Within a few days a huge amount of money will be spent on firework displays all over the world to celebrate the beginning of the Twenties. But it will probably be nothing compared to a night in November 1833 when “Stars Fell On Alabama.”

Some of you may have celebrated this Christmas amidst the present Australian heat wave, for others it might have been a cold and rainy holiday season. And maybe you were among the lucky ones who experienced a traditional white Christmas. No matter what the temperature is, always remember “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm.”

60 Years ago today, U.S. newspapers published a column on “Last-Minute Gifts” which Richard Spong wrote for Editorial Research Reports. The 1959 gift suggestions he mentioned varied from “$25,000 Worth of natural crown sable” for the ladies and “a set of cashmere underwear, tops and bottoms, at a mere $115” for the men. In the realm of music, he suggested “you could give the Ella Fitzgerald five-volume Gershwin record album, costing only $100, and probably a better bargain than anything else herein.” Today’s Santa’s can still present a CD-version of the Verve album, or you can listen to it in its entirety on YouTube’s Timeless Music Box channel.

In 1936 Louis Prima wrote “What Will Santa Claus Say?” He recorded it with his New Orleans Gang in Chicago, Illinois, on November 16, 1936.

Eddie Duchin was a very popular “sweet-society” pianist and bandleader from 1933 until his death in 1951. Brian Rust jazz discography says this about Duchin: “As might be expected, his many records are not likely to interest the jazz enthusiast, but the following is exceptional” -- composer Harold Arlen and lyricist Ted Koehler’s 1931 composition “Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea.”

The last great trombone hit record was trombonist Buddy Morrow’s arrangement of Jimmy Forrest’s composition “Night Train,” recorded by Buddy Morrow and his Orchestra for RCA Viktor on April 12, 1952. It sold over a million copies, “although I never earned good money from recording,” Morrow said later.

Pianist Pine Top Smith gained posthumous fame when a decade after composing his “Pine Top’s Boogie Woogie” it was arranged for Tommy Dorsey’s big band by Deane Kincaide. A bestseller in 1938, 1944 and 1945 it became Dorsey’s best-selling record after the war, with over 5 million copies sold.

Earlier this week one of our oldest as well as eldest members, Dutch double bass player and composer Frans Ronday died at the age of 90. Frans always responded to our posts and was active himself on Facebook from time to time, sharing interesting music videos. One of those he especially liked was this bass duet by Ray Brown and Christian McBride in Charlie Parker’s 1945 composition “Now’s The Time.”

“Am I Blue” is one of the great American songbook classics which has been recorded by dozens of jazz musicians and vocalists. New Yorker Harry Akst (1894-1963), of "Dinah" fame, composed the melody in early 1929. On June 17, 1953, Dinah Washington recorded her rendition of this song for her EmArcy album After Hours With Miss “D”.

Spurred on in the 70s by Mary Lou Williams and Erroll Garner, jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughan began to play the piano again during her 80s concerts. Such as during her interpretation of “Once In A While,” a 1937 song by American composer/violinist/organist Michel Edwards (1893-1962) and the Austrian born lyricist Mozes David “Bud” Green (1897-1981) who grew up in Harlem.

In 1986 pianist Teddy Wilson (1912-1986) and seven other American musicians made a tour of Europe with a tribute to Benny Goodman concert. During a performance in Gouda, I was fortunate to be standing pressed to the left side of Mr. Wilson’s piano, looking down on his slender fingers dancing over the 88 keys. During the intermission we talked briefly and when I asked him how he had met Goodman, he nodded in the direction of vibraphonist Red Norvo and said "at a party at his place.” Their introduction to each other took place in the mid Thirties and shortly thereafter Goodman and Wilson made their first trio record together: “After You’ve Gone.”

On December 23, 1935, Jimmy Lunceford and his Orchestra recorded one of the greatest hits of the swing era for Decca in New York. This popular song, “My Blue Heaven,” was originally composed for the Ziegfield Follies of 1927 by New Yorker Walter Donaldson (1893-1947) with lyrics by Chicagoan George Whiting (1884-1943).

Half a century ago, the music world was shaken by the death of one of the most gifted prodigies jazz had ever seen, 33-year old double bass player Paul Chambers. Here he is with “Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise,” a 1928 classic tune by Hungarian-American composer Sigmund Romberg (1887-1951).

On Thursdays in 1958, Art Ford’s “Jazz Party” could be seen on New York’s WNTA-TV from May 8, 1958 to December 25. Episode #1.20 was aired on September 25, 1958. It had brought a variety of top jazz musicians to the New Jersey recording studio: Charlie Shavers and Henry Red Allen-trumpets; J.C. Higgenbotham and Dicky Wells-trombones; Pee Wee Russell and Buster Bailey-clarinets; Willie the Lion Smith-piano; Dick Thompson-guitar; Vinnie Burke-double bass; Sonny Greer-drums and tenors Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young, with the latter featuring in “Mean To Me.”

Between May and October 1938, pianist/composer Ferdinand Joseph LaMotte (1890-1941) -- better known as Jelly Roll Morton -- was given the opportunity to make a series of Library of Congress recordings organized by folk-archivist Alan Lomax. Morton, accompanied by his own piano, talked about his compositions and played and sung 52 illustrative songs, which were all recorded on matrices. The first one was “Alabama Bound.”

This week two classic jazz tunes during a Summer concert. First “My Blue Heaven,” composed in 1924 by New Yorker Walter Donaldson (1893-1947). The second tune on this video clip is “Lush Life” which was composed a decade later by Billy Strayhorn (1915-1967).

Eighty years ago, Alfred Lion, Francis Wolff and Max Margulis founded a new record label called Blue Note records. The first record, labeled BN-1 contained two blues compositions by Meade “Lux” Lewis: “Melancholy” and “Solitude,” which were both recorded in New York on January 6, 1939.

Looking out of my window to the sunlit surroundings I’m thinking “Life Can Be Beautiful.” Which is title of a classic jazz ballad composed in 1948 by Jimmy McHugh, with lyrics by Harold Adamson. Between December 2, 1957 and January 28, 1958, 25-year old jazz singer Beverly Kenney (1932-1960) recorded it in New York City for her Decca album “Beverly Kenney Sings for Playboys.”

Alto saxophonist and bandleader Jimmie Lunceford made a great reputation at the Cotton Club in 1934 with powerful swinging hot style in arrangements by Will Hudson and trumpeter Sy Oliver. Oliver did much to form the band’s style and identity. This is Oliver’s arrangement of his own composition “For Dancer’s Only,” recorded for Decca in New York on June 15, 1937, featuring alto saxophonist Willie Smith and trumpeter Freddie Webster.

Musician/songwriter and actor Henry Nemo (1909-1999) wrote several beautiful songs which became real classics, such as his first hit composition “I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart.” Other sublime ballads he created are “Tis Autumn“ and “Don’t Take Your Love From Me,” for which he wrote both words and music in 1940. He copyrighted the latter, on May 2, 1941. Here is singer Catherine Russell’s version: