Episode 93: X'mas All Star Jazz Parade

11/11/23 • 32 min

Welcome to episode 93 of Holly Jolly X'masu! In this episode, I talk about the 1959 compilation, “X’mas All Star Jazz Parade.”

This is a great album and I hope you’ve enjoyed it. This really kicks off my Christmas season, and I have some phenomenal music headed your way. I’ll be focusing on Shoji Suzuki the rest of this month. Although Akira Ishikawa sparked my interest in Japanese Christmas music, Shoji Suzuki’s music is easily as responsible for turning it into an obsession. Join me next time for his 1963 album, “Merry Christmas,” then listen in on the 25th for his “Swingin’ Christmas,” which is one of my absolute favorite albums.

Then be sure to listen in each week in December as I cover some of the best and most interesting albums in my collection. I’ll start off the month with the Meiji Gakuin University Glee Club’s 10th anniversary performance of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. After that, I’ll cover a really outstanding late 60s children’s album, “Christmas Song/New Year’s Song.” Trust me when I say it’s one you have to hear. Then listen in for Kayo Ishu’s outstanding “Scat Christmas.” I’ll close out the year with a pair of albums that have to be heard to be believed.

Don’t forget to check my show notes for each episode. I’ll be posting the covers of the singles associated with that episode’s album. This time around, it’s Shoji Suzuki’s “Blue Christmas” coupled with Motomichi Ito’s “Jingle Bells.” As far as I can tell, it’s the only single taken from “X’mas All Star Jazz Parade.”

As always, any feedback on this episode would be appreciated. If have any suggestions, or if you’d like to recommend a song or album for a future episode, drop me a line and let me know.

Remember, I've added a button to my Ko-fi page. If you'd like to support me one cup of coffee at a time, a donation is only $3. I’ve also opened a Redbubble store. I only have a couple designs up, but keep an eye on it as I’ll be trying to add more. Half of any proceeds or donations received will be donated to support the people of Ukraine, while the rest will be used to purchase new Japanese Christmas music to review for future episodes. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. And if you get a chance, leave me a review on iTunes. Thanks!

Welcome to episode 93 of Holly Jolly X'masu! In this episode, I talk about the 1959 compilation, “X’mas All Star Jazz Parade.”

As always, any feedback on this episode would be appreciated. If have any suggestions, or if you’d like to recommend a song or album for a future episode, drop me a line and let me know.

Previous Episode

Episode 92: Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol

Welcome to episode 92 of Holly Jolly X'masu! In this special Christmas Podcasters Day episode, I talk about “Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol,” from 1962.

I can’t tell you how much I love this special. It’s one of those things from when I was kid that has really stood the test of time. Jule Styne and Bob Merrill’s music is a big reason for that, as are the performances of Jim Backus, Jack Cassidy and the rest of the cast. I was really only able to scratch the surface about the special and the people involved. If you’d like to learn more, do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy of Darrell Van Citters exceptional book, “Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol, The Making Of The First Animated Christmas Special.”

Since this is Christmas Podcast Day, make sure to check out a few of the other podcasts out there. You can find us all at christmaspodcasts.com, but we’ll also be posting links to each other’s shoes throughout the day.

Be sure to join me back here next month as I talk about the music of Japanese clarinetist Shoji Suzuki. Up first is the 1959 compilation, “X’mas All Star Jazz Parade.” After that, I’ll be covering his 1963 album, “Merry Christmas.” Then join me on the 25th for “Swingin’ Christmas” from 1961. It’s one of the first Japanese Christmas albums I found online, and one that really got me hooked on finding more. All three are exceptional albums and you won’t want to miss them.

As always, any feedback on this episode would be appreciated. If have any suggestions, or if you’d like to recommend a song or album for a future episode, drop me a line and let me know.

Next Episode

Episode 94: Shoji Suzuki's "Merry Christmas"

Welcome to episode 94 of Holly Jolly X'masu! In this episode, I talk about Shoji Suzuki’s 1963 album, “Merry Christmas.”

This is a great album and I can’t tell you how excited I was when I first learned that Shoji Suzuki had made another Christmas album. Of the two, “Merry Christmas” seems to be the harder one to come by. I believe I’ve only seen two copies come up for auction. The first time I saw it, I settled in for a protracted bidding war, but I managed to get it for a reasonable price.

The market for Shoji Suzuki records seems to fluctuate with no rhyme or reason. I’ve seen copies of “Swingin’ Christmas go for $30-50, while other copies sit for weeks, being relisted over and over with no buyers. The prices for some records are pretty consistent, but with others it’s impossible to tell. I asked one of the guys in Japan about it, and he said he just hopes that when he finds a record he needs, there aren’t several other bidders looking for it at the same time.

I hope you’re enjoying these episodes about Shoji Suzuki. Tune in next week when I talk about his “Swingin’ Christmas,” which is one of my all-time favorite albums. Then listen in each week in December as I cover some of the best and most interesting albums in my collection. I’ll start off the month with the Meiji Gakuin University Glee Club’s 10th anniversary performance of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. After that, I’ll cover a really outstanding late 60s album, “Christmas Song/New Year’s Song.” If you like Now Sound music, you’ll love this album. Then listen in for Kayo Ishu’s outstanding “Scat Christmas.” I’ll close out the year with a pair of extremely rare albums from the early 70s that have to be heard to be believed.

As always, any feedback on this episode would be appreciated. If have any suggestions, or if you’d like to recommend a song or album for a future episode, drop me a line and let me know.