Jazz Pianist Christian Sands | “Christmas Stories”

Christian Sands Shares His Cinematic Approach To Popular Holiday Classics On New Album
Christmas Stories Out Now via Mack Avenue Records

Returning for Yearly Residency at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club in NYC December 21-24

Limited Edition Red Vinyl Available Now

October 6, 2023: Jazz pianist and two-time GRAMMY® nominee Christian Sands has released Christmas Stories via Mack Avenue Records. Having performed in-demand Christmas shows at Jazz at Lincoln Center and around the world, Sands offers such classics as “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Silent Night,” “Jingle Bells,” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” as well as a few surprises. Sands has also released a special, limited edition red vinyl titled Christmas Stories (Selections).

Stream/purchase Christmas Stories

The holiday season looks very different for Christian Sands these days. The New Haven, Connecticut native recently moved from New York to Los Angeles, trading a lifetime of Winter Wonderlands for a disconcertingly Green Christmas. Then there are the usual changes and transitions that we all face in life but that seem to be thrown into starker relief around the holidays: family and friends lost or gained, relationships ended or initiated, another twelve months of experience to shape our continued evolution.

All of those factors come to the fore on Christmas Stories (Mack Avenue Records), Sands’ first album of holiday songs old and new. While the acclaimed pianist and two-time Grammy® nominee inevitably views Christmas as a time of nostalgia, reflection and reunion, he also recognizes it as a time for renewal and looking ahead. At the same time as we’re looking back on the year just ending, we’re also beginning to wonder at the new year about to begin and the fresh slate of opportunities that it presents.

“For me, Christmas really is all about family,” Sands says. “Especially as an artist that travels a lot, Christmas is a time when I get to see people that I might not have seen for the entire year – not just my immediate family but friends and loved ones. It’s a time of mixed emotions, all the hustle and bustle mixed with moments of remembrance for people that are no longer with us. Old relationships are gone, new relationships have started, you get a rare opportunity to sit still and reflect and think about the new realities that the new year might bring.”

Christmas Stories brings Sands together with members of his extended musical family: at the heart of the album is his working quartet, with guitarist Marvin Sewell, bassist Yasushi Nakamura, and the pianist’s actual brother, Ryan Sands, on drums. In the holiday spirit, they’re joined by a number of special guests: saxophonist Jimmy Greene and vibraphonist Stefon Harris, both mentors to Sands, along with a pair of newer acquaintances, percussionist Keita Ogawa and guitarist Max Light.

About Christian Sands:
Pianist and two-time GRAMMY® nominee Christian Sands is an emerging jazz force. His abundant piano technique perfectly matches his ambition, accomplishing a much deeper musical goal: a fresh look at the entire spectrum of jazz. A protégé of Dr. Billy Taylor, Sands released his debut album at the age of 12. He came to wider prominence through his work as a member of two bands led by iconic bassist Christian McBride: the Christian McBride Trio and Inside Straight. Sands has shared the stage with such jazz luminaries as Wynton Marsalis, Dianne Reeves, Sheila E, Gregory Porter, Warren Wolf, Tia Fuller, Gary Burton, Stefon Harris, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jason Moran, Geri Allen, Randy Brecker, Russell Malone, Terence Blanchard, Louis Hayes, Patti Austin, and Wycliffe Gordon, among many others. Christmas Stories is Sands’ fourth release as a leader for Mack Avenue, following Reach (2017), Facing Dragons (2018), and the Grammy-nominated Be Water (2020).

Christmas Stories Tracklist:
1. Jingle Bells
2. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! feat. Jimmy Greene
3. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
4. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen feat. Keita Ogawa
5. Snow Dayz feat. Max Light
6. Shoveling
7. Silent Night feat. Marvin Sewell
8. A Christmas Hymn feat. Stefon Harris
9. The Gift feat. Stefon Harris
10. Last Christmas

Christmas Stories (Selections) LP Tracklist:
SIDE A
1. Jingle Bells
2. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! feat. Jimmy Greene
3. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
4. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen feat. Keita Ogawa

SIDE B
1. Silent Night feat. Marvin Sewell
2. The Gift feat. Stefon Harris
3. Last Christmas

Tour Dates:
October 21: Morrow, GA – Spivey Hall
December 8: Boston, MA @ Scullers Jazz Club
December 15: Old Lyme, CT @ The Side Door Jazz Club
December 16: Old Lyme, CT @ The Side Door Jazz Club
December 17: Old Lyme, CT @ The Side Door Jazz Club
December 21: New York, NY @ Dizzy’s Club
December 22: New York, NY @ Dizzy’s Club
December 23: New York, NY @ Dizzy’s Club
December 24:New York, NY @ Dizzy’s Club

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