Holiday Music -- Recently Added  

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One of the few great Christmas jazz albums recorded in recent years -- one with a classic sound that takes us back to 60s holiday jazz from Blue Note and Prestige! Harry Allen's working here in a no-nonsense mode with organ, guitar, and drums backing him up -- a lean and clean sound that really... read more

First, we'll confess, we've been in love with the Aqua Teens since first stumbling upon it, bleary-eyed, on latenight cable tee vee a bunch of years ago. OK, with that said, take with however many grains of salt our word that this is the absolute funniest comedy Christmas album we've heard in... read more

Vanessa serves up a contemporary gospel batch of Christmas tunes -- but also works here with some arrangements that are more traditional than some of her regular albums of the time. Titles include "Christ The Lord", "Drummer Boy", "Go Tell It On The Mountain", "Ch... read more

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A harmony heaven way to enjoy the Holiday! The group's version of Christmas has to be one of the best-ever recorded in rock and roll -- and given the undercurrent of sadness that was coming forth in their non-Holiday hits of the period, the style here is perfect to fit the melancholy mood of the... read more

A sweet swinging Christmas from the legendary Tony Bennett -- a set that features some wonderful backing from the Count Basie Big Band, which includes a core quartet with Monty Alexander on piano! There's a really old school Holiday feel here -- the kind of Christmas record that could have been... read more

A sweet swinging Christmas from the legendary Tony Bennett -- a set that features some wonderful backing from the Count Basie Big Band, which includes a core quartet with Monty Alexander on piano! There's a really old school Holiday feel here -- the kind of Christmas record that could have been... read more

A warm, real and hokum free Christmas album from Carla Bley -- played with a depth of affection for the material on both the well known numbers and the excellent couple of originals! Karla alternates between spiritual resonance, and playful warmth, having a lot of fun with 20th Century holiday song... read more

Not the great older Christmas songs Brown recorded for King, but still a nice R&B holiday record, made years later. 9 great Christmas numbers in all: "Coming Home To Mama For Christmas", "Peace At Christmas", "What A Christmas For Me", "No friend This... read more

Excellent funky Christmas! Not everyone knows it, but James Brown cut a fair number of Christmas albums during the 60s -- 3 albums, and a bunch of singles to be exact! They're all super-rare, but this great comp brings together some of the best material from those years -- and nearly all the... read more

A 2 sided monster! Side one features James Brown's incredible Christmas tune -- one of our favorite ever, and a wonderful mix of swinging soul and catchy chorus -- a solid winner that still gets us every December! The flip's a rare instrumental -- bubbling and burning with some nice funky... read more

Why thank you -- we will! Kenny does too, as he grooves nicely and gently over arrangements by Richard Evans, perfectly crafted in that soul jazz mode of his 60s work for Chess -- not Kenny's most challenging format, to be sure, but proof that he often works better in a more structured environment... read more

A great holiday album from Ray Charles -- recorded in the 80s, but with a sound that's pretty classic all the way through! Ray's vocals are excellent -- with that raspy intimate quality that persists all through his later years -- and the sweetly jazzy arrangements work perfectly with the voice to... read more

Alvin, Dave, and crew continue their merry Christmas mayhem -- playfully delivering new versions of older Christmas favorites, all topped off by the mad studio wizardry of David Seville! If you can take squeaky-voiced rodents as much as we do, you'll love the album's versions of "Deck The... read more

A pretty sweet little collection of Christmas tunes from Petula Clark -- numbers from the 60s, 70s and 90s she had record -- plus a few brand new originals! Despite having recorded some wonderful seasonal material over the years, there has never been a full Petula Clark holiday release before this... read more

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The twin piano magic of Ferrante & Teicher really makes the Holidays come alive -- working here with full orchestrations that are heavy on strings, but leave plenty of room for the boys' pianos to ring out strongly! Side one is a bit more lush, side two a bit more playful -- and titles include... read more

A very different album than Ella's more jazz-based Holiday set for Verve -- recorded in a mode that's much more focused on the serious side of the season! The format here has Ella singing with larger backings in a style that has some slight gospel overtones, and which focuses on the broadest range... read more

