While there are too many Christmas songs to count...and many versions of those songs recorded by jazz artists...songs about the holiday that comes at the end of Christmas week are relatively rare.   Frank Loesser, the composer of musicals such as "Guys and Dolls," wrote one of the best and most durable New Year's songs in 1947.  "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" demonstrates Loesser's talent for marrying beautiful melodies with easy-flowing, conversational lyrics (two lines begin with "Ah, but", as in "Ah, but, if I stand one little chance, here comes the jackpot question in advance...").  Pop and jazz musicians alike have recorded "What Are You Doing..."  Here are Ella Fitzgerald (with a studio band featuring some of the top LA jazz musicians of the day) and Diana Krall (with today's top LA-based jazz band, the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra).

Happy New Year to my hosts for these essays, OJ and Stephen, and to everyone who visits this site.