Jazz For The Holidays – Festive Piano Transcriptions by Paul Tobey
Original price was: $175.55.$97.00Current price is: $97.00.
📖 Read the Foreword ▾as written by the author and composer, Paul Tobey
FOREWORD
I still remember the smell of pine needles and candle wax drifting through the sanctuary at midnight on Christmas Eve. The junior choir (of which I was a part from age seven) made its way in a candlelit procession from the back of the church to the choir loft, barely staying in tune singing “Silent Night,” while my father, Rev. Tobey, was putting his final thoughts together for his sermon about hope and light. That’s where it started for me.
My piano journey kicked off around this time with my feet dangling from the organ bench while Markwell J. Perry (the kindest, gentlest church organist God ever put on this earth) showed me how to turn “Silent Night” into something that could make grown men cry. Classical music training came first, jazz snuck in later at university, and somewhere along the line the two worlds collided under the Christmas tree and have continued for many years. This book is the love-child of that collision.
There’s something downright sacred about these melodies. They’re simple enough for a child to hum, sturdy enough to hold a lifetime of harmonic mischief. Give a jazz pianist a great Christmas tune and it’s like handing a master chef a perfect cut of beef: we can’t help but season it, sear it, and serve it back richer, smokier, and twice as soulful. That’s what I’ve been doing every Christmastime for decades, and what you now hold in your hands is the first time I’ve ever let the curtain all the way up.
Inside you’ll find nine of my personal holiday favorites, captured note-for-note from the livestreams and concerts that have become my yearly Christmas tradition. “Carol of the Bells” explodes into a double-time blues that gives the old Ukrainian motif a whole new life. “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” storms out in F minor with block chords so thick and rich you’ll feel them in your chest. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” settles into a warm G-major glow, laced with just enough tension to honor the song’s longing. “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” keeps the happy melody front and center while slipping in silky III–VI–II–V turnarounds underneath. “Let It Snow!” stuffs every bar with tritone substitutions and rolling 10ths for maximum winter coziness. “O Christmas Tree” channels Vince Guaraldi cool and Oscar Peterson fire, complete with a trio backing track that turns your piano into the hippest holiday band in town. “The Christmas Song” (chestnuts roasting and all) gets a bright C-major reharmonization that feels fresh yet timeless. “The Christmas Waltz” floats along in three-quarter time with all the romance and elegance Sinatra demanded when he commissioned it back in 1954. And it all closes, of course, with “White Christmas”—my favorite Christmas movie of all time turned into the warmest jazz embrace you’ll ever play.
Many of the transcriptions are the work of the terrifyingly accurate Polish wizard Przemysław Jaworucki, who somehow hears ghosted notes I didn’t even know I played. A few of these charts date back to my 2003 album Paul Tobey’s Christmas at the Piano (still my best-selling record, go figure), while others were born fresh on Saturday-morning livestreams and even from one of my annual online Christmas concerts. All of them are battle-tested in front of real audiences who want nothing more than to feel the spirit of the season wrapped in swing.
So light the fire, pour something that warms you from the inside, and dig in. Play one of these for your family, your friends, or your own yearly Christmas concert, and watch what happens. These melodies have been around for generations, but the minute you lay jazz hands on them they become brand new again—personal, alive, and unmistakably yours.
May your chords be lush, your swing be effortless, and your Christmas be nothing short of magical.
Merry Christmas,
Paul Tobey
Listen to Paul play some of the tunes in this book:
A Jazz Pianist’s Gift to the Season: Nine Jazz Piano Transcriptions That Swing with Holiday Spirit
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. Many are the wizardry of transcriber Przemysław Jaworucki, who catches ghost notes even I missed; others hail from my best-selling 2003 album Paul Tobey’s Christmas at the Piano, Saturday-morning livestreams, or annual online concerts. All are forged in front of audiences craving the season’s spirit wrapped in swing—recorded live on my inspiring Ibach F3 Grand Piano in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada.
What’s Inside: Your Festive Jazz Repertoire
- Carol of the Bells (p. 5): Explodes into double-time blues, breathing new life into the Ukrainian motif. (Bass & Drums Backing Track Included)
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (p. 17): Storms in F minor with thick, chest-rumbling block chords.
- I’ll Be Home for Christmas (p. 27): Settles into warm G-major glow, laced with poignant tension for the song’s longing.
- It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (p. 35): Keeps the happy melody front and center, slyly slipping in silky III-VI-II-V turnarounds.
- Let It Snow! (p. 39): Stuffed with tritone substitutions and rolling 10ths for ultimate winter coziness.
