Christmas With My Friends III (Live) is a 2012 live album by Nils Landgren, presented in a 54:08 program across 15 tracks. Filed under Jazz and Vocal Jazz, it places seasonal material in a concert setting rather than a studio sequence, which gives the record a direct and communal character. The title also signals a gathering, and the set moves through Christmas songs, winter hymns and reflective pieces with the pacing of an evening performance.
The opening stretch outlines that range clearly. Christmas Is Here (Live) introduces the album with a familiar seasonal mood, followed by Dagen Ar Kommen (Live) and Ett Barn Ar Fott (Live), which bring Scandinavian titles into the program. Imagine (Live) then shifts the tone slightly, widening the repertoire beyond strictly devotional material, while Someday At Christmas (Live) returns to the holiday theme in a song long associated with hope at the end of the year.
In the middle of the album, Somebody Talkin' (Live) and Giv Mig Ej Glans (Live) keep the sequence moving between jazz phrasing and traditional Christmas repertoire. Ich Steh An Deiner Krippen Hier (Live) and Away In A Manger (Live) place two cradle songs side by side in spirit, then Glad Dig, Du Kristi Brud (Live) extends the Northern European thread. The live format matters here, because these songs read less like isolated tracks and more like parts of one continuous seasonal set.
The later section deepens the winter atmosphere with River (Live), a title that adds a colder, more reflective color to the program. Nativity Carol (Live) and Bethlehem Down (Live) return to the Christmas story directly, and Tochter Zion (Live) keeps the album connected to older hymn and carol traditions. By the time Infant Holy, Infant Lowly (Live) arrives, the record has covered English, Swedish and German titles, giving the concert a broad seasonal vocabulary without leaving its jazz and vocal jazz frame.
For listeners building Christmas and New Year playlists, Christmas With My Friends III (Live) stands out through its clear live setting, compact 54:08 duration and carefully varied 15-song selection. Nils Landgren balances recognized songs such as Away In A Manger (Live) and Someday At Christmas (Live) with pieces like Giv Mig Ej Glans (Live), Bethlehem Down (Live) and Tochter Zion (Live). The result suits quiet holiday listening, winter evenings and the reflective close of the year while staying grounded in named songs and a defined concert atmosphere.
