Cool Blue Christmas - Christmas in Jail Classic

This unprecedented two disc anthology of pre-war jazz and blues Christmas music is a fascinating, and highly entertaining, showcase of rarely heard seasonal gems with a roster of talent that includes Kansas City swing titan Count Basie, the infamous Peetie Wheatstraw (usually billed as the Devil s Son-in-Law or High Sheriff of Hell), the undisputed Empress of the Blues Bessie Smith, pioneering bluesman Blind Lemon Jefferson, jazz jive genius Fats Waller and downhome folk hero Lead Belly, it rates as a must-hear collection. And there s much, much more: bluesman Leroy Carr s brilliant title track Christmas in Jail, the hyper jaunty highjinks of Jack Teagarden and Johnny Mercer, along with swinging gems from Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton and Duke Ellington s Hot Five, all inarguably qualify this as the season s finest musical stocking stuffer.