Creating a Jazzy Christmas Medley

Welcome to this lesson on arranging a jazzy Christmas medley! In this session, we explore three classic holiday songs: "I’ll Be Home for Christmas," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," and "The Christmas Song."

We will focus on seamless transitions between these tunes using 1-6-2-5 progressions, chordal fills, and melodic embellishments to create a cocktail jazz piano feel. Whether you’re playing at a holiday gathering or just for your own enjoyment, this lesson will provide practical drills and exercises to elevate your arrangements.

Connecting the Christmas Songs with Turnarounds

One of the key techniques in arranging a medley is using a turnaround to smoothly transition from one song to the next. In this lesson, we use a 1-6-2-5 progression in the key of C major:

• Cmaj7 → A7 → D-7 → G7

This turnaround is commonly found in jazz standards and will help create fluid movement between the different songs.

We explore variations of this turnaround, including altered dominant chords, sus chords, and upper-structure triads, to add more color and sophistication to the arrangement.

Chordal Fills & Voicings for a Richer Sound

Chordal fills help to fill the space between melody lines and create a fuller sound. We practice this technique by harmonizing each note of the C major scale with a 1-6-2-5 progression, using different voicing options for each chord:

• Cmaj7: Use C6/9 or Cmaj9 to avoid clashing with the melody.
• A7: Try A7#5#9 for a richer, bluesy sound.
• D-7: Use D-9 or D-11 to highlight the jazz texture.
• G7: Play G13sus before resolving to a standard G7.

This drill helps develop a strong voicing vocabulary, ensuring your playing remains expressive and dynamic.

Melodic Fills & Ornamentation

To add personality and a swinging feel to the medley, we integrate simple melodic fills and motifs, such as:

• Grace Notes & Turns: Enhancing the melody with light ornamentation.
• Chromatic Passing Notes: Adding smooth movement between chords.
• Sixth & Third Intervals: Harmonizing parts of the melody with additional tones for a richer sound.

These elements help create a more engaging and stylistic performance, capturing the essence of jazz improvisation.

Recommended Order for the Medley

To structure the medley effectively, we arrange the songs in the following order:

1. "I’ll Be Home for Christmas" – A warm introduction, using a Cmaj7 to Eb°7 substitution to add movement.
2. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" – Built on 1-6-2-5 progressions, making it ideal for smooth transitions.
3. "The Christmas Song" – A grand finale, incorporating reharmonizations and extended harmonies for a lush ending.

Each transition is carefully designed to preserve the mood and flow while maintaining harmonic interest.

Practice Tips

1. Master the 1-6-2-5 Progression – Practice transitioning between chords smoothly in different voicings.
2. Experiment with Chordal Fills – Use spread voicings and altered dominants to enrich your playing.
3. Develop a Strong Left-Hand Accompaniment – Use walking bass lines or shell voicings to keep the groove steady.
4. Focus on Ornamentation – Add grace notes, chromatic runs, and fills to enhance the melody.
5. Listen to Jazz Arrangements – Study recordings of Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, and Diana Krall to internalize the style.

By the end of this lesson, you will have a polished jazzy Christmas medley with smooth transitions, lush harmonies, and expressive phrasing. Keep practicing these techniques, and enjoy playing these timeless holiday classics!