JAZZ CHILL NEWS BITS: MERRY MIXMAS, ELVIS COSTELLO & ALLEN TOUSSAINT, UB40

DEAN MARTIN & JULIE LONDON GLOW ON MERRY MIXMAS
New from Capitol vaults is Merry Mixmas which features remixes of popular Christmas songs from classic crooners. Merry Mixmas is a set containing 15 songs ranging from Bing Crosby to the silky sultriness of Julie London, and from the smooth vocals of Lou Rawls to the crooning elegance of Dean Martin. Merry Mixmas is, simply put, an album that gives you all of the classics with an update that refreshes rather than detracts. Featured songs include Winter Wonderland from Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole's All I Want For Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth) , Dean Martin's Baby, It's Cold Outside, Ella Fitzgerald's classic, Sleigh Ride, Eartha Kitt's Santa Baby, and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Lou Rawls is a gorgeous and tasty remix that elevates the standard to a higher plane for this set, changing percussively as the song progresses. Also included on this set is Nancy Wilson's The Christmas Waltz, Julie London's sexy I'd Like You For Christmas and a few other gems.

ELVIS COSTELLO & ALLEN TOUSSAINT TO RETEAM
Verve Records has announced that Elvis Costello is scheduled to head into the studio the week of Thanksgiving to begin a collaboration with songwriter/arranger/pianist Allen Toussaint. Joe Henry will produce the album for Verve. New Orleans veteran Toussaint recently performed with Costello at a number of New York benefits for the victims of hurricane Katrina. Toussaint, who has written such songs as Dr. John's Right Place, Wrong Time and Lee Dorsey's Workin' in a Coal Mine, appeared as a pianist on some of Costello's early 1980s albums.

NEW ALBUM IN '06 FROM UB40
UB40 will finally release their latest album Who You Fighting For? in North American on January 24 via Rhino. The album was previously released in the UK this past summer and it has spawned several hit singles. The album contains the covers of the Jamaicans' The Things You Say You Love, Matumbi's After Tonight and Lennon & McCartney’s I'll Be on My Way. UB40 is scheduled to be on tour for the rest of 2005, with shows due to begin Nov. 23 in Belfast and wrap Dec. 22 in Birmingham, England. A three-week tour of Australia and New Zealand will get underway Feb. 4, 2006 in Perth.