The Best Jazz Christmas Music (PDFs)
Looking for some great jazz Christmas music to get you into the holiday spirit? Check out our roundup of the best PDFs available. From classics like “White Christmas” to more modern tunes like “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”, there’s something for everyone.
Best Jazz Christmas Music
Aside from the traditional Christmas carols, there are a number of jazz Christmas songs that have become classics over the years. These songs are perfect for getting into the holiday spirit, and they also make great background music for holiday parties. If you’re looking for some great jazz Christmas music, look no further than this list.
A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas is a 1965 animated television special based on the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. Produced by Lee Mendelson and directed by Bill Melendez, the program made its debut on CBS on December 9, 1965. In the special, lead character Charlie Brown finds himself depressed despite the onset of the cheerful holiday season. Lucy suggests he direct a neighborhood Christmas play, but his best efforts are compromised by his self-doubt and inability to remain optimistic. When an attempt to restore the proper spirit with a forlorn little fir Christmas tree fails, he needs Linus’ help to learn what Christmas is all about.
The program includes a handful of traditional Christmas carols performed by a small chorus; a piano solo of “O Tannenbaum” (tischler); three original dramatizations written by Schulz; and Linus’ repeated reading of the biblical passage from the Gospel of Luke (2:8–14) on the birth of Jesus Christ. The special has since been honored with both an Emmy and Peabody Award. It has been broadcast in time for Christmas every year since its debut, making it currently airing fifty-three times during the holiday season.
The Nutcracker Suite
The Nutcracker Suite is a timeless piece of jazz Christmas music. Originally composed by Tchaikovsky, the suite was arranged for jazz orchestra by Duke Ellington and released in 1960. Since then, it has become a holiday classic, with Ellington’s own arrangement being performed by some of the biggest names in jazz, including Miles Davis and Wynton Marsalis. The Nutcracker Suite is the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit, with its lively tunes and beautiful melodies.
White Christmas
White Christmas is a song written by Irving Berlin during his time as a lyricist for the musical revue, As Thousands Cheer. The song has been performed by numerous artists over the years, but is best known through the recordings of Bing Crosby and Mariah Carey.
Best Jazz Christmas Albums
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…for jazz fans! Christmas is a great time to sit back, relax, and enjoy some of the best jazz music around. Whether you’re looking for traditional holiday favorites or something a little different, we’ve got you covered. Here are our picks for the best jazz Christmas albums.
A Charlie Brown Christmas (Vince Guaraldi Trio)
This 1964 album from the Vince Guaraldi Trio is one of the most popular and celebrated holiday jazz albums of all time. It’s been featured in multiple Charlie Brown Christmas specials, and its main theme (“Linus and Lucy”) has become one of the most recognizable pieces of Christmas music ever written. If you’re looking for some classic, feel-good holiday jazz, this is the album for you.
The Nutcracker Suite (Duke Ellington)
It wouldn’t be Christmas without Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite. First recorded in 1960, it’s a jazz rendition of Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet, complete with all the classic holiday favorites like “The Christmas Song,” “Sugar Rum Cherry,” and “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”
White Christmas (Bing Crosby)
White Christmas is a 1942 film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, and Danny Kaye. The film is based on the 1941 short story “Happy Holiday” by Irving Berlin, and features the song “White Christmas”, which became a holiday standard.
Best Jazz Christmas Songs
The holidays are a great time to listen to some jazz Christmas music. There are many great songs out there that you can enjoy. We have compiled a list of the best jazz Christmas songs for you to listen to. You can find the PDFs of the songs below.
A Charlie Brown Christmas (Vince Guaraldi Trio)
Christmas Time is Here” is a 1965 composition by Lee Mendelson and Vince Guaraldi written for the Peanuts television special A Charlie Brown Christmas, one of the best-known in the Peanuts canon. In the special, during the opening scene set on a snowy neighborhood street, Schroeder serenades Lucy with a piano performance of “Linus and Lucy”, which repeatedly references the holiday season. As part of his improvisation, Schroeder quotation several other well-known Christmas songs including “Jingle Bells”, “Deck the Halls”, and “White Christmas”.
Mendelson contacted Guaraldi and asked him if he wanted to write an original song for the special. Guaraldi agreed and suggested they collaborate on a jazz waltz; Mendelson told him that he preferred something more upbeat. Users who have downloaded the sheet music have made various edits to tempo and arrangement, most notably in their treatment of the piano solo.
The Nutcracker Suite (Duke Ellington)
The Nutcracker Suite is a timeless classic composed by Duke Ellington and released in 1960. This jazzy arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s beloved ballet is perfect for your holiday party or get-together.
White Christmas (Bing Crosby)
`White Christmas` is a song by American singer Bing Crosby, originally released in 1942. It has since become a holiday classic and has been recorded by numerous artists, including Crosby himself in 1947, 1954, and 1977. The song became a hit in just a few weeks after its release, and it remains one of the best-selling singles of all time.
