Duke Pearson

Merry Ole Soul is the only Christmas album of Blue Note's classic era, recorded in 1969 by the pianist, arranger and producer Duke Pearson. Pearson treats the holiday songbook as material for a relaxed soul jazz piano trio. He adds touches of celeste, and a percussionist brings Latin colours to part of the set. The result is a warm, informal jazz record rather than a seasonal novelty.

The album comes from two sessions. Sleigh Ride was cut in February 1969 at the Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and the rest followed in August of the same year. Pearson, who also produced, is joined by Bob Cranshaw on bass and Mickey Roker on drums. The Brazilian percussionist Airto Moreira plays on several tracks. The original liner notes are by Father Norman O'Connor.

Sleigh Ride is one of the highlights. Pearson sets it on a hip vamp and moves between piano and the chiming celeste over Cranshaw's bass line. Jingle Bells and Santa Claus Is Coming to Town take on a Latin-tinged rhythm with Airto in the mix. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas is a short, tender ballad. Silent Night and the spiritual Go Tell It on the Mountain are played slow and soulful, close to the blues. The record ends with a solo piano version of O Little Town of Bethlehem, just over a minute long.

Pearson was a central figure at Blue Note in the 1960s. He wrote tunes such as Jeannine and Cristo Redentor, arranged for Donald Byrd and worked for a time as the label's head of A&R. On this album he brings that arranger's ear to melodies everyone knows, changing the rhythm under them more than the tunes themselves.

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl edition (2021), which the label presents as the album's first vinyl reissue, is all-analogue. It was mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.