A wonderful Holiday album that's stayed fresh for years! Ella's got a perfect style to interpret these numbers -- working with Frank DeVol and Russ Garcia in a set of lightly jazzy versions of Christmas favorites like "Sleigh Ride", "Jingle Bells", "Winter Wonderland"... read more

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An amazing record -- one with a depth that goes way beyond its simple roots, and which has gone on to become one of the true Christmas classics of the 20th Century! Although a Christmas soundtrack, the album's more of a tapestry of sadness, longing, and loss -- the best qualities that always... read more

A sparkling 60s Holiday album from Lena Horn -- one that has her singing over some nicely jazzy arrangements from Jack Parnell, in a mode that brings out the most delightful qualities in both her vocals and the tunes! The set's quite groovy -- much more so than you might expect -- and it's a great... read more

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A salsa Christmas from Impacto Crea -- a set recorded right around the same time as Willie Colon's classic Holiday records of this nature! Ismael Miranda and Adalberto Santiago each sing lead on one track -- and the group features Antonio Rodriguez on piano and tres, Alfredo Rios on saxes,... read more

It's records like this that will keep us loving the Isley Brothers year after year -- and with such great Holiday tunes on the set, you can bet we'll be pulling this one out for many Christmases to come! Despite the slightly postured look on the front cover, the duo's sounding nicely laidback here... read more

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One of the best Motown Christmas albums ever -- a really playful romp through a set of classic Holiday tunes, all sung by the youthful Jackson 5 at their best! There's a charm here that's undeniable -- and the energy of the group at this point in their career makes the music way more than just a... read more

Holiday magic from The Jackson 5 -- a group whose youthful warmth made them one of the best acts to ever handle Christmas music for Motown! The set features rare tracks, plus the group's great Christmas Album for Motown from 1970 -- one of the best Motown Christmas albums ever -- a really playful... read more

An 80s crossover classic -- a set that's probably a bit more dated than some Holiday albums you might own, but which still got plenty of spins in plenty of houses back in the day! The Jets sing with just the style you'd expect from their curls -- sweet, soulful, and a little bit poppy too. There's... read more

A cool jazzy Christmas album from Etta Jones -- one that features laidback soul jazz backings, and a sound that's quite different than the usual Holiday set! Etta's vocals have all the blue tones you'd expect, and the backings are kind of an update of 60s soul jazz styles -- played by two... read more

One of the goofiest Christmas albums you'll ever hear! Spike cut this one with his City Slickers in the mid 50s -- and it's kind of got the feel of a TV show gone crazy. Many of the songs start out in a sweet mode -- often with vocals by a female singer or kids -- but then a lot of them go very... read more

One of the goofiest Christmas albums you'll ever hear! Spike cut this one with his City Slickers in the mid 50s -- and it's kind of got the feel of a TV show gone crazy. Many of the songs start out in a sweet mode -- often with vocals by a female singer or kids -- but then a lot of them go very... read more

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Although recorded a bit later than some of Gladys Knight's better-known Holiday work, this album's actually our favorite of the bunch -- because it's got a looser, more soul-based feel that gets beyond some of the overdone modes of earlier Christmas work! Gladys is clearly trying to get more... read more

Have yourself a very old school Christmas with Kurtis Blow reminding you what Christmas is really all about! Actually, this is just "Rappin' Blow" with a small holiday intro edited onto the front end.... read more

A classic -- and probably one of the best-selling Christmas jazz albums of all time! Ramsey and his classic trio with Redd Holt and Eldee Young serve up a tight set of grooves based around Holiday favorites like "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", "Winter Wonderland", "Here... read more

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The follow-up to Ramsey's famous Sounds of Christmas album -- and even better than the first! The record features Ramsey's trio with Eldee Young, plus guest work by Cleveland Eaton on bass and a young Steve McCall on drums! Plus, a number of tracks feature larger backing by a jazz group arranged... read more

Classic holiday tunes from Henry Mancini! Hank's working in a mellow Holiday mode here -- using fuller arrangements than usual for the session -- to match the auspicious nature of the event! The first half is in a more popular mode that's in keeping with some of Mancini's themes for soundtracks... read more

