Christian Sands Performs Jazzy Christmas Tunes from 'Christmas Stories'

Summary

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All Of It – Christian Sands Performs Jazzy Christmas Tunes from 'Christmas Stories'

Host: Alison Stewart | Guest: Christian Sands
Date: December 20, 2023

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Episode Overview

In this festive episode of All Of It, host Alison Stewart welcomes acclaimed jazz pianist and composer Christian Sands. As the holiday season approaches, Sands brings the spirit of jazz to classic and original Christmas music, performing selections live from his new album, "Christmas Stories." The conversation dives into the art of reinterpreting cherished holiday songs, the creative process behind his original works, the role of family in his musical journey, and what audiences can expect from Sands’ upcoming shows at Dizzy’s Club in New York.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Christian Sands’ Jazz Interpretations of Christmas Classics

• Live Performance – "Silent Night" (02:21)
  Sands begins the session with a nuanced jazz take on "Silent Night," infusing the classic carol with personal and familial warmth.

• Approach to Reinterpreting Standards (06:37)
  Sands describes his approach to mixing reverence for classics with his own artistic voice.

  "As an artist...we all have different experiences with these songs, right? And so as an artist, my job...is to take those experiences and mix them with things that we know and also try to reach other people that may have had that same experience as well." (06:58 – Christian Sands)
  He recalls family gatherings:
  "Silent Night...reminds me of Christmas Eve at my great aunt's house...It might start off quiet, but once you get there, it’s a lot of fun...a lot of laughter, it's a lot of family, wine, eggnog, food...approaching this piece, it wasn’t just like...let me just play Silent Night. Let me think about what Silent Night means to me." (07:23 – Christian Sands)

2. The Anatomy of Holiday Music

• Chords, Modes, and Storytelling (08:34)
  Sands notes common threads in holiday music:

  "A lot of holiday music’s in the major keys...major is happy, that’s the feeling you get...but more importantly, it's all about the stories."
  He emphasizes the themes of love, family, reunion, and celebration that make holiday tunes universally resonant.

3. Crafting Original Compositions for "Christmas Stories"

• “The Gift” and Deeper Meanings (09:41)
  Discussing his original piece "The Gift":

  "The idea of gift giving is really the giving of love to one another...the object's just the object. So writing this piece really was writing a story...about giving gifts, exploring the feeling and exploring your emotions into it." (10:17 – Christian Sands & Alison Stewart)

• "Snow Daze" and Childhood Nostalgia (11:02)
  Sands reminisces about growing up in the '90s, inspiring the playful song "Snow Daze":

  "That is exactly what it's about. There's a reason why there's a Z at the end. I’m a 90s kid...I wanted to write a song just reflecting on that time...finding out you don't have any school that day...having a good time. I wrote that song for the kids or the adults, for the kids at heart." (11:02)

• Live Performance – "Snow Daze" (11:51)
  Sands performs his original track, imbuing it with the buoyancy and groove of a carefree snow day.

4. Family Foundations in Music

• Musical Siblinghood (16:10)
  Sands’ brother, Ryan Sands, plays drums on the entire album.

  "We did play together growing up...in the basement, perfecting our craft...it’s been a wonderful joy to make music with my brother...also to watch him be amazing." (16:20)

• The Role of Family Support

  "It was the foundation of our family...my mother and father...would bond over music...And here we are performing and playing music. If it wasn't for them and their love for music...and support, I think we'd probably be doing some other things." (17:12)

• Parental Perspective on Creative Careers

  "My parents were like any parent, like, okay, this is cool, but what's your backup plan?...very encouraging and very supportive...just an extension of our love for each other." (18:34)

5. Upcoming Performances and Building Community Through Jazz

• What to Expect at Dizzy’s Club (19:17)

  "Expect some flash...if this is anyone’s first time coming to see me, just know you're gonna have fun...have an open heart and open mind. Have some special guests coming in...it's just going to be amazing...you might be sitting next to somebody you've never met, and there you have it." (19:20)

