Description
Duke Pearson – Merry Ole Soul – 180 Gram Vinyl Record
Merry Ole Soul, released in 1969 on Blue Note Records, is pianist, composer, and arranger Duke Pearson’s contribution to the Christmas jazz canon. Known for his lyrical touch on the piano and his elegant arranging style, Pearson brought a sense of warmth and sophistication to everything he recorded, and this holiday album is no exception. Unlike the flashy or overly sentimental holiday releases of the era, Merry Ole Soul is a tasteful, understated jazz record that feels at home both during the Christmas season and beyond.
The album presents a set of classic Christmas songs reimagined through Pearson’s cool, swinging sensibility. With his trio (and some added instrumentation on certain tracks), Pearson approaches familiar melodies with a mixture of reverence and light improvisation. Standards like “Sleigh Ride,” “Jingle Bells,” and “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” are delivered with a playful bounce, while “Silent Night” and “O Little Town of Bethlehem” are treated with more spacious, contemplative arrangements. His touch on the piano is lyrical and melodic — accessible to casual listeners, yet sophisticated enough to engage seasoned jazz fans.
Part of what makes Merry Ole Soul work so well is Pearson’s ability to balance tradition and originality. He doesn’t radically deconstruct these holiday standards; instead, he reshapes them subtly, using jazz harmonies, gentle swing, and elegant phrasing to add depth without losing their charm. The result is an album that retains the spirit of Christmas while avoiding clichés, leaning more toward quiet sophistication than big-band exuberance.
Though not as widely known as holiday albums by Vince Guaraldi (A Charlie Brown Christmas) or Ella Fitzgerald (Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas), Merry Ole Soul has become a hidden gem for jazz and holiday enthusiasts alike. It reflects both Pearson’s understated brilliance and Blue Note’s commitment to artistry, even in something as potentially commercial as a Christmas release.
In the context of Pearson’s career, the album sits within a highly productive period: the late 1960s, when he was not only recording prolifically as a leader but also serving as a key arranger, composer, and A&R man for Blue Note. His fingerprints are all over the label’s sound of the era, but Merry Ole Soul shows him in a lighter, more festive mode, with all the elegance and lyricism that defined his work.
Merry Ole Soul is often rediscovered during the holiday season by listeners looking for jazz with seasonal flavor that avoids kitsch. It’s a record that can set a festive mood without overwhelming the room, making it equally suitable for background ambiance and closer listening. In short, it’s a quiet classic — a Christmas album with true jazz soul.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
Sleigh Ride
Little Drummer Boy
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Jingle Bells
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Go Tell It On The Mountain
Wassail Song
Silent Night
O Little Town Of Bethlehem
