Selected and reviewed by Andrew Eales
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Brent Edstrom’s stunning series of Jazz Piano Solos collections has reached its sixty seventh volume with Hal Leonard’s publication of the new Boogie Woogie Christmas.
I have previously praised several titles from this series, and in this review I am going to look at the new addition as well as recapping previous three more Christmas books in the series that I have looked at in the past, bringing them together here to help readers decide where to start and which to choose.
Together, these four cover an extraordinary amount of ground, freshly dusted with deep, crisp, and evenly festive brilliance. These Jazz Piano Solos will undoubtedly keep advanced players engaged with their superbly stylish boogie and jazzed up reimaginings of the Christmas canon…
Jazz Piano Solos Series
Edstrom’s many volumes deliver a substantial body of music by jazz greats from Horace Silver to Pat Metheny and beyond, as well as polished arrangements of great tunes from the American Songbook, the Beatles, Elton John, and the Disney studios.
Having introduced this excellent series in previous reviews, there’s little product information to add about these Christmas collections. As ever, the books are durably made, staple bound, and benefit from a lovely presentation. They comprise:
- a classy card cover with glossy photo
- white paper, with well spaced engraving
- 96 pages (80 in the case of Boogie Woogie Christmas)
- a contents page but no other extras
- clearly presented music engraving
- fully-scored piano arrangements
- jazz chord symbols subtly included above the staves
- no fingering suggestions
The series as a whole is suitable for advanced players ranging from around UK Grade 6 to around first diploma level, and is especially likely to appeal to enthusiastic adults and returners interested in playing music in a jazzy style, but without necessarily including improvisation or playing from a lead sheet.
The joy of these books is thus that they make it possible for classically trained players to enjoy success playing astute, well-crafted arrangements, with voicing and figurations in an authentic and distinctively jazzy style.
Boogie Woogie Christmas
Let’s begin with the new addition to the series. The 80 pages of Boogie Woogie Christmas manage to pack in joyous arrangements of the following 26 seasonal favourites:
- A Holly Jolly Christmas
- A Marshmallow World
- Blue Christmas
- Deck the Hall
- Frosty The Snow Man
- Go, Tell It on the Mountain
- Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)
- I’ll Be Home For Christmas
- It’s Beginning to Look Like Christmas
- It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
- Jingle Bell Rock
- Jingle Bells
- Joy to the world
- Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
- O Holy Night
- O Tannenbaum
- Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
- Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer
- Run Rudolph Run
- Santa Baby
- Santa Claus Is Back In Town
- Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town
- Silent night
- Sleigh ride
- Up On The Housetop
- Winter Wonderland
This collection is simply a stunner! These dazzling ‘boogie woogie’ arrangements, ranging from the expected Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree to the frankly ludicrous irony of Silent Night, will have players romping all the way to Christmas Day with the riot of fun that they present.
Bearing in mind the barrelhouse brilliance of Edstrom’s previous Boogie Woogie Piano Solos collection reviewed here, I had high hopes from this title, and the beauty didn’t disappoint!
Happily, these arrangements are an easier counterpart to that more radical publication, and advanced players at around Grade 8 would cheerfully chomp their way through the book with little support from a teacher or jazz expert.
In short, this publication is a real winner, which will buoyantly light up the faces of players and listeners alike this Christmas and no doubt for many more to come!
Christmas Classics
Christmas Classics includes smooth arrangements of the following enticing mix of traditional and contemporary titles:
- A Marshmallow World
- Believe
- Breath Of Heaven (Mary’s Song)
- Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
- Christmas Is A-comin’ (May God Bless You)
- Do You Want to Build a Snowman?
- Fairytale Of New York
- Grown-Up Christmas List
- Happy Xmas (war is over)
- I Wonder as I Wander
- It Must Have Been The Mistletoe (Our First Christmas)
- Little Saint Nick
- Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming
- Mary, Did You Know?
- Once In Royal David’s City
- Please Come Home For Christmas
- Pretty Paper
- Shake Me I Rattle (Squeeze Me I Cry)
- Sussex Carol
- The First Noel
- The Greatest Gift Of All
- This Christmas
- Wonderful Christmastime
- You’re All I Want For Christmas
Edstrom’s arrangements here are suitably devious, the well-known melodies dressed to thrill in scintillating jazz garb, from easygoing swing to Brubeck 5/4 cool, and even introducing some unseasonably sunny Latin cocktail shades.
Difficulty-wise, the arrangements would likely be challenging for an early advanced player but would be more easily accessible by around UK Grade 8.
Note however that hand stretches of 10th are commonplace here, often with little time to spread the notes without distorting the groove. Finger slides and stride leaps also feature heavily in some arrangements.
Christmas Songs
The musical emphasis of Jazz Piano Solos: Christmas Songs is on smooth jazz renditions of seasonal favourites from the mid-twentieth century:
- A Child Is Born
- Blue Christmas
- Christmas Time Is Here
- Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)
- Christmas Waltz
- Happy Holiday
- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
- Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)
- (There’s No Place Like) Home for the Holidays
- I’ll Be Home For Christmas
- Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
- Merry Christmas, Darling
- My Favorite Things
- Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer
- Santa Baby
- Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town
- Silver Bells
- Sleigh ride
- Snowfall
- White Christmas
- Winter Wonderland
The presentation of each arrangement occupies between four to six pages, and Edstrom’s chosen styles once again range from bright swing to easy-going sentimental nostalgia.
In my home this is exactly what Christmas music is all about, and playing through these pieces has certainly put me in the mood for the season ahead. And while there is inevitably a US-centric choice of songs, almost all are beloved global hits that will be equally known to most players on this side of The Pond.
Christmas Songs is thus another easy recommendation, and I’m looking forward to hearing these breezy arrangements in lessons and piano club sessions.
Christmas Standards
Finally, but similarly poised to roast your festive chestnuts, Jazz Piano Solos: Christmas Standards picks up where Christmas Songs leaves off, with another finger-licking selection of seasonal favourites:
- All I Want For Christmas Is You
- All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth
- Auld lang Syne
- Baby, It’s Cold Outside
- Christmas Is
- Do You Hear What I Hear
- Feliz Navidad
- Frosty The Snow Man
- A Holly Jolly Christmas
- I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
- I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
- I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
- It’s Beginning to Look Like Christmas
- Jingle bells
- Jingle Bell Rock
- The Little Drummer Boy
- Mistletoe And Holly
- The Most Wonderful Day Of The Year
- The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
- O Christmas Tree
- Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
- Silver And Gold
- Somewhere In My Memory
- Suzy Snowflake
- Toyland
- We Need a Little Christmas
- We wish you a merry christmas
- What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?
This is a generous list of 28 great songs, and the notation here is a little denser than in some of the collections, with a slightly smaller music font. That said, and in common with the whole series, everything remains splendidly readable.
I would say that the difficulty of the arrangements here is a gently progressive step up from Christmas Songs, making this an ideal follow-on book for those who have already found delight playing the music in that collection.
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