Christmas Jazz Jam in twenty years. For the album, Marsalis assembled a group of ten musicians to perform uncredited arrangements of twelve holiday standards. Following "Mary Had a Baby" are traditional New Orleans jazz-style renditions of "Jingle Bells" (James Pierpont) and "Blue Christmas" (Billy Hayes, Jay W. Johnson). Kirk Silsbee of the "Los Angeles Times" awarded the album three of four stars and called the arrangements "smart yet not ostentatious". In 2009 "Christmas Jazz Jam" reached peak positions of number six on "Billboard" Jazz Albums chart, number nine on the Top Holiday Albums chart, and number nineteen on the Top Independent Albums chart.
Harry Pierpont operation would depend on accomplices on the outside who had money for guns, bribes and a hideout. It would also need someone on the inside who was dependable who was about to be released. Pierpont approached John Dillinger about helping them to escape, in return, he would be offered the opportunity to join their bank-robbing team. The group reportedly gave Dillinger the list of the best banks and stores to rob, as well as the names of reliable accomplices. He would know almost as much as they did about bank robbery Dillinger agreed, but insisted that James Jenkins be included