue Ox concludes this set?
She’s backed by Art Hirahara, piano; Steve Wood; bass; and Jay Sawyer, drums. Their accompaniment is soft and respectful while Burns sings, but each arrangement allows the trio an opportunity to shine during instrumental bridges.
The set begins with an up-tempo handling of “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm,” with Burns backed by Hirahara’s sleek keyboard touches; she pauses to allow a tasty instrumental interlude, which concludes with some nice drum work by Sawyer, and then Burns returns to finish the tune. We can picture her smiling.
Soft solo piano introduces “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” which then shifts into a gentle bossa mode that perfectly backs Burns’ wistful, melancholy vocal. The title track is a patter-style story song backed by quiet instrumental touches: an enchanting original tune by lyricist Roger Shore, set to a melody by the late jazz pianist Eddie Higgins. Midway into the song, Burns slides smoothly into Guaraldi’s “Christmas Time Is Here,” backed by Wood’s lovely bass touches; she then segues just as effortlessly back into “Almost Christmas,” to bring the story to its conclusion.
Sweet bass and drum work back a lyrical arrangement of “The Christmas Waltz,” at times with Burns cleverly lagging a bit behind the tempo. She puts her signature touch on 1941’s “Violets for Your Furs,” placing herself in great company alongside previous recordings by Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday and Shirley Horn. This is a swooningly romantic ballad, and Burns gives it just the right winsome touch.
All in all, a great way to conclude this year’s round-up!
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