Jazz for the Holidays

A jazz pianist’s gift to the season: Nine holiday classics reimagined with swing, soul, and harmonic mischief—delivered note-for-note from livestreams, concerts, and my best-selling 2003 album Paul Tobey’s Christmas at the Piano. Performed on an inspiring Ibach F3 Grand in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, these 62 pages blend sacred carols with bluesy fire, turning pine-scented traditions into smoky, personal celebrations. Ideal for intermediate to advanced players craving effortless joy at your holiday keys.

Dear fellow jazz lovers,

This book is more than sheet music—it’s the love-child of classical roots and jazz fire, born under Christmas trees and candlelit sanctuaries. Dedicated to my wife Nancy, whose quiet courage through 2024’s trials reminds me why music endures, and in anticipation of our first grandson George arriving just after Christmas 2025, Jazz for the Holidays captures the melodies that have carried me through decades of midnight gigs, church processions, and family traditions.

From my feet dangling off the organ bench at age seven, learning to bend “Silent Night” into something soul-stirring under the gentle guidance of Markwell J. Perry, to colliding classical training with university jazz—this collection is that collision made tangible. Handwritten in the glow of pine needles and candle wax, these nine transcriptions invite you to hand a master chef’s perfect cut to a jazz pianist: we season, sear, and serve back richer, smokier, twice as soulful.

These aren’t stiff carols—they’re sturdy enough for a lifetime of harmonic mischief, simple for a child to hum, sacred enough to hush a room. Pair them with the original recordings and feel their swing come alive under the mistletoe.