On the 12th day of Christmas, Ten of my favorite jazz Christmas CDs

I have become a collector of holiday music, which I play often from the first Sunday of Advent till the 12th day of Christmas.

So on the day I put my Christmas music away, I share some of my favorites, with a link of a sample tune, for those looking to add to next year's celebration.

• Annie Booth Trio: Festive
• Bill Cunliffe's solo piano: That Time of Year
• Dave Brubeck: A Dave Brubeck Christmas
• Dianne Reeves: Christmas Time is Here
• Hot Club Of San Francisco: Cool Yule
• Jane Monheit: The Season
• Kenny Burrell: Have Yourself a Soulful Little Christmas
• Kurt Elling: The Beautiful Day
• Laurence Hobgood: Christmas
• Oscar Peterson: An Oscar Peterson Christmas

Jazz on Tuesdays: Louis Armstrong for this season

My bedtime reading has been Louis Armstrong's autobiography of growing up in New Orleans. Autobiographies make me wonder about all the moments that can shape a person.

The man's trumpet as seen this summer at the Smithsonian

I finally got around to placing my eclectic collection of Christmas music onto my iPod. Louis has a strong presence:

So have a Cool Yule:















Bonus, Get the hear Dinah Washington sing before Louis closes it out with Christmas Night in Harlem