Search - Dave McKenna :: Christmas Party: Holiday Piano Spiked With Swing

Christmas Ivory, Indeed

Stephen A. Smith | Boston, MA | 10/23/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Yuletide McKenna Magic

Daryl Sherman | New York,, NY United States | 12/06/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, any recording by Dave McKenna is more than worth the listen and keeping. With the thousands of holiday collections flooding the market I find this one to be a particular gem. Aside from some lesser known titles it's a treat to hear Dave lend his magic touch to Christmas favorites. He has such a special way of immediately getting inside the song --from the first couple of bars you know it's his individual voice and take on the tune. I keep reordering this one for gifts."

Unsung Hero

Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 12/06/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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.""