Christian Sands

Christmas Stories is Sands’s fourth release as a bandleader for Mack Avenue Records, following Reach (2017), Facing Dragons (2018), and the Grammy-nominated Be Water (2020). 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’s “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!” Sands also offers such classics as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Silent Night,” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” as well as a few surprises.