Dave McKenna - Christmas Party: Holiday Piano Spiked with Swing

Decent Christmas piano

This is an OK recording of Christmas piano, but I prefer Eddie Higgins "Christmas Songs", Butch Thompson's "Yulestride" and Dave Brubeck's "A Dave Brubeck Christmas" to this. He is a wonderful pianist. McKenna is a lot of fun, his hands seem "possessed" with the urge to swing and no matter what the tune starts like, invariably, he starts into a swingin' routine before the tune is over. This trait is subdued a bit here but my real problem with the CD is not that the playing isn't good, rather, McKenna just seems like he's callin' tunes - there isn't really a holiday feel - at least not for me. December 21, 2008

For Christmas Jazz Aficionados

This is a well-balanced collection of Christmas jazz standards and carols, with a couple of lesser-known tunes thrown in. McKenna ranges over the keyboard in flawless cocktail-piano mode, varying the tempos and including tunes played in a variety of styles: gospel (Silent Night), up-tempo (Santa Claus is Coming to Town), relaxed and contemplative (Silver Bells), and New Orleans-inflected (Let It Snow). He expands on several tunes in a very personal way. An enjoyable recording for this listener. I purchased it shortly after hearing of McKenna's passing; it's a nice way to remember him. November 24, 2008

Christmas Ivory, Indeed

I won't dispute conventional wisdom: The all-time greatest Christmas album is Vince Guaraldi's "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Having said that, a pair of solo piano albums are tied for the red ribbon: Cyrus Chestnut's "Blessed Quietness," and this gem from Dave McKenna.

Dave McKenna is the pianist's pianist. He's a legend among jazz pianists, a musician who never saw fame equal to his talent. Every musician knows his name. "Christmas Party" was recorded in February 1997, when McKenna was 66. Sadly, it was among his last recordings. In 2002, Nat Hentoff wrote a moving article about McKenna where he revealed that McKenna could no longer play piano. He suffers from carpal tunnel syndrome, due to severe diabetes.

McKenna lives a private life nowadays; but thanks to Concord, we have a few of his albums to enjoy. This is among the best. It's replete with classic carols, and even includes three original tunes by McKenna. It's an intimate hour with one of jazz's finest pianists, and the perfect setting for a snowy December night.

When I think of Dave McKenna, I'm reminded of Jaki Byard. Both are relatively unknown to most audiences. But if you ask musicians, they'll tell you these men were blessed with talent and inspiration. Each man's influence on his peers, and the way fellow musicians approach their instruments, is incalculable.

If you're looking for a wonderful Christmas disc, buy this one. If you want to discover a remarkable jazz musician, try Dave McKenna. I'd recommend "An Intimate Evening with Dave McKenna" (1999) and his Maybeck duo with guitarist Gray Sargent from 1992. But start here. This is a beautiful album, an absolute gem -- and I guarantee you'll find yourself playing it every Christmas.

NOTE: This album was originally issued in 1997 under the title, "Christmas Ivory." Concord's first printing contained an error that caused the disc to skip a few seconds into Track 1. If you own "Christmas Ivory," you'll note the music is the same. And if you plan to buy a used copy, I recommend you avoid the original title. I own a corrected copy, but it's possible you'll encounter a first-edition. October 23, 2004

Unsung Hero

Forget the title. This is no mere seasonal novelty or "jazzed up" treatment of familiar tunes. Dave McKenna is the essence and personification of "swing," and no pianist, past or present, has mastered the left hand-right hand synchronization of jazz piano playing more effectively than McKenna. Tatum had the stride style down, Garner could keep the 4/4 going with massive left-hand chords. But McKenna lays down a walking-bass line second to none while managing to layer independent, lean and thoughtful melodic lines on top of that sure foundation. The music he creates offers as much to a follower of the modern piano scene as to a fan of the old stride-piano school.

This album is as ambitious and impressive as Dave's other recordings, which is to say that, as a Christmas program by a jazz instrumentalist, it is simply second to none. "Jingle Bells" might as well be "I Got Rhythm" or "Lady Be Good" under Dave's hands; "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and "Midnight Clear" communicate with the exhuberance and harmonic/melodic clarity of "All the Things You Are"; and the McKenna original, "Snowbound," manages to be fresh yet as communicative as a familiar standard.

Not long ago the NY Times carried an article about McKenna, indicating he was no longer playing due to bad health and that his medical expenses had left him virtually penniless. Yet he expressed surprise that some listeners would still remember him let alone find him newsworthy. That portrait squares with my memory of catching him at the Copley Hotel in Boston in the mid-80's. There were 10-15 other people in the room, none paying much attention to the music. At the break, I asked Dave how it felt to play night after night when no one was listening. "What do you mean?" he replied. "Apparently you were listening." December 6, 2003

A perfect cd to drink eggnog and be merry...

Everyone who knows me, knows I don't touch eggnog(unluss it's really spiked with something strong), I go straight for the martinis at any Christmas party and this is the perfect cd fir sipping martinis under the mistletoe, and smokin cigars by a warm fire place(with some warm brandy too), this is a great kicker to any holiday coktail party, it's good jazz,b y jazz piano legend McKenna, you'll love this cd so much, you won't want to get drunk, because you really want to lesten to this one, it's more than lounge, it's actually pretty deep, yet light & fun too. So listen, drunk, smoke strip and be merry. December 1, 2003

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