- O Christmas Tree (p. 43): Channels Vince Guaraldi’s cool and Oscar Peterson’s fire, with a trio backing track to turn your piano into the hippest holiday band. (Bass & Drums Backing Track Included)
- The Christmas Song (p. 50): Bright C-major reharmonization—chestnuts roasting on an open fire, fresh yet timeless.
- The Christmas Waltz (p. 53): Floats in three-quarter time with Sinatra-commissioned romance and elegance (1954 origins included).
White Christmas (p. 58): Closes with the warmest jazz embrace, inspired by my favorite holiday film.
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. Dive into reharmonized progressions, locked-hand voicings, and bluesy licks that surprise and enchant, balancing tradition with bold exploration. Whether mastering the chromatic modulations in Let It Snow! or the rubato storytelling in I’ll Be Home for Christmas, each chart demands nuance but rewards with improvisational fluency. Pair them with the original recordings (linked) to feel their swing come alive.
Light the fire, pour something warm, and play one for your family, friends, or solo concert. Watch these generational melodies turn brand new—personal, alive, unmistakably yours. May your chords be lush, your swing effortless, and your Christmas nothing short of magical.
Merry Christmas,
Paul Tobey
December 2025 © 2025 Paul Tobey & Pilgrim Productions Incorporated. All rights reserved. Published by Paul Tobey & Pilgrim Productions Incorporated. Ideal for intermediate to advanced pianists—total value if purchased separately is $175.55
Check out this samples of one of the sheet music transcriptions in this book:
Listen to Paul play some of the tunes in this book:
📖 Read the Foreword ▾as written by the author and composer, Paul Tobey
FOREWORD
I still remember the smell of pine needles and candle wax drifting through the sanctuary at midnight on Christmas Eve. The junior choir (of which I was a part from age seven) made its way in a candlelit procession from the back of the church to the choir loft, barely staying in tune singing “Silent Night,” while my father, Rev. Tobey, was putting his final thoughts together for his sermon about hope and light. That’s where it started for me.
My piano journey kicked off around this time with my feet dangling from the organ bench while Markwell J. Perry (the kindest, gentlest church organist God ever put on this earth) showed me how to turn “Silent Night” into something that could make grown men cry. Classical music training came first, jazz snuck in later at university, and somewhere along the line the two worlds collided under the Christmas tree and have continued for many years. This book is the love-child of that collision.
There’s something downright sacred about these melodies. They’re simple enough for a child to hum, sturdy enough to hold a lifetime of harmonic mischief. Give a jazz pianist a great Christmas tune and it’s like handing a master chef a perfect cut of beef: we can’t help but season it, sear it, and serve it back richer, smokier, and twice as soulful. That’s what I’ve been doing every Christmastime for decades, and what you now hold in your hands is the first time I’ve ever let the curtain all the way up.
Inside you’ll find nine of my personal holiday favorites, captured note-for-note from the livestreams and concerts that have become my yearly Christmas tradition. “Carol of the Bells” explodes into a double-time blues that gives the old Ukrainian motif a whole new life. “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” storms out in F minor with block chords so thick and rich you’ll feel them in your chest. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” settles into a warm G-major glow, laced with just enough tension to honor the song’s longing. “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” keeps the happy melody front and center while slipping in silky III–VI–II–V turnarounds underneath. “Let It Snow!” stuffs every bar with tritone substitutions and rolling 10ths for maximum winter coziness. “O Christmas Tree” channels Vince Guaraldi cool and Oscar Peterson fire, complete with a trio backing track that turns your piano into the hippest holiday band in town. “The Christmas Song” (chestnuts roasting and all) gets a bright C-major reharmonization that feels fresh yet timeless. “The Christmas Waltz” floats along in three-quarter time with all the romance and elegance Sinatra demanded when he commissioned it back in 1954. And it all closes, of course, with “White Christmas”—my favorite Christmas movie of all time turned into the warmest jazz embrace you’ll ever play.
Many of the transcriptions are the work of the terrifyingly accurate Polish wizard Przemysław Jaworucki, who somehow hears ghosted notes I didn’t even know I played. A few of these charts date back to my 2003 album Paul Tobey’s Christmas at the Piano (still my best-selling record, go figure), while others were born fresh on Saturday-morning livestreams and even from one of my annual online Christmas concerts. All of them are battle-tested in front of real audiences who want nothing more than to feel the spirit of the season wrapped in swing.
So light the fire, pour something that warms you from the inside, and dig in. Play one of these for your family, your friends, or your own yearly Christmas concert, and watch what happens. These melodies have been around for generations, but the minute you lay jazz hands on them they become brand new again—personal, alive, and unmistakably yours.
May your chords be lush, your swing be effortless, and your Christmas be nothing short of magical.
Merry Christmas,
Paul Tobey
