Hipsters' Holiday: Vocal Jazz and R&B Classics

Christmas jazz vocals and R&B sides featuring many of the biggest names in the business from the '40s, '50s, and '60s.

Listen to Hipster's Holiday and you'll feel like you just spent Christmas in the coolest nightclub on Earth. "Silent Night" swings in Tim Fuller's Vegas-lounge setting while Lambert, Hendricks & Ross lay on the playful jazz vocals in "Deck Us All with Boston Charlie" and John Greer dictates that "We Wanna See Santa Claus Do the Mambo." And so it goes, 18 totally hip tracks with lots of dancing opportunities--and some comic relief from Pearl Bailey with "Five Pound Box of Money" and Eartha Kitt from 1953, making history with her now classic "Santa Baby." The showstopper, however, in a lineup that exudes cool, from Miles Davis and Lionel Hampton to the Marquees, Lena Horne, and Mabel Scott, comes from Louis Armstrong and his Commanders. Their romping versions of "Cool Yule" and "'Zat You, Santa Claus" are must-hears for any kid. Armstrong again conquers with his All Stars in a lively panoramic view of "Christmas Night in Harlem." If this dynamo set can't jump-start your holiday season, your battery might be dead for good. --Martin Keller