Have Yourself A Swinging' Little Christmas

As America continues to downplay and decimate it's own history, thank goodness we have Bear Family Records. A German company, they mine the vaults and closets of American record companies to clean-up and reintroduce us to our own glorious musical past. Ace Records out of England and Eric Records of San Leandro, CA work in the same vein but are more focused on the rock & roll and pop/soul of the late fifties through the seventies. Bear Family goes farther back and includes all genres in their exhaustively researched collections. I have learned to count on high quality with every release from them.The Bear Family Seasons Series which includes several Christmas CDs does not disappoint. The songs included in 'Have Yourself A Swinging' Little Christmas' start in the mid-thirties and go through the early sixties. And while you'll find some of the standard Christmas fare, I'm betting that most of you haven't heard very many of these terrific records that have been restored to near current standards of fidelity.Proudly nostalgic, this CD illustrates the transition of recorded Christmas music from church hymns to include jazz, swing and pop. Though this music is before my time, it is just as recognizable as holiday music as anything we hear now-a-days. And while I still love it, there is more to American Christmas music than Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree.Get this CD, you'll be happy you did.

Another great collection of Christmas songs by Bear Records, this time highlighting jazz and R&B songs. A lot of lesser know, but still great, Christmas songs here.

Heard some of these songs on one of my Accuradio stations and did some digging & found them on this CD. Yes!

This was good, but, not quite what I expected!

I pick up a few Christmas CDs each year to add to the playlist, and grabbed this one this year. I have to say, it is a terrific collection of older classics and a fun mix of holiday tunes you don't always hear. Big Band, Jazz, Boogie, and some of the classic voices and talent from the 40s, & 50s. Sound quality is surprisingly clean, if not the best dynamic range, but this is not an audiophile collection, it is what it is, fun, and well worth adding to your Christmas playlist. Also, loved the booklet with some of the original release artwork\ad placements. Not everyday you see Santa with a Lucky Strike in his mitt! lol

I’ve been subsisting on my old Time Life Christmas CDs for the past 20 years, and they are pretty stale at this point. Then I heard this awesome swing/jazz Xmas tune on a local alternative radio station and realized what I’d been missing. I didn’t catch the name of the song, or the artist, but after some searching I decided this cd would have similar selections that would add some spice to my late night gift wrapping and stocking stuffing. So glad I bought it! Not only is there a great selection of up-beat tunes, but I was delighted to find that the very song I heard on KUTX was included. WIN!

This is a really great collection of some old Christmas songs, many of which were probably recorded in the 1940s and 1950s during the big band and swing era. Despite their age, the recordings are very good. There are some standard Christmas songs on this CD, but there are also many very unique ones. I like to collect unusual Christmas music, so for me this was a great addition to my collection. But this would also be a trip down memory lane for any seniors old enough to remember times back in the 40's and 50's. Even younger folks should enjoy listening to this music as it makes for a nice alternative to the modern stuff recorded these days.

Really nice collection, more on the big band , jazz side of things compared to what is on store shelf’s now a days. As someone who collects Christmas music really surprised at the quality of not just the sound quality but the CD and booklet as well. In an age where packaging and art work are an after thought(or digital only) the company that made this,the Bear Family really makes this a pleasure for not only the ears but the eyes as well. Money well spent.

Cheerful xmas music

Muy buena recopilación.

Bellissima raccolta di canzoni natalizie “retrò” o “d’epoca” non proposte in versioni già note. Molti autori sono infatti (almeno a me) sconosciuti ed è stata perciò una piacevolissima scoperta song by song. Tutte le canzoni sono ben registrate ma l’eventuali imperfezioni, eventualmente dovute “all’età”, non fa che aumentare la sensazione nostalgica

If you love Christmas music you will love this

Christmasfeeling made in USA....aus den 50er und 60ern - wer damit was anfangen kann: ihr werdet es genießen !