Acclaimed saxophonist Grady Nichols has release his first-ever holiday project Falling in Love with Christmas via RED/Sony Music and New Day Christian Distributors. The seventh career album to date for the Emmy nominated artist features Nichols’ signature sounds in a vibrant blend of seasonal classics mixed with new, original tunes. In addition, Falling in Love with Christmas is currently available for pre-order on iTunes.
“This project is the culmination of years of musical experimentation as well as a lifetime’s worth of holiday experiences,” says Nichols. “I’ve always appreciated the integral part music plays in our Christmas celebration and it’s always been a dream of mine to be able to do a record like this… to create a celebration of the most precious season of all!”
Drawing on Nichols personal influence with masters of the genre such as Henry Mancini, Eddy Arnold and the Carpenters, Falling in Love with Christmas features instrumental renditions of Christmas favorites such as “Winter Wonderland,” “Little Drummer Boy,” “O Come All Ye Faithful” and “O Holy Night.” The holiday album also offers original tunes through the upbeat anthem “One More Christmas Song” (vocal guest performance by 4Him’s Andy Chrisman) and title track, “Falling in Love with Christmas.”
“I really wanted to capture that traditional Christmas that I listened to and grew up with through the years,” says Nichols. “But, at the same time, try and do something different with it to own those songs and create something musically modern and fresh that has a timeless quality to it.”
One of the most poignant moments on the album is “The Message of Christmas,” a spoken word track featuring Nichols, his wife, Lisa, and their three sons. “Being able to have my family as a part of this record and share the story of Christmas with all the other families that pick this up at Christmastime is pretty special,” Nichols says. “My hope is that this project will become part of everyone’s family traditions for decades to come.”
Falling in Love with Christmas presents