Wedding Jam Winter Warmers

Ezra Collective - Why I Smile

Last year's Mercury Prize winners Ezra Collective, it is fair to say, are more of a sunshine band than a winter one - all joyful jazz and explosions of Afrobeat flavours. However this track, taken from their latest LP 'Dance, No-One's Watching', is a gorgeous, cosy jam that feels ideal for the winter months.

Sufjan Stevens - Adlai Stevenson

Sufjan Stevens is one of those artists for whom everything he touches turns to gold - he even managed to make a magical Christmas boxset that is all killer, no filler. 'Adlai Stevenson' isn't a Christmas song, at all, but its brass and military-esque drums sound like a Salvation Army brass band, all huddled together and wrapped up, banging out festive classics on a street corner on a cold Christmas Eve. Lovely!

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - Autumn in New York

There is surely no warmer a musical hug than the legendary combination of two of the most distinctive and beautiful voices ever. Ella and Louis were regular musical partners, their wildly different vocal textures - Ella's pure velvet next to Louis' rustic, gravelly tones - melding magically together. 'Autumn in New York' is just perfection.

Vashti Bunyan - Winter is Blue

Primed by her record company to be a 60s pop star, things didn't quite turn out that way for the mercurial Vashti Bunyan. She withdrew from the limelight and disappeared. The sublime 'Winter is Blue' was supposed to have been a single in 1967, but it remained unreleased until 2007 after she enjoyed renewed interest thanks to her song 'Just Another Diamond Day' featuring - somewhat incongruously - on a T-Mobile advert that same year.

Khruangbin - White Gloves

Texan trio Khruangbin have become renowned for their consistently excellent groove-heavy music. 'White Gloves' is a beautiful track that appears to be about loss, possibly the loss of a mother, and it somehow hits that sweet spot of being immensely sad while simultaneously offering you a warm hug.

Bill Evans Trio - Who Can I Turn To?

Jazz pianist extraordinaire Bill Evans was once a part of Miles Davis' group before leaving to to forge his own path, and with talent like his who could blame him. 'Who Can I Turn To?' is a textbook showcase of not only Evans' absolute skills but also the skills of this incredible trio, interweaving their sublime playing to create this wonderfully warm piece. You can almost hear the wood creaking in the upright bass. Music made for November!

Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal

Fleet Foxes are blessed with an extraordinary gift - their majestic music sounds summery in the summer, and wintry in the winter. 'White Winter Hymnal' was the sound of a band announcing their arrival, back in 2008, and what a way to arrive. The layers of Brian Wilson-inspired three part harmonies are completely enveloping, and the then-precocious talent of songwriter, singer and arranger Robin Pecknold is all too apparent. A mini masterpiece.

Münchener Freiheit - Keeping The Dream Alive

This late 80s one hit wonder has been often described as 'the greatest song Paul McCartney never wrote'. In fact to this day some still think it is McCartney. For many, it is inextricably linked with Christmas, having been a hit in December 1988, despite not being a Christmas song at all. From the glistening, twinkling intro, to its opening line 'Tonight the rain is falling' and, once again, the Sally Army-esque brass at the end, it positively screams winter. One of the most Christmassy non-Christmas songs ever.

Jordan Rakei - Goodbyes

Taken from his brilliant 2017 record 'Wallflower', 'Goodbyes' is a gorgeous piece of sophisticated soul and jazz-inflected pop. Soaring, airy strings sit alongside a soulful vocal that we reckon makes for a cosy comfort blanket. Smooth, toasty and warm - just as it should be.

Charles Mingus - Strollin'

Mingus was a titan, one of the most important figures in 20th century music. A multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, composer, Mingus had the lot, and for some music lovers represents an accessible way into jazz. 'Strollin', from 1959, features little-known singer Honi Gordon on vocals and is absolutely ripe for some November listening.

Nat King Cole - Smile

Nat King Cole's voice should be prescribed on the NHS, and maybe this song should too. Melancholy from the gods, 'Smile' is a timeless piece of music that could warm the coldest heart. It might be called Smile, but it might just make you cry too. The magic of music, and all its juxtapositions, succinctly packaged in just under three spellbinding minutes.

Bon Iver - Re: Stacks

In 2006 Justin Vernon had fallen ill, and had grown increasingly frustrated with his life and his songwriting. Famously, he drove to his father's remote log cabin in the middle of nowhere, somewhere miles north of Wisconsin, to be alone, and to record his debut record, 'For Emma, Forever Ago'. This is its closing track, an understated and impossibly beautiful lament. The oblique lyrics make its meaning difficult to decipher, although it's probably about a lost love. Whatever it may be about, it is a soothing gem that reaches deep into your soul. It'll be alright, you know.

And if that lot doesn't warm the cockles then we don't know what will! We've put them all into a little Spotify playlist - feel free to get stuck in, and get warmed!