By JOHN NORTH

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Russ Wilson’s “Have Yourself a Swingin’ Little Christmas” show was, musically, a marvel, and Wilson’s repartee with his guest singers, bandmates and the crowd hit more than it missed the mark on Dec. 21 at Isis Restaurant and Music Hall in West Asheville.

The rain poured outside on an unseasonably warm (65-degree) winter solstice night, but a festive sellout crowd of 167 filled Isis to see and hear the holiday show led by Asheville’s Wilson, billed as “North Carolina’s very own King of Swing,” and his 17-piece big band. 

The otherwise stellar concert seemed overly long, perhaps because of the extended breaks between songs. The all-important pace would have benefited from a tad less talking, joking and promoting of future gigs by Wilson and others between numbers. Also, repeatedly asking if everyone is enjoying the show — or having a merry Christmas — can be overdone.

The show’s flaws, however, were minor and a highlight certainly was the singing of a few songs —each solo at different points — by Wendy Jones, Jesse Earl Jr., Timothy O’Keefe and Heather Masterton. Two roughly one-hour sets were sandwiched around a 30-minute intermission

The show was intended to be reminiscent of the renowned radio and television Christmas shows from years ago that featured Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney and Andy Williams, among others.

Wilson and his bandmates wore black suits, white shirts, black shoes and ties — and Santa hats. The guest singers dressed with a jazz elegance, too.

The show began with a highly jazzed-up instrumental version of “Jingle Bells,” after which Wilson said, “Merry Christmas, everybody!” He added that “this place is packed... You all have made me one of the happiest people in the room — and one of the wealthiest, too ... until I pay all these guys.”

Wilson noted that, at age 6, he sang his first song on stage. “It goes just like this,” the conductor-emcee-vocalist said, as he began singing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” backed by his band.

He then told the crowd, “We’ve had a lot of fun this year playing for you and we hope you’ll come see us in 2014 because we are scheduled to play at this venue (alone) six times” next year. Two of the shows Wilson is planning are “Remembering Frank Sinatra, the Capital Years” and “Bob Willis and the Texas Playboys.”

Wilson introduced Jones as a “chanteuse,” and she sang “The Man With the Bag,” which showcased her excellent vocal range, phrasing and choreography. Much to the audience’s apparent delight, the statuesqiue Jones ended the song with the sultry line, “Ya better watch out now, ya hear?”

Before leaving the stage, she also sang “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” with the crowd cheering and clapping vigorously.

Wilson asked the audience, “Are you having a merry Christmas, so far?” After a pause, he quipped in riddle-style (in an apparent playful reference to Hank Williams “Settin’ the Woods on Fire”), “”Cause if this isn’t setting you on fire, then your woods....” The audience laughed heartily.

The next song, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” which Wilson introduced as “in the style of the Count Basie Band,” was an instrumental.

At that point, O’Keefe, clad in a black suit with no tie, a white shirt and a bright red sweater, was introduced. Wilson teased O’Keefe as being dressed in his “Andy Williams outfit.” The two then exchanged barbs, leaving the audience laughing.

Eventually, O’Keefe sang a stellar version of “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm,” triggering the most enthused applause to that point in the show.

After much joking between Wilson and O’Keefe, the latter left the stage, and Wilson added, “I’ve got my fat to keep me warm. I haven’t missed a meal in my 47 years.”

More seriously, Wilson said, “I have two favorite jazz singers in the Asheville area — and this is one of them,” as he introduced Earl.

The singer said, “It’s not Christmas for me until I hear this song” — and Earl broke into “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire),” which proved to be a major crowd-pleaser.

After an instrumental version of “Winter Wonderland,” the final solo singer, Heather Matterson, sang a moving “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”

Wilson and his band finished the set with “Frosty the Snowman,” sung by Russell.

Following the intermission, the band opened with an instrumental “Jingle Bell Rock,” followed by a piano solo performance of “Christmas Time Is Here,” followed by O’Keefe’s performance of “Young at Heart” and “The Lady Is a Tramp.” The latter was performed as a sample of a song that will be in the upcoming Sinatra show.

Perhaps the most memorable performance of the night featured Wilson and Hank Bones, each sitting in chairs, playing guitars, with Wilson singing, backed by the band, on Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers “Merry Christmas, Baby.” The longest song of the night featured memorable solos by many members of the band.

Also featured were an instrumental version of “Let It Snow,” Matterson singing “Silver Bells,” Jones singing “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” and Earl singing “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?”

After Earl finished his song, Wilson asked, “Is he something, or what?”

Wilson then sang “White Christmas,” eventually inviting an enthused audience to join him in a sing-along to conclude the show.