Shellac instead of stardust: when Santa Claus takes off his boots and unpacks the gramophone after his work is done: Bear Family Records® delves deep into the shellac box! No intrusive bells, chumming ho-ho's or strangely distorted reindeer voices: Every year around the same time the displays of the department stores are bending with hastily and often suspiciously similar compiled 'swing' samplers, since ”swing is coming back." Our journey through the depths of various shellac racks, however, brought to light quite a number of undiscovered treasures. Thus we could stand up for the true 'Spirit of Swing'. Thrilling music of the '30s and '40s, highly danceable, elegant but cool, performed by expert jazz musicians, at the time pressed onto a mélange of shellac, slate flour, soot and cotton flakes, to be played with a steel needle (or optionally cactus spikes for lower volume) at an unbelievable 78 RPM and .... extremely fragile. 'Windup', by the way, refers to the suitable playback device with a crank; from today's point of view, very sustainable and environmentally friendly! Big names like Glenn Miller - with a very special Jingle Bells version, recorded live on Dec 24, 1941!!! - Paul Whiteman, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Barnet, Count Basie or Ella Fitzgerald as well as Putney Dandridge have expressed themselves in their own way on the subject of Christmas.

01 What Will Santa Say (When He Finds Everybody Swingin') Louis Prima and his New Orleans Gang
02 Blow Blow Thou Winter Winds Bob Crosby and his Bob Cats
03 Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! The Ramblers vocal: Marcel Thielemans)
04 I Hope Gabriel Likes My Music Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra
05 And The Angels Sing Count Basie and his Orchestra (vocal: Helen Humes)
06 Peace Sister Peace Monette Moore with The Phil Moore Orchestra
07 Jingle Bells (Intro spoken an sung by Glenn Miller and Paul Douglas) Glenn Miller and his Orchestra
08 Ring Dem Bells Charlie Barnet and his Orchestra
09 Christmas Night In Harlem Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra
10 Santa's Secret Johnny Guarnieri with Slam Stewart
11 There's Frost On The Moon Chick Webb Orchestra (vocal: Ella Fitzgerald)
12 Snow Ball Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra
13 Santa Claus Came In The Spring Putney Dandridge and his Orchestra
14 And The Angels Sing Jan Savitt and his Tophatters
15 I Told Santa To Bring Me You Jimmy Ray and his Orchestra
16 I Hope Gabriel Likes My Music Stew Pletcher and his Orchestra
17 Freeze And Melt Joe Turner and his Memphis Men
18 Winter Weather Bob Chester and his Orchestra
19 Sugar Plum Teddy Wilson and his Orchestra
20 Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town Alvino Rey and his Orchestra
21 Little Jack Frost Gets Lost Ray McKinley and his Orchestra
22 Bounce Of The Sugar Plum Fairy John Kirby and his Orchestra
23 (You're Just) As Cute As Christmas Vincent Lopez and his Suave Swing Orchestra
24 Robins And Roses Stuff Smith and his Onyx Club Boys
25 Jingle (Bingle) Bells Orchestra Bill Harty
26 Auld Lang Syne Don Redman and his Orchestra
27 Bells Of Auld Lang Syne Joel Cowan and Thornel Swartz