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Rudy brings new meaning to the phrase "the stockings were hung with care"! Even the sacred date of December 25th is no match for Rudy -- who works his usual raunchy magic on the Christmas season.... read more

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Backed by the New York Choral Society, American Boychoir, Orchestra Of St Luke's, Orchestra Of The English National Opera, and more.... read more

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A real standout Christmas soul session from the 80s -- a decade when the soul Christmas album seemed to almost fall by the wayside! Alexander's working here with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis -- and although the sound's a bit contemporary, the spirit of the holiday more than shines through, thanks to... read more

A real standout Christmas soul session from the 80s -- a decade when the soul Christmas album seemed to almost fall by the wayside! Alexander's working here with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis -- and although the sound's a bit contemporary, the spirit of the holiday more than shines through, thanks to... read more

A classic Christmas set from Elvis -- recorded with a mix of tunes that show the popular and spiritual nature of the holiday. Elvis sings with the Imperials Quartet on many numbers, in a white gospel sort of way -- and titles include "I'll Be Home On Christmas Day", "Silver... read more

Like the title says, this is Pete Rodriguez's Christmas album. You might expect a lot of soppy Christmas carols, but still, the groove's pretty groovy, and there are a few nice boogaloos -- so forget the holiday component of this one, and check it out for the Latin grooves. Titles include "Bo... read more

Philly classics for the Holidays! The legendary Christmas Jolllies set by the Salsoul Orchestra was one of the label's biggest-selling albums -- originally recorded in 1976, and pressed again and again over the years -- and eventually remixed even stronger in the early 90s. Vince Montana is at... read more

The second Christmas Jolllies set by the Salsoul Orchestra, but unlike the first volume, which was under the guidance of Vince Montana, this second volume has Patrick Adams at the helm! The sound is kind of a disco Christmas if you can imagine that, with nicely grooving versions of "Joyful... read more

A great 12" of Philly disco numbers for your holiday party! Vince Montana heads this little Christmas and New Year's disco project -- pushing the Salsoul Orchestra with that great full sound he had at the time -- a blend of strings and soul that could be kitschy, but comes off great on these... read more

Two numbers pulled from the second Salsoul Orchestra Christmas album -- produced and arranged by the mighty Patrick Adams! Both tracks are nice and long, and we're especially partial to the "Christmas Suite", which is a syncopated romp through Holiday themes that runs for almost 8... read more

Jack Ashford handled this obscure little record of Christmas disco tracks -- and the sound is similar to some of his own work on the Magic Disc label, although with the requisite Christmas touches!... read more

A pretty cool little Christmas record -- one that really reminds us of some of the more tripped-out Holiday outings from the late 60s! Eban Schletter mixes up voices and electronics in a really heavenly blend -- definitely the Cosmic Christmas promised by the title, with an eerie outer space sort... read more

One of the greatest Christmas albums of the 20th century -- a rich tapestry of sadness and longing from Ol' Blue Eyes himself! Sure, most folks think that Christmas albums are supposed to be cheery and celebratory -- but Frank, coming off of his best Wee Small Hours years at Capitol, rightly chose... read more

A very sweet and well chosen compilation of Christmas gems from Frank Sinatra & friends put together by Sinatra's peeps and Concord Records -- featuring some of our personal favorite cheerful swingers by Frank, and more from Tony Bennett & Bill Evans, Ray Charles & Betty Carter,... read more

As cookin a Christmas album as you'll ever find! Jimmy works with Billy Byers to craft some sublime instrumentals that have his Hammond interpreting Christmas classics like "We Three Kings", "White Christmas", "Silent Night", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen",... read more

A saxophone soul Christmas with Jimmy Sommers -- a set that's actually much more straight jazz than most of his other records, and a nicely understated album with a really classic feel! Jimmy blows straight, and just a bit smooth -- and gets acoustic backings that swing along gently, as he... read more

A great little album of Christmas tunes -- handled by this heavenly group of Chicago soul studio musicians! The great Richard Evans heads up the group -- and as usual, he brings a sound to the recording that pushes the material way past its roots, using the string-heavy instrumentation of the... read more