6. Closing Performance

• Live Performance – "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (20:21)
  Sands closes the episode by performing another holiday classic, showcasing warm, expressive jazz phrasing.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Christian Sands on his reinterpretation philosophy:

  "Let me think about what Silent Night means to me. And to me, it means family, it means fun, it means getting together with loved ones and really celebrating the holidays together." (07:40)

• On gifts and meaning:

  "The object's just the object." (10:16 – Alison Stewart)

• On childhood holiday magic:

  "The song is about having fun. It's about playing. It's about just being a kid again." (11:48 – Christian Sands)

• On sibling collaboration:

  "It's been a wonderful joy to make music with my brother. Not just because he's my brother, but he's also just amazing at what he does." (16:24)

• On the family’s musical foundation:

  "It was the foundation of our family, I'll say that." (17:12 – Christian Sands)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:21 | "Silent Night" live performance | | 06:37 | Reinterpreting classics – balancing tradition and innovation | | 08:34 | Musical analysis of holiday songs | | 09:41 | Origins of original compositions "The Gift" and "Snow Daze" | | 11:51 | "Snow Daze" live performance | | 16:10 | Talking about performing with his brother, Ryan Sands | | 17:12 | The role of music and family support in Christian’s childhood | | 19:20 | What to expect at Dizzy’s Club shows | | 20:21 | "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" live performance |

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Conclusion

This episode of All Of It brings together the warmth of the holiday season, the improvisational joy of jazz, and the foundational strength of family and community. Christian Sands not only showcases his talent as a pianist but also opens up about personal memories, the deeper meanings behind holiday traditions, and the collaborative spirit that infuses both his music and his live performances. From nostalgic childhood snow days to fresh reimaginings of beloved classics, Sands invites listeners to rediscover the joy, love, and togetherness at the heart of the holidays—set to the timeless swing of jazz.

Transcript

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[Christian Sands]

All right unk.

[Alison Stewart]

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[Christian Sands]

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[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it on WNB. Welcome back to NYC. I'm Alison Stewart. We continue our holiday week warm up with some Christmas tunes, classic and new. Christian Sands is a celebrated jazz pianist and composer who's worked closely with Christian McBride for many years and has been releasing albums since 2002 when he was just a kid. Now Christian is getting jazzy for the holidays with his new record, Christmas Stories. The album features new interpretations of classics like Jingle Bells and Let It Snow alongside three original compositions that you'll want to add to your holiday playlist. Christian Sands will be playing at Dizzy's Club with the Christian Sands Quartet starting this Thursday through Christmas Eve. He'll also be featured on NPR's special Jazz Night in America on Christmas Day hosted by Christian McBride. But first he joins me here in the studio to play for us. Nice to meet you.

[Christian Sands]

Pleasure. Alison, how you doing?

[Alison Stewart]

I'm doing well. You're going to kick us off with a song. Which one did you decide to choose to start?

[Christian Sands]

I'm going to start off with Silent Night.

[Alison Stewart]

Ah, beautiful. It's.

[Christian Sands]

Sa.

[Alison Stewart]

That was Christian Sands. Christian's new album is called Christmas Stories. So when you're taking a song like that, sing Silent Night and play a little bit of Jingle Bells at the top of the show and you're thinking about reinterpreting it. How do you think about the balance of this is a classic and people expect a certain thing from the classic. But also I'M an artist, and I'm gonna make an interpretation. I'm gonna create an interpretation of it.

[Christian Sands]

Well, as an artist. Well, I'll start here. As a human being, you know, we all have different experiences with these songs, right? And so as an artist, my job and the things I like to do is to take those experiences and mix them with things that we know and also try to reach other people that may have had that same experience as well. So, for example, with Silent Night, it reminds me of Christmas Eve at my great aunt's house with my family. Right? And Sound at Night is a really. Usually a really quiet song. But I'm sure I'm not the only one that experiences. When you go to a family member's house during Christmas Eve, it's never quiet. So it might start off that way. You know, it's the calm before the storm. You know, you're getting things ready, you're getting decorations ready, or you're just cooking, or you trying to plan on what you're gonna wear or just, you know, just on your way to the party, right. And once you get there, you. You know, it's a lot of fun. It's a lot of laughter, it's a lot of family. It's a lot of wine, eggnog, you know, food. I mean, it's a lot of celebrations. So approaching this piece, it wasn't just like, okay, well, let me just take the song and just play Silent Night. Let me think about what Silent Night means to me. And to me, it means family, it means fun, it means getting together with loved ones and really celebrating the holidays together.

