A sure harbinger of the season is the annual onslaught of holiday releases by the usual pop/rock/R&B acts of the moment. The only problem is that there are only so many versions and renditions of the old familiar tunes and most of them have been done to (and beyond) death.
Luckily, every so often we get a reprieve for the seasonal silliness and find something different, full of class reverence and sophistication that conveys the awe and wonder of the reason for the season. Such is the case with this offering from Geri Allen, “A Child is Born.”
“‘A Child is Born’ celebrates the joy and wonder of the birth of Jesus Christ, the spirit of hope and gratitude we share together with our loved ones,” shared Allen. “It renews us, and we are reminded of the most important things in life all over again.“
The project is the convergence of many touchstones in her life, said Allen, director of Jazz Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. Among them a 2006 trip to Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity, the birthplace of Jesus Christ. “This was a marker in my life, and I knew it was important to express the joy and wonder I experienced there through music.”
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