Christmas songs

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Bob the Builder
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Christmas songs

#1 Post by Bob the Builder » Mon Dec 01, 2003 10:03 am

Christmas is in the air. With only 3 weeks of dancing left before christmas, what Christmas songs would you like to spin before the year is out?

Brian :D
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gatorgal
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#2 Post by gatorgal » Mon Dec 01, 2003 10:11 am

5 Pound Bag of Money - Pearl Bailey

Of course, I can't find it. Because I'm not just Internet-impaired, I'm Internet-retarded.

Tina 8)

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JesseMiner
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#3 Post by JesseMiner » Mon Dec 01, 2003 12:14 pm

gatorgal wrote:5 Pound Bag of Money - Pearl Bailey
It's actually "5 Pound Box Of Money" and you can find it on Hipsters' Holiday: Vocal Jazz & R&B Classics. Looks like a great collection of songs. I dig "Cool Yule" and "Boogie Woogie Santa Claus" on there.

I love listening to swinging holiday music, but I rarely find myself playing much when I DJ, maybe just a select track or two throughout the entire season. A few of my favorites would be:

- Boogie Woogie Santa Claus - Angela Strehli (Hip Holidays III)
- Cool Yule - Kurt Elling (Yule Be Boppin')
- Merry Christmas Baby - Lou Rawls (Swingin' Christmas)
- Shake Hands With Santa Claus - Louis Prima (Yule Be Swingin' Too)
- Sleigh Ride - Ella Fitzgerald (Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas)
- Winter Weather - Joe Williams & Harry "Sweets" Edison (Together)
- Winter Wonderland - Peggy Lee (Hip Holidays II)

I'll stop there. My list is longer than I thought. ;)

Anyhow, tune into Yehoodi Radio every Friday in December to hear all of these songs and more on our holiday show.

Jesse

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gatorgal
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#4 Post by gatorgal » Mon Dec 01, 2003 1:15 pm

Thanks Jesse!!!! That would probably explain why I couldn't find the song...

Tina 8)

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Lawrence
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#5 Post by Lawrence » Mon Dec 01, 2003 10:38 pm

Charles Brown has several Christmas albums with some great music. The best I've found was featured last year in my Album of the week: Cool Christmas Blues. It has music that is good enough to play year-round. Another one, Please Come Home for Christmas, features Bill Doggett on the Hammond B3 organ and has a great, up-beat version of "Winter Wonderland."
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djstarr
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#6 Post by djstarr » Tue Dec 02, 2003 2:19 am

I played "Jingle Bells" by Benny Carter [off the Big Band Box Set] the Monday before Thanksgiving and I got a bunch of glares until folks heard it swing; I got half the crowd to dance to it.

I'm dj'ing on Dec 14th; I'll probably play "Good Morning Blues" from Best of Early Basie; we've played it on and off here lately, but it's got a good Santa Claus line and it's a great song. I've also got Nat King Cole Trio's "Jingle Bells" that looks like it would be fun to play.

I don't have a ton of swing Christmas tunes, but I might play something by Elvez (the Mexican Elvis) just for grins.

I remember dancing at Christmas time and I got really annoyed everytime a Christmas song would come on, so I'm going to keep them to a minimum.

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#7 Post by KattenPejst » Tue Dec 02, 2003 9:54 am

Next week I'll play one or two songs from "Ella wishes you a swinging Christmas". I know one for certain rigth now and that's an absolutely hilarious version of "Frosty, the snowman" where Ella goofs off and sings like a little girl.

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Travis
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#8 Post by Travis » Tue Dec 02, 2003 10:31 am

djstarr wrote: I'm dj'ing on Dec 14th; I'll probably play "Good Morning Blues" from Best of Early Basie; we've played it on and off here lately, but it's got a good Santa Claus line and it's a great song.
thank you
djstarr wrote: so I'm going to keep them to a minimum.
thank you

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Drew
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#9 Post by Drew » Tue Dec 02, 2003 11:39 pm

I really dig "Sleigh Ride" as done by the Squirrel Nut Zippers on the Christmas Caravan Album.

I've got Ultra-Lounge's Christmas Cocktails Vols. 1 & 2, some all right stuff on there but not entirely what I'd spin for dancing.

Yule B Swingin' is solid. It's got some of my favorites on this one- "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Ella Fitzgerald and "Let it Snow" by Les Brown, as well as "Cool Yule" by Louis Armstrong.

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#10 Post by Nando » Wed Dec 03, 2003 12:13 am

"Christmas Blues" is a good instrumental song to play for the holidays. They have a sleigh bell/holiday sound without sounding too commerical or obvious.

The new "Yule Be Miserable" from Verve has two versions from Eric Reed and Ramsey Lewis.

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Lawrence
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#11 Post by Lawrence » Wed Dec 03, 2003 1:11 pm

djstarr wrote:I remember dancing at Christmas time and I got really annoyed everytime a Christmas song would come on, so I'm going to keep them to a minimum.
It is quite possible to put together a solid set of danceable Holiday music. I tend to avoid playing anything that I would not play outside the season. Just as with any swing music, it just takes a bit of searching to get past the campy, crooning stuff. You need not abandon it just because you have memories of DJs who did not rise up to the task.
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#12 Post by djstarr » Wed Dec 03, 2003 1:13 pm

I picked up "mistletoe and merriment" today at Starbucks - it's a Hear Music collection. I bought it for "Christmas Night in Harlem" w/Louis Armstrong and Benny Carter and His Orchestra; "All I want for Christmas" with Nat King Cole and the Starlighters is also nice.

The rest of the CD features the usual suspects - Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Tony Bennett - the Peggy Lee "Winter Wonderland" is ok.

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#13 Post by gatorgal » Wed Dec 03, 2003 2:17 pm

djstarr wrote: I remember dancing at Christmas time and I got really annoyed everytime a Christmas song would come on, so I'm going to keep them to a minimum.
I personally like hearing a number of holiday tunes, but I repress my urges seeing as how most people don't have the same tolerances.

Not to mention it's a fine line to walk between putting dancers in the holiday spirit and making them feel like they never left the mall.

Tina 8)

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Drew
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#14 Post by Drew » Wed Dec 03, 2003 5:39 pm

"Hootie's KC Christmas Prayer" by Jay McShann off Still Jumpin' the Blues is also another good one.

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#15 Post by AlekseyKosygin » Wed Dec 03, 2003 6:56 pm

Hipster's Holiday is sounding better and better...I might have to pick that up...

Jay McShann = too much blues shouting not enough swing...

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