It's Here: The Coziest, Merriest Christmas Jazz Playlist
Six hours of hand-picked instrumental Christmas music.
There is so much instrumental Christmas music on the music apps, and a lot of it is really, really bad. You’ll find the jazz greats covering Christmas classics, but you'll also encounter an overwhelming number of artists with names like “Cool Yule Quartet” or “Jingle Bell Jazzers.” A lot of these groups play Christmas covers that sound exactly like what a stock photo of the holidays looks like. Lifeless and generic.
I've spent the last few days sifting through a mountain of instrumental Christmas music, and I’m here to present you with a treasure trove of festive, genuinely good jazz holiday songs.
On this playlist, you’ll find:
Actually good music that is up-tempo and festive. It’s not too busy, but rarely allows for moments of silence. Music that trots, skips, and swings.
Unlike my Thanksgiving Dinner playlist, this is music you can listen to anytime and anywhere. I do, however, like to imagine someone listening to it in a big kitchen with a glass of wine—cooking and chatting while a friend sits at the kitchen island. But you can also enjoy it in the car or even on the toilet.
No need to hit shuffle! I did my best to order the playlist so you’re not hearing “Jingle Bells,” another song, “Jingle Bells,” “White Christmas,” another song, another song, “White Christmas,” “Jingle Bells.”
I know what I just said about cheesy holiday jazz group names, but in my research, I stumbled on some groups that are really, really good. So, if you see some overtly holiday-themed names on this list, know they’re included because they sound incredible.
Many of these songs come from complete Christmas albums. If you find yourself enjoying a particular group, I recommend checking out the rest of their album. I only included the tracks I personally found more festive and that fit the overall mood better.
Six hours of music! But I really did handpick every single song.
“We Three Kings Of Orient Are” - The Eddie Higgins Trio
Spotify | Apple | YouTube | TIDAL | Amazon
What I appreciate about the Eddie Higgins Trio—and many of the other groups on this list—is their take on old-ass Christmas classics like "Good King Wenceslas," "O Come, All Ye Faithful," "O Little Town of Bethlehem," etc. The first video you click on when you search “Christmas Jazz” on YouTube might cover these songs, and maybe they’ll add a grace note (ha) here and there to spice things up. But they mostly maintain the original feel. Artists on this list play with time signatures, shift songs into swing, and experiment with tempo and melody (I realize I’m just describing jazz)—all while still feeling not too obtrusive. What if cocktail music could actually be good?
To hear the full Christmas playlist and also receive the rest of the Christmas-themed newsletters I have planned for this month, subscribe to Grace Spelman Music Project for $5/month or just $50 for the entire year!