Jazzlife - because all of life is jazz

Now that we’re in-between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, there aren’t many specifically themed songs that I know in the realm of jazz… so I’m just listening to more general holiday-themed songs.

Holly Cole (who I’ve mentioned here a lot lately) practically made her career on Christmas music. I count at least 2, maybe 3 holiday albums by her. After all her first album was Christmas music!

The other singer I can think of who fits the theme - he’s often featured on CoolTV so he may well be a jazz singer - is Nat King Cole. I take any opportunity possible to listen to him, not just the holidays!

Tags: Holly Cole, jazz, CoolTV, Nat King Cole.

Last week on CoolTV I saw an older interview with the late Ray Charles. I was very dismayed to see that, like many other musicians, he was a smoker.

I now suspect the cigarettes may have contributed to his death.

Tags: Cool TV, Ray Charles, jazz, cigarettes.

Here I am in the waning hours of Xmas Eve. On Boxing Day this year, the 8 days of Hannukah begin.

I’m right now jazzed because I got an awesome gift for this year, a color laser printer. My dad and my brother-in-law couldn’t understand why I needed one, but I explained to dad my need for heavy-duty, frequent printing, as a writer and electronically published.

To all the rest of you, I hope the holidays bring you similar great cheer.

Tags: Christmas, printer, Hannukah.

Me in 2003

When I went to my meal service Christmas Brunch, my driver thought Temptation was the first album by Holly Cole.

I knew there we more before - in fact, I own some of them - but looking at her discography, I’m realizing that I only own 2 of 5. The list (with what I own in bold):

• Christmas Blues (1989)
• Girl Talk (1990)
• Blame It On My Youth (1991)
• Don’t Smoke In Bed (1993)
• It Happened One Night (1995)
• Finally Temptation (1995)

With one of my friends we own everything she put out between us, and I want to get more myself (although I’ve heard nearly everything), but it was still interesting to read.

Tags: Holly Cole.

Coming into the X-Mas holidays, you would think Holiday carols would all I’d be listening to, right?

You would be wrong.

I’ll listen to jazz any day of the year, but there’s also a fantastic Christmas album by the divine Holly Cole. That’s an album I can listen to at any chance.

Holly Cole and Jimmy Stewart in “It’s a Wonderful Life”. My two holiday traditions.

Tags: Holly Cole, Jimmy Stewart, It’s a Wonderful Life, jazz.

The better part of today I’ve been listening to the soundtrack to the musical Rent via Napster 2.0. Yes, I’m also a fan of musicals - and I’m hetrosexual, so that stereotype is wrong.

I’ve also been using it to hear a lot of Django Reinhardt’s music. He was a jazz pioneer, and I’ve heard his name, but none of his music until now.

I also found out today that a Woody Allen film about a jazzman a few years ago was actually about Django. I’ve only seen a few minutes of the film (I don’t even remember its name. I’ll have to look it up on IMDB), but now I want to track it down.

Tags: Rent, Django Reinhardt, Woody Allen, IMDB.

I’ve been using Napster 2.0’s Daily Playlist feature a lot now.

As more recent pop singers fill my Library I end up with folks I don’t really have an interest in… but I’ve also been able to load up on favorites like Django Reinhardt, Oscar Peterson, Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins. I’ve also been able to discover new potential favorites like Eric Dolphy and Idris Ackamoor, so it all balances out.

Tags: Django Reinhardt, Oscar Peterson, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Eric Dolphy, Idris Ackamoor.

I’m taking my 1-week trial of Napster 2.0 right now. It is now available on Canada, so I gave it a try.

I don’t plan to continue after my trial, but I’ve enjoyed downloading Miles Davis albums that I don’t yet have, as well as Holly Cole material.

At the moment I’m listening to an album of the Best of Miles. I didn’t know he recorded a musical version of Cindi Lauper’s, Time After Time

Tags: Miles Davis, Holly Cole, Napster 2.0, Cindi Lauper.