A Fun Jazz Christmas Album

A Fun Jazz Christmas Album

Bruce Von Stiers

I like a good Christmas album. Especially if it is a jazz based Christmas album. Some of the most known ones include A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Dave Brubeck Christmas and albums by Louis Armstrong, Wynton Marsalis and B.B. King.

Now, adding to the long list of jazz flavored Christmas albums, is a trio known as 3D Jazz Trio. They have released their own version of some all-time Christmas classic tunes. This new album is titled Christmas in 3D.

The members of the 3D Jazz Trio are Jackie Warren, Amy Shook and Sherrie Maricle. Jackie plays piano, Amy is on bass and plays fiddle. The third member, Sherrie, is the trio's drummer and leader.

I've enjoyed the music of Warren, Shook and Maricle in the past. Maricle had a long standing project called The DIVA Jazz Orchestra, whose twenty-fifth anniversary album I reviewed. A group spun off of the orchestra was the trio, 3 Divas, whose debut album I also reviewed. The trio later changed its name to 3D Jazz Trio. Under that name, earlier this year the trio released their album I Love To See You Smile.

Christmas in 3D features ten classic Christmas songs that have been infused with fun, toe-tapping jazz. The album was produced by the trio, along with John Aveni as Executive Producer. The play-time of the album is forty-nine minutes.

One of the most covered songs of the holiday season is Winter Wonderland. To date, it has been covered by over two hundred artists. The piano is up front and center for trio's toe-tapping version of the song.

A cool drum solo begins Up On The Housetop, another rousing take on a classic Christmas tune. Subtle bass and slick piano brings forward and the drums kicks up again near the end.

Even though Greensleeves is jazzed up a bit, the general pace of the song is left intact in the trio's version of this great classic.

The trio gives a bit of samba treatment to O Christmas Tree. You probably will be moving your feet around hearing it.

A bit of hoe-down tone can be heard in the intro to Please Daddy (Don't Get Drunk This Christmas). Then the song moves into more of a toe-tapping beat. It's a fun, instrumental version of a song that was recorded by artists such as John Denver and Alan Jackson.

Drums and bass give a cool sound to the opening of the classic tune God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. Then the piano kicks in and then you have a rollicking rendition.

A subtle and easy tone can be heard in the beginning of I Wonder As I Wander. Then things move into a moderate pace, but slows down in the middle for a great bass solo.

Finger snapping, head bopping and toe tapping might occur when you listen to this fun rendition of White Christmas.

Light bluesy piano is what the trio's rendition of Silent Night is all about.

Closing out the album is a light and fun rendition of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.

As I mentioned earlier, I have enjoyed the music of the 3D Jazz Trio in the past. I was sure that I would enjoy this Christmas album from them as well. And I did. In fact, I really wasn't able to pick out a favorite song from the album as I thought they were all terrific.

Christmas in 3D is available at amazon, Bandcamp and other music outlets. You can also order the album through the trio's web site.

You can hear tracks from the album on the 3D Jazz Trio web site too. The web site can be found at https://3divasjazztrio.com/

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