I think 2000 was the first year I was making mix-CDs instead of mix tapes, and I made 7 Christmas CDs that year, which were circulated among friends and family. I'll put the first couple of them up here, as a public service to a Mariah-beleaguered world. Not knocking her here, but saturation is saturation. Toward the end of the list is Santa Claus Is Coming to Town with the Paul Bley Trio. You hear Bley singing the changes to Charles Mingus before they begin, and Mingus says, "Oh, my mother used to play that song" when they are cut off by the impatient engineer with a brutally uninspiring bedside manner. Also, there are not many more perfect songs than "Every Day Will Be LIke a Holiday!" Every player is nuanced, and in the pocket, the restraint and precision of the backing vocals - what a sweet tune!
