‘Tis the season to be jazzy

Perhaps nothing triggers the feeling of holiday nostalgia quite like a Christmas song. For jazz musicians, whose stock in trade involves interpreting classic tunes through their own unique lens, it’s an opportunity to dig into a universally familiar and beloved songbook. Over the next few weeks, there will be plenty of opportunities to hear jazz interpretations of holiday music in the Philly region.

Dec. 10. 8 & 10 p.m.

Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom St., Phila.

For those who’ve had their fill of drummer boys and jingle bells, Matt Wilson’s Christmas Tree-O offers a more irreverent take on the classics. Wilson is not only a stellar drummer but a deft juggler of jazz invention and off-kilter humor. With bassist Paul Sikivie and multi-reedist Jeff Lederer, he’s been delivering left-of-center holiday music for more than a dozen years. The trio’s latest single is “MariahParusha,” an unlikely mash-up of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” with the avant-jazz sound of saxophonist Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre.

Tickets: https://www.chrisjazzcafe.com/events/64452

Dec. 10. 8 p.m.

River Casino, 1001 N. Delaware Ave, Phila.

On the opposite end of the jazz spectrum, smooth jazz icon Kenny G will bring his “Holidays & Hits Tour” to Rivers Casino on the same night. Last year’s HBO documentary Listening to Kenny G provoked a new round of debate on the former Kenneth Gorelick’s jazz credentials and an appreciation for his sense of humor, though his keening soprano and R&B-lite style remains divisive at any time of the year.

Tickets: https://www.ticketsales.com/rivers-casino-philadelphia-tickets/venue

Dec. 11. 7 p.m.

Zellerbach Theatre, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St., Phila.

There is no better known name in jazz than Marsalis, and here in Philly, we have one of our own. Trumpeter Rodney Marsalis is cousin to NEA Jazz Masters Wynton and Branford, and is equally adept in the jazz and classical milieus. He’s a Curtis graduate and principal trumpet with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. The Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass combines the best of big band and orchestral arrangements of holiday material including The Nutcracker and Handel’s Messiah.

Tickets: https://pennlivearts.org/event/rodney-marsalis-phila-big-brass

Robinson: Dec. 15. 7 & 9 p.m.

Bradshaw: Dec. 16-18. 7 & 9:30 p.m.

South Jazz Kitchen, 600 N. Broad St., Phila.

Keyboardist and producer Donald Robinson, who has worked with a who’s who of smooth and contemporary jazz artists, will host a holiday show on Thursday, Dec. 15, preceding trombonist Jeff Bradshaw’s brass-heavy holiday weekend Dec. 16-18.

Tickets for Robinson: https://www.southjazzkitchen.com/event/thurs-dec-15-gerald-veasleys-unscripted-series-presents-donald-robinson-christmas-with-friends/

Tickets for Bradshaw: https://www.southjazzkitchen.com/event/dec-16-18-jeff-bradshaw-presents-a-jazzy-soulful-christmas/

Dec. 16. 8 & 10 p.m.

Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom St., Phila.

Pianist George Burton has created his own tradition with his “Yule Log” show, an annual homecoming for the Philly-born, New York-based pianist. The show combines Burton’s trio with a string trio led by veteran violinist Diane Monroe with vocals by Nancy Harms.

Beyond its holiday-themed offerings, Chris’ will host a number of home-for-the-holidays reunions, with guitar-great Kurt Rosenwinkel guesting with local rising stars on Dec. 28-29, and Orrin Evans joining drummer Ari Hoenig and bassist Kevin Arthur on Dec. 30.

Tickets: https://www.chrisjazzcafe.com/events/63921

Dec. 20. 7:30 p.m.

Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center, 226 N. High St., West Chester

Formed in 2002 with musicians from West Chester and Reading, The Last Big Band was conceived with a degree of nostalgia built in. The name implies the ensembles belongs to a dying breed, and the band’s repertoire reaches back to swing-era groups like the Glenn Miller Orchestra and classic big bands like Count Basie’s.

The Last Big Band has been performing its holiday show for the better part of a decade, this year returning to the Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center for the second time. “It’s become a tradition,” said saxophonist, vocalist, and band coleader Erich Cawalla.

This year’s show will feature the great Philadelphia saxophonist Larry McKenna as a special guest, promising a new bebop arrangement of “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” along with other favorites. McKenna, at 85, has a career that spans much of the music history encompassed by the Big Band. “In basketball, Larry Bird is called Larry Legend,” Cawalla said. “In jazz, that’s Larry McKenna.”

Tickets: https://secure.uptownwestchester.org/3150

Dec. 23. 8 & 10 p.m.

Chris’ Jazz Cafe, 1421 Sansom St., Phila.

In 2020, Luke Carlos O’Reilly conceived his new holiday album, The Perfect Christmas, as a gift. During the darkest days of the pandemic, after months of canceled gigs, as the prospect of convening for the holidays seemed unlikely, the Philadelphia pianist and organist was at a loss for what to give his loved ones that year.

He called on a group of friends and collaborators — vocalist CiBon; guitarist Ben O’Neill, with whom he coleads the organ trio The Mini Qs; and his trio mates, bassist Nimrod Speaks and drummer Anwar Marshall. In fall 2020, they convened at Chris’ Jazz Cafe for a daytime recording session. “It was a great way for us to have a gift to give to people and also spread some good vibes at a time when we were all struggling,” O’Reilly said.

Two years later, The Perfect Christmas will be released at Chris’. The initial five-song EP will be supplemented by five new recordings to make a full LP. It’s a marked departure from O’Reilly’s last album, the all-original I Too Sing America: A Black Man’s Diary, a politically pointed album released last year on Orrin Evans’ Imani Records.

Tickets: https://www.chrisjazzcafe.com/events/64504