Wycliffe Gordon, Benny Benack III, Anais Reno & Tim Whitmer

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Welcome to the annual Christmas hour of Neon Jazz—a tradition carefully culled and curated each year to celebrate the season through the language of jazz. We kick off this year's holiday journey with Kansas City veterans Tim Whitmer and Rod Fleeman, bringing a hometown glow with Plaza Tidings from their 2025 album Happy Holidays. These seasonal gems have been performed live for years, and now they're finally etched into master tapes—a gift that keeps on swinging. From there, the hour unfolds with a stellar lineup of jazz veterans and masters, including Wycliffe Gordon, Benny Benack III, Wayne Wilkinson, Christian Wiggs, and Premik Russell Tubbs, each adding their own signature sparkle to the season. We also shine a light on the next wave, featuring fresh and exciting voices like Emmaline, the ever-slick Glenn Crytzer, and the powerful Cincinnati Contemporary Orchestra, bringing big sound and bold energy to the mix. From the compilation Swinging in the Holiday, we tie a festive bow around the hour with New York City vocalist Anaïs Reno. Happy Holidays, and as always—keep digging the jazz, my friends.

Playlist

• Tim Whitmer Good Time Quartet & Rod Fleeman "Plaza Tidings" Happy Holidays (Jazz Daddy Records) 0:00
• Host talks 7:21
• Wycliffe Gordon "Green Chimneys" Holiday Fun (Arbors Records) 10:20
• Emmaline "The Christmas Blues" The Christmas Album (Curly Cue! Records) 17:13
• Host talks 21:06
• Benny Benack III "The Christmas Song" Swinging in the Holidays (Songbook Inc.) 22:34
• The Glenn Crytzer Orchestra "I'm Sorry, Santa Claus" Under the Misteltoe (Glenn Crytzer) 27:36
• Host talks 30:12
• Wayne Wilkinson "You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch" A Not So Lonely Christmas (Wayne Wilkinson) 31:27
• Christian Wiggs and His Orchestra "A Lonely Christmas" A Not So Lonely Christmas (Independent) 35:07
• Host talks 40:27
• Premik Russell Tubbs and Margee Minier-Tubbs "The Bells" Single {Margetoil Records) 41:20
• Cincinnati Contemporary Orchestra "The Pine Forest" The Nutcracker Remix (CCJO Records) 47:56
• Host talks 50:59
• Anaïs Reno "Happy Holidays" Swinging in the Holidays (ABC) 52:01

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