Herb Alpert Announces 'Christmas Time Is Here' Album With 'Jingle Bells'
(MPG) Herb Alpert has announced his new holiday album Christmas Time Is Here will release on November 7th. Across twelve tracks, Alpert brings his unmistakable sound to a wide range of material, including classics such as Jose Feliciano's "Feliz Navidad" and Vince Guaraldi's title theme from A Charlie Brown Christmas to modern hits such as Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You." Alpert shared today the first peek at the album with his rendition of the holiday favorite "Jingle Bells."
"Jingle Bells" sets the tone with a rollicking, keyboard-inflected groove and a hustling melody. Alpert's trumpet rides on top, swinging through the arrangement and punctuated by playful "oohs" and "ahhs." Driven by a New Orleans bounce with second-line swagger, the track radiates holiday cheer. As Alpert puts it, "Now and then Christmas songs run through my head, and I jot them down to see if I can record them in a way that they haven't been heard before." That instinctive approach keeps the song fresh, a version that feels timeless, buoyant, and alive with possibility.
Christmas Time Is Here continues a holiday tradition Alpert first established with 1968's Christmas Album, which topped the Billboard chart three years in a row (1968-70), with his version of "The Christmas Song" climbing to #3 and remaining in the Top 10 for four weeks. The album remained among the Top 10 holiday sellers well into the 1970s, cementing its place as a seasonal favorite. Nearly five decades later, 2017's The Christmas Wish achieved similar success, reaching #1 on iTunes for over four weeks, #1 on Amazon's Holiday Jazz sales chart for three weeks, and earning placements on multiple Billboard charts - including #3 on Contemporary Jazz Albums and #5 on Current Jazz Albums. This new collection takes a more intimate, groove-driven approach. "I pick out the order just by instinct," Alpert says - an honesty of process that matches the natural ease of his sound.
Above all, Alpert hopes the music connects. "I hope the listeners feel that these holiday songs are presented in a way that they haven't been heard before... and makes them feel good," he says. With Christmas Time Is Here, he once again brings invention and generosity to the holiday songbook, adding to a body of Christmas music that has become an enduring soundtrack to the season.
After months of sold-out shows across the country, Alpert's tour with his iconic Tijuana Brass Band, which has been reformed for the first time in over 40 years, continues on with more dates coming up this fall. He'll close out the year with back-to-back shows at Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre, before picking back up again early next year. Newly added stops in 2026 will include shows in New Orleans, Austin, Nashville, Montreal, San Francisco, and beyond.
Track Listing:
01) Feliz Navidad
02) Jingle Bells
03) My Favorite Things
04) Christmas Time Is Here
05) Santa Baby
06) White Christmas
07) Greensleeves
08) All I Want for Christmas Is You
09) Winter Wonderland
10) Sleigh Ride
11) The Christmas Song
12) What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?
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