Embracing Dawn is nothing less than a cinematic narration of the stages of grief, crafted by one of jazz’s finest young composers. It’s a “breakup record,” to be sure — composed while Sands was experiencing the hurt that only a sudden absence of love can deliver — but it’s so much more. 

This 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.

The celebratory album is a spirited mix of cherished memories and new
inspirations, blending timeworn traditions with unexpected surprises. The way
that Sands weaves together strands from the past into a vibrant new tapestry is
evident from the outset on Christmas Stories. The album begins with one of the
holiday’s most well-worn chestnuts – “Jingle Bells” – transformed into a raucous
blues built on the regifted swing of Miles Davis’ “All Blues.” Jimmy Greene’s
fireplace-warm tenor tone is a perfect fit for the classic “Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Let It Snow!”

“Along with playing outside and building snowmen, that song reminds me of
rejoicing in the love of family,” Sands explains. “So, I wanted to play that song
with someone who is immersed in his own family and who felt like family to me.
Jimmy was the first person I thought of. I thought of how amazing he is as a man,
as a father, and as a family member of mine in the music.”
One of the Sands brothers’ favorite Christmas albums while growing up was Nat
“King” Cole’s classic, whose gentle, laid-back swing is echoed on their rendition
of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Meanwhile, “God Rest Ye Merry
Gentlemen” takes a surprising turn with a lively Latin rhythm supplied by Keita
Ogawa’s buoyant percussion. “Silent Night” gradually builds like an accumulating
snowfall, beginning with the calm serenity typically associated with the carol but
accelerating through its seven-and-a-half minutes into a blistering climax before
settling back into blissful introspection.

“During the holidays, the night usually doesn't stay silent,” Sands jokes. “It may
start out in that peaceful mode, but once you get family together there's chatter,
there's laughter, there’s excitement. It can get loud. I wanted the song to reflect
all these different moods and take people on a journey through the entire night.”
Sands adds three new compositions of his own to the holiday canon on
Christmas Stories. The rollicking “Snow Dayz,” featuring rising star guitarist Max
Light, is a merry, rock-fueled tune that sounds like the modern-day equivalent of
a Vince Guaraldi Peanuts soundtrack. Sands set out to depict the unbridled joy
that greets a day off from school to romp in the new fallen snow, hinting at a ’90s-
era sound to conjure the childhood years that he shares with Light and his
brother (“and Yasushi’s a big kid at heart,” Sands says of the slightly older
bassist).

The melancholy “Shoveling” follows, representing the return to chores and
responsibility that follows playtime. Sands plays the solo piece with a crystalline
touch, accompanied only by the sounds of wind and crunching snow. It’s
impossible to listen without feeling a chill down one’s spine.
Accompanied by the jingling of bells, “The Gift” features Stefon Harris, his vibes
glimmering like the sheen of wrapping paper on a tune that captures the
anticipation and thrill of giving and receiving presents on Christmas morning. It’s
preceded by “A Christmas Hymn,” an impromptu duo outing by Sands and Harris
that arose from their studio warm-ups. The tender sanctity of the piece stems
from the pair’s shared gospel roots.
“I am a very faithful and spiritual person, as is Stefon,” Sands says. “We just
started playing and it naturally took on this religious aspect.”

Sand’s starkly beautiful “Last Christmas” ends the album on a wistful note. The
title bears multiple meanings, suggesting the finality of lost loved ones, the
reconnection from one holiday to the next, the spirit of embracing every
Christmas as if it will be our last together. Sands is alone at the piano until the
midway point, when strings swell to carry the surging emotion.
“Every choice on this album was very personal,” Sands concludes. “I wanted to
include classic pieces that have a sense of familiarity and humanity to them, I
wanted songs with a sense of peace, and I wanted songs with a sense of religion
as well, because that's who I am. But I’ve gotten to spend time on the road and at
the holidays with my band, so this is not just my Christmas story. It's all of ours.”

Make sure to listen to Sand's newest studio album Embracing Dawn along with his critically acclaimed album Christmas Stories.

Join Sand on tour at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston MA, on December 20th, 2024 to experience the music live!

To learn more about the tour and additional dates, please click HERE.