Once in a while a musician comes along with impecca… Read Full Bio ↴Beegie Adair Bio
Once in a while a musician comes along with impeccable technique, deep understanding of the jazz repertoire, an innate tendency to swing and the rare ability to communicate the heart and soul of a tune to listeners. That musician is Beegie Adair.
About her music Adair says, “Falling in love with jazz is like falling in love with a person, except with jazz you never get over it.” About Beegie (say B-G) Adair, what do others say?
Jazz great Helen Merrill salutes her “inventive jazz sense, her wonderful sense of time and improvised melody.”
Christopher Louden of Jazz Times magazine says Adair is “an accomplished artist with a delicate touch.”
The Los Angeles Times calls her music “Elegant.”
Entertainment News writes, “Beegie Adair is one of the finest piano players in the world.”
Intrigued? So are thousands of jazz fans, who agree with critics about Adair’s sophisticated and listenable jazz performances, and who have made her recordings among the biggest sellers in the jazz world.
Citing George Shearing, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson and Erroll Garner among her influences, Adair has recorded 24 CDs, ranging from Cole Porter standards to Frank Sinatra classics to romantic World War II ballads. Her 6-CD Centennial Composers Collection of tunes by Rodgers, Gershwin, Kern, Ellington, Carmichael and Berlin became an instant collectible classic when it was released in 2002.
Kentucky born and raised, Adair lives and records in Nashville – something of a surprise to people who associate the city solely with country music. In fact Nashville lives up to its “Music City” nickname by hosting a vibrant jazz scene, in which she has been a leading light for decades. A sought-after studio musician in her early days there, Adair accompanied such legendary performers as Chet Atkins, Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash – and also worked with Lucille Ball, Dinah Shore, Mama Cass Elliott and Peggy Lee.
Her guests on Improvised Thoughts, Beegie’s radio talk/music show on the local NPR affiliate, included such greats as Tony Bennett, Joe Williams, Marian McPartland, Benny Golson and Helen Merrill. She has guested on McPartland’s Piano Jazz show and has performed with Nat Adderley, Bill Watrous, Lew Tabackin, Terry Clarke, Urbie Green and Jim Ferguson, among many others.
When she’s not in the studio or appearing in clubs and concert halls around the country, Adair wears a variety of hats, from adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University to teacher and mentor at the Nashville Jazz Workshop. Recently she co-wrote and scored an innovative theatrical production, Betsy, which in April 2006 premiered off-Broadway in New York.
She has recorded eight projects for Village Square Records in Nashville; her most recent CDs are Sentimental Journey, a popular collection of World War II-era songs, and a solo piano recording, Quiet Romance.
She performs solo and with the Beegie Adair Trio, whose members include drummer Chris Brown, a veteran of the Maynard Ferguson ensemble, and bassist Roger Spencer, who has played with the Les Brown Band, Ray Conniff, the Page Cavanaugh Trio and Pete Jolly. They are, she says, “my main guys. They’re so tuned into the way I visualize music that it’s effortless to play with them.”
In clubs and concert venues from Los Angeles to New York, Beegie and her “main guys” win kudos from audiences and critics alike who appreciate her unique take on classic jazz. She fell in love with the music a long time ago, and indeed she’s never gotten over it -- a love affair the jazz world is much the better for.
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Beegie Adair Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stopped off at the North Pole to spend a holiday
I called on dear old Santa Claus
To see what I could see
He took me to his workshop
And told his plans to me, so
[Chorus]
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
He's making a list and checking it twice
Gonna find out who's naughty and nice
Santa Claus is comin' to town
He sees you when you're sleepin'
He knows when you're a wake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake
Oh! You better watch out, you better not cry
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
With little tin horns and little toy drums
Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
Santa Claus is comin' to town
And curly head dolls that toddle and coo
Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Then kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee
They're gonna build a Toyland all around the Christmas tree
So! You better watch out, you better not cry
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Now Santa is a busy man, He has no time to play
He's got millions of stockings to fill on Christmas day
You'd better write your letter now
And mail it right away
Because he's getting ready
His reindeer's and his sleigh. So
[Chorus]
With little tin horns and little toy drums
Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
Santa Claus is comin' to town
And curly head dolls that toddle and coo
Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Then kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee
They're gonna build a Toyland all around the Christmas tree
So! You better watch out, you better not cry
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
The song "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" was first written by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie in 1934, and it has been recorded and covered by numerous artists ever since. The song is a classic Christmas tune that describes the joy and excitement during the holiday season, especially for children. The opening lines of the song provide an interesting image of the singer traveling through the Milky Way and stopping by the North Pole to visit Santa Claus during the Christmas season. The singer is excited to see what Santa is up to, and he is taken to Santa's workshop where he is told of Santa's plans.
The chorus is a warning to children to behave well during the year because Santa is coming to town, and he has a list of those who are naughty and nice. The singer reminds the listeners that Santa Claus is always watching them, even when they are sleeping or awake, and he knows who has behaved well and who has not. Therefore, the singer urges the listeners to be good for goodness' sake. The second verse describes the toys and gifts that Santa will be bringing to children, including little tin horns, toy drums, curly head dolls, elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too. The singer then tells us that the children of Girl and Boy Land will have a jubilee since they will build a Toyland around the Christmas tree.
Despite the seemingly innocent and joyous nature of the song, it is a subtle warning to children to be on their best behavior during the year. The message is that those who are naughty will not receive any gifts from Santa. Hence, the song is an effective tool that parents and guardians can use to motivate children to behave well all year long.
Line by Line Meaning
I just came back from a lovely trip along the Milky Way
The singer is conveying that she has just returned from a journey in outer space, which is an imaginative way of introducing the song.
Stopped off at the North Pole to spend a holiday
The singer is saying that she visited the North Pole, which is where Santa Claus is said to live, during her trip.
I called on dear old Santa Claus, to see what I could see
The singer went to visit Santa Claus to see what he was up to.
He took me to his workshop, and told his plans to me
Santa showed the singer his workshop and shared some of his plans for Christmas.
You better watch out, you better not cry, better not pout, I'm telling you why, Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa Claus is coming to town and the singer is telling listeners they should be on their best behavior or they may not receive gifts.
He's making a list and checking it twice, Gonna find out who's naughty and nice, Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa Claus is carefully tracking who has been good or bad so he can decide who gets presents.
He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake
The singer is stressing the idea that Santa Claus is always watching, so people should try their best to be good all the time.
With little tin horns and little toy drums, Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums, Santa Claus is comin' to town
The singer is listing some toys that Santa may bring.
And curly head dolls that toddle and coo, Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too, Santa Claus is comin' to town
The singer is emphasizing that Santa brings a wide variety of toys for all the children.
Then kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee, They're gonna build a Toyland all around the Christmas tree
The singer is suggesting that the children will be so happy with their gifts that they will celebrate together and build a toy town around the tree.
Now Santa is a busy man, He has no time to play, He's got millions of stockings to fill on Christmas day, You'd better write your letter now, And mail it right away, Because he's getting ready, His reindeer's and his sleigh. So
The singer is reminding the listeners that Santa is a busy man with a lot to do before Christmas and that children should send their letters to him as soon as possible.
With little tin horns and little toy drums, Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums, Santa Claus is comin' to town
This final section repeats the earlier verses about the toys Santa is bringing and emphasizes that he is definitely coming to town.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: John Coots, Haven Gillespie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind