Swing into the holiday spirit with BIG BAND HOLIDAYS II, the sequel to the critically acclaimed 2015 release from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. Featuring original arrangements of holiday classics selected from Big Band Holiday concerts spanning from 2015 to 2018, nine-time GRAMMY Award winner and Pulitzer Prize winner Wynton Marsalis and the JLCO are joined by an all-star assortment of guest vocalists, including Veronica Swift, Denzal Sinclaire, Catherine Russell, Audrey Shakir, and the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin.
Franklin’s stirring solo piano rendition of “O Tannenbaum,” a surprise performance during the 2015 edition of Big Band Holidays, has never before been released. Other standout tracks include Veronica Swift’s vibrant recording of the classic “(Everybody’s Waitin’ For) The Man with the Bag” and Denzal Sinclaire’s jazzed-up version of “We Three Kings.” An instant classic that captures the magic of an annual NYC holiday tradition, BIG BAND HOLIDAYS II serves up timeless nostalgia just in time for the most wonderful time of the year.