(Post-Bop, Christmas) David Ian - Vintage Christmas Trio - 2017, MP3, 320 kbps

You can see the snow gently drifting down through the sky, taste the eggnog, and feel the yuletide spirit gently wrapping its arms around you as Vintage Christmas Trio pleasantly glides on by. Building on a branding-savvy holiday portfolio that includes Vintage Christmas (Prescott Records, 2011) and Vintage Christmas Wonderland (Prescott Records, 2014), pianist David Ian delivers a stripped-down set of ten holiday chestnuts that values clarity and concision.
Christmas albums often try to sell themselves with novelty value, athleticism, and/or pizzazz, but Ian won't have any of that. His music is straightforward. And while it certainly falls under the jazz heading, don't look for lengthy solos, wild trips afield, bluesy bluster, or radical redesigns. There's a spare elegance to Ian's vision of Christmas that's in keeping with the meaning of the holiday and the feeling of the season.
Vintage Christmas Trio is David Ian’s long-awaited full-length follow up to his debut success “Vintage Christmas.” His purest release to date, this album features instrumental-only jazz trio interpretations of Christmas favorites using the most minimal elements–highlighting Ian’s craft as pianist and arranger. David Ian’s delightful performances transport you to an era that birthed the most sentimental songs of this season. The opener, “Deck the Halls” welcomes in the Christmas spirit with a swinging trio. David Ian’s signature sound shines throughout the album as he transforms the often stately “Joy to the World” into a jazz/blues injected festivity and then carries the listener into a dreamier state with the ever-loved classic “White Christmas.” The lyrical bass solos of Jon Estes tastefully splash their way on numerous tracks supported by the clever drumwork of Josh Hunt, who together comprise a perfectly ornamental rhythm section. “We Three Kings” takes on a new form with a reflective mood; an unexpected arrangement of a Christmas classic, more forgotten in recent years. In “Silver Bells,” Ian masterfully and fluidly switches back and forth from swing to straight time. The close of the album is a solemn “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” stripped down to just piano and percussion. If you listen closely, your ears might catch the chirps of a winter bird complementing this moving musical performance.

David Ian was born in Toronto, Canada to Armenian immigrant parents, came early to music, beginning in classical piano when he was five, with just a few years later knowing that this was his life's calling. He performed in a number of garage bands throughout his school years, and after graduating from college he became lead guitarist in the acclaimed band Church of Rhythm, the group that eventually morphed into the even more successful and GRAMMY-nominated rock group Superchick.
But Ian wasn't just a rock star. He began his love with jazz in his early teens. He studied jazz piano with noted teacher Pat Pace, and joined with fellow students to help initiate the jazz lab curriculum at his high school in Akron, Ohio. When he conceived the idea of recording these Christmas records, he drew inspiration from two legendary jazz pianists. "I tried to capture some of the essence of the gorgeous voicing and phrasing of Bill Evans in his interpretations of ballads, as well as the festive approach of Vince Guaraldi, particularly his injection of the blues."
While dozens of Christmas albums are released each year, the most evocative ones are often those made by jazz musicians. This should come as no surprise, since the emotional primacy in the best jazz music echoes the spirituality inherent in the best Christmas songs. Jazz and Yuletide music have a long and complementary history, from Chet Baker's Have Yourself a Jazzy Little Christmas to Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas to Wynton Marsalis' Crescent City Christmas Card.
Taking proud place in this music lineage is David Ian Vintage Christmas and Vintage Christmas Wonderland, which breathes new life into a set of familiar Christmas classics in relaxed, swinging arrangements that capture the spirit of the season while respecting the sanctity of the material. Take one listen and you're guaranteed to have yourself a swinging little Christmas.