A vintage Holiday recording from The Staple Singers -- a set recorded back in the group's earliest, rootsiest days! The sound here is quite spare -- no surprise, given that the session was done by Riverside Records, at a time when the label was pushing the gospel-influenced quartet onto folk... read more

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An expanded version of Stevie's Someday At Christmas album -- a very groovy little Christmas album, recorded by youngish Stevie, but with all the soul that he was bringing to his excellent late 60s recordings. The track list features a nice mix of chestnuts and some odder material -- and titles... read more

Not really a Christmas album -- and more just a promo from Arista, issued at the Holidays as a way to get a bit more push for their bigger soul hits of the time! Titles include "I Knew You Were Waiting For Me" by Aretha Franklin & George Michael, "I Got A Thing For You" by... read more

A distillation of the best of Christmas Motown -- a set that features some of the best cuts from the individual artists' Holiday albums cut for the label, plus some harder to find tracks from singles! The package features 12 tracks in all -- including "Silent Night" and "Rudolph The... read more

A wonderful addition to our Holiday music collection -- served up by the always-tasteful folks at Cafe Apres Midi! The collection follows in the style of the non-Christmas Cafe Apres sets -- bringing together a variety of tunes old and new, of many styles -- all in pursuit of the grooviest sounds... read more

A wonderfully groovy set of Christmas tracks -- one done in a style very similar to the Get Easy Snow compilations -- as you might guess from the title! The selection here is great -- with a few perennial favorites, a few rare gems, and a great middle stretch of wonderful bits from some of the... read more

Great stuff -- one of the best Christmas jazz albums you'll ever hope to find! The set features 70s tunes that are much more expansive than the work on Columbia's previous best-selling jazz Holiday CD -- Jingle Bell Jazz -- played by an assortment of the label's strongest players at the end of the... read more

One of the coolest Christmas compilations you could ever hope to own -- but you probably guessed that already, from the cover image that pays tribute to a classic set from James Brown! The JB image is certainly well placed -- as most of the tracks here are deeply funky Holiday tunes -- the kind of... read more

A classic batch of Christmas tunes from the vaults of Stax Records! The label's legendary Memphis soul and blues artists deliver a wonderful batch of tunes that includes some original compositions that have since gone onto become Holiday soul classics, plus new renditions of older tracks, all... read more

A classic collection of Holiday tunes pulled from the 50s LA R&B scene -- some of the first great secular soul tracks recorded for the season, and proof of the growing power of west coast R&B at the time! Titles include Charles Brown's classic "Merry Christmas Baby", plus "Lo... read more

A collection of Christmas work from some of Motown's biggest artists of the late 60s and early 70s -- an all-star lineup that includes "Christmas Everyday" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, "Silver Bells" and "White... read more

An expanded version of this classic set of Motown Christmas tunes -- one that features some of the best cuts from the individual artists' Holiday albums cut for the label, plus some harder to find tracks from singles! The set's got 24 tracks in all, with titles that include "Santa Claus Is... read more

An unusual later Motown Christmas album -- one that features tracks that aren't as well known as some of the label's classics! Titles include "Christmas Presence" by Gerald Alston & Shanice, "Give Love On Christmas Day" by Johnny Gill, "Silent Night" by The... read more

A collection of Christmas classics from Motown -- all served up at a mighty nice price! The package features 10 tracks in all -- all of them by the label's biggest acts -- and titles include "My Favorite Things" by Diana Ross & The Supremes, "Frosty The Snowman" and "Gi... read more

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An 80s groove Christmas from the Total Experience label -- one of the more obscure entries into the contemporary Holiday genre, but a great one too! The set's got a wonderful version of "This Christmas" done by The Gap Band -- who also do "I Miss You Most Of All At Christmas"... read more

Hard to argue with the title on this one -- because at 2CDs, and 51 tracks, the set's probably the biggest Motown Christmas collection ever! The package is filled with goodness from the legendary label -- the kind of Holiday tunes they first started cutting in the 60s, with great gems from the 70s... read more

We wouldn't wish misery on anyone during the Holidays, but if you've got to be blue during Christmas -- this is a good place to start! The set's a nice collection of older bluesy numbers, mostly from the 50s and 60s, offering a nice laidback take on Christmas -- one that gets past the pasted-on... read more