A musical advent calendar: Ella Fitzgerald

Online advent calendars have been around for years, and I get a kick out of how the concept (each day, a new feature in a thread is unlocked, much like the doors in a real calendar) is applied. Some are sacred, some are secular (I like where this science-minded one is going, with the inaugural piece on caffeine), some are just for fun.

I decided to launch my own this year. Those who know me well know I collect Christmas music; sure, I get sick of hearing Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston being played endlessly at the malls, but that hasn't stopped me from being practically evangelical about music I like. Since Nicholas was born, I've made a CD for family and close friends; I'm floored this is the 10th year we've made one, with Nick himself now taking a role in picking the tunes. (Dad maintains a veto.)

So, from today until Christmas day, I'm going to post about a Christmas album I don't get tired of playing. Some are newer, some are classics. I hope you follow along.

Day One: Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas 

I like this record so much, I bought it twice. I bought the first version in the early 1990s, when Verve was introducing Ella Fitzgerald to a new audience with reissues of albums like the iconic and extensive Songbook series. The  1960 album, tunes of which have been anthologized countless times, is  not just a great Christmas record, but a fine jazz vocal record, too. The arrangements by Frank DeVol stick to you like glue, particularly with the horns (case in point: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas). It's timeless.

Verve remastered and repackaged the album a few years ago, reinstituting the original artwork and adding all of the main tracks, plus alternate versions. This is the verson to buy.