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Embracing Dawn - Pianist and composer Christian Sands is creating his own fresh fluidity in the jazz forum, but one would not consider less from the mentee of the legendary Dr. Billy Taylor. Sands follows the jazz canon of hard bop but more subdued — his rhythms roar like a ferocious lion with a giant whisper, never overstated but more than enough to entrance any listener.—New York Amsterdam News

Embracing Dawn -“Good Morning Heartache” as a voyage of recovery from loss, separation and sadness. As in LPs of old, the tracks are arranged in a sequence that creates a story-telling narrative. — Jazz Wise Magazine

Embracing Dawn - Way back in the mottled history of the 1950s and '60s, record biz guys in sharkskin might kick down a DJ's door and bark: "You gotta to hear this single!" - AllAboutJazz

Embracing Dawn - Don’t be surprised if Sands attracts Grammy attention again. Embracing Dawn may take a few listens to grab you, but its emotional power may have you turn to it often as a musical salve for your melancholy mood. - GlideMagazine

Embracing Dawn is a tasteful exploration of the human experience, seamlessly blending technical prowess with deep emotional resonance. - NYCJazzRecord

Christmas Stories arrives nearly four years after pianist Christian Sands released the NAACP Image Award-winning, Grammy-nominated post-bop masterpiece Be Water. Sands has been playing in-demand Christmas gigs for Jazz at Lincoln Center and elsewhere around the world. While this music is lighthearted, the pianist and his octet -- vibraphonist Stefon Harris, saxophonist Jimmy Greene, guitarists Max Light and Marvin Sewell, bassist Yasushi Nakamura, percussionist Keita Ogawa, and drummer Ryan Sands -- treat this music quite seriously, making it a vehicle for jazz improvisation as well as holiday reverie. - AllMusic Thom Jurek

“Be Water II” nominated for the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards for Best Instrumental Composition.

“…having successfully made the case for his breadth of style, Sands is free to follow his music where it leads.” - NPR

“…Christian Sands plays with a restrained touch and a rolling command across the entire keyboard.” - The New York Times

  “Sands is skilled, soulful and melodic…” - VICE Noisey 

@ChristianSandsJazz