[Alison Stewart]

When you think about the way Christmas songs are composed, are there certain. As you start to dissect them, are certain chord progressions or modes that are always in holiday music?

[Christian Sands]

Yeah, I mean, everything. A lot of holiday music's in the major keys, you know, which is wonderful. You know, major, for layman turns, major is happy. That's the feeling you get, you know? But I think more importantly, it's all about the stories. You know, whenever you hear holiday music, there's a great story behind them, you know, and everyone can relate to those things, whether it's getting together for the holidays or I miss you from the last holiday, or it's a lot about love. It's about family, it's about getting a chance to see one another again. We haven't seen each other in a long time. You know, it's about gifts, it's about some. About religion. I mean, there's so many different aspects of this thing. And so putting these things together again, as an artist, I think about what does it mean for me. And a lot of the times, the things that mean very dear to me also people relate to as well. So it kind of works out.

[Alison Stewart]

My guest is Christian Sands. The album is called Christmas Stories. You have three original compositions. So what were you thinking about? What were the memories that you were bringing forth in writing these new songs?

[Christian Sands]

Well, the first song that I wrote for this project was called the Gift. And the Gift really was about, you know, when you think of the holiday, you think of gift giving. And I kind of went a little deeper than just, okay, well, let me just go to the store and empty my pockets and that whole thing. I think the idea of gift giving is really the giving of love to one another. You know, when you're giving a gift or you're receiving a gift, it's a little bit of love from that person into you or a little bit of love from you into another person.

[Alison Stewart]

The object's just the object.

[Christian Sands]

Absolutely. Yes. The object's just the object. So writing this story, writing this piece really was writing a story. It was about giving gifts. You know, how do I feel when I give gifts? Do I feel love? Do I feel want? Do I feel need? Do I feel anything? You know, so really it's all about just exploring the feeling and exploring your emotions into it. And so I decided to do that, and I wanted to also pay homage to, you know, as a child. You know, when you're thinking about gifts and you're thinking about Santa and you're thinking about all these different things that go with it, you're not thinking about love, but the underlying story is love. So that's what this song is all about.

[Interviewer]

What about Snow Daze?

[Alison Stewart]

D A Y, Z?

[Interviewer]

I'm like, is that about when you're a kid and you have the day off?

[Christian Sands]

That is exactly what it's about. There's a reason why there's a Z at the end. I'm a 90s kid, you know, born in 89, technically 80s 90s kid on the cusp, right? And so I wanted to write a song just reflecting on that time of being a kid in the 90s, growing up in New Haven, Connecticut. You know, that day where you just are raring to go and play in the snow, and you find out, you know, you don't have any school that day, and so now your friends are outside and you're really having a good time. And this is really for the kids. I wrote that song really for the Kids or the adults, for the kids at heart. Right. And so that's what it's all about, being in the 90s. So this. It has that groove to it. I wanted to kind of reflect that 80s 90s groove in there as well. And so this is what this song is about. The song is about having fun. It's about playing. It's about just being a kid again.

[Alison Stewart]

Can we hear Snow Days? Yes, let's do it. This is Christian Sands.

[Christian Sands]

SA.

[Interviewer]

That's an original composition from Christian Sands called Snow Days. The name of the album is Christmas Stories. It's out now. And he'll be playing at Dizzy's club December 21st through the 24th. You were talking about family a lot before you played, and your brother is on this.

[Christian Sands]

Yes, yes. Ryan Sands. He's on the entire record, and he is absolutely smashing it on this.

[Interviewer]

Did you guys play together growing up? He plays drums, right?

[Christian Sands]

Yes, yes, yes, yes. He is a drummer. We did play together growing up, you know, in the house in the basement, you know, just perfecting our craft together. And he currently, now, for the past couple years, has been touring with me all over the world. And it's been a wonderful joy to make music with my brother. Not just because he's my brother, but he's also just, like, amazing at what he does, but also to watch him be amazing, you know, I mean, we both have different experiences too. You know, I went off to college and he went off to college and all that. He's five years younger. And just to hear what he works on and the type of man he's become, and to hear that in the music, too, is just really special. So I wanted to include him on this record as well. And so throughout the record, you can hear him just killing it.

[Interviewer]

So what was the role of music in the household growing up?

[Christian Sands]

It was, you know, it was the foundation of our family, I'll say that. You know, my mother and father, you know, the story goes as they were dating, they would go to concerts and they would bond over music and you. And they weren't thinking they were gonna have musical children at all. And here we are just performing and playing music. And if it wasn't for them, I think, and their love for music and also their passion for family and just support, I think we'd probably be doing some other things. And so I really appreciate and love them for that. So that's why it's all about family.

[Interviewer]

So sometimes parents, when they hear their children are gonna go into the arts or be creative, they wanna Be supportive. But then they're also thinking, how will you eat? What was that conversation like?

[Christian Sands]

Well, I mean, we've been doing it for so long. I mean, I've been performing since I was. Technically, since I was 5, 4 or 5. But my first big concert, I believe I was 7 years old. So we've been doing it for such a long time, you know, And I don't think my. Well, I can't answer this necessarily. Cause my par. If I know them well, I don't think they were really, ever, really, really surprised at it. But also, this is just what we did.

[Interviewer]

And you also put an album out when you were 12.

[Christian Sands]

Yeah, it's also that. But we did this all the time. I mean, it was just an extension of our love for each other. And so it just happened to go into a field where I can make a career out of this. But, I mean, my parents were just like any parent, like, okay, this is cool, but what's your backup plan? And what do you have here? What about this? What about. I mean, you know, just asking questions, you know, like any normal parent would do. But at the same time, we're very encouraging and very supportive. And, you know, my early shows, my mother and my father would drive us to the gigs. And, you know, I'm like 7 years old in the. Playing in a jazz club, and my dad is right there, you know, so it's all about family.

[Interviewer]

Tell us a little bit about Dizzy's club. What can people expect?

[Christian Sands]

Oh, we're gonna expect some flash. You know, if this is anyone's first time coming to see me, just know you're gonna have fun. Have an open heart and open mind. Have some special guests coming in. It's just gonna be a lot of fun. You know, I used to live in New York. I used to perform a lot here. So the New York scene is gonna be around. You know, anytime I play at Lincoln center, you know, Lincoln center is like my home away from home. You know, it was one of the first gigs that ever played in New York City when I moved here. And, you know, we always have a ball, you know, and you never know who's gonna show up. And it's just gonna be amazing. A lot of good fun, a lot of great food, a lot of great people, you know, a lot of great people, new people to meet. I mean, you might be sitting next to somebody that you've never met, and there you have it, you know, so it's gonna be an awesome time.

[Alison Stewart]

Christian Sands is playing at Disney's Club. December 21st through the 24th. The name of the album is Christmas Stories. It's out now. Christian, would you play us out?

[Christian Sands]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Alison Stewart]

What are we going to hear?

[Christian Sands]

You know, I'm going to play this song. This is one of my favorite tunes that we recorded. This is called have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

[Alison Stewart]

Christian Sands SA.

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[Customer]

Put you on nephew.

[Christian Sands]

All right, unc.

[Alison Stewart]

Welcome to McDonald's. Can I take your order, miss?

[Customer]

I've been hitting up McDonald's for years. Now it's back. We need snack wraps. What's a snack wrap? It's the return of something great.

[Christian Sands]

Snack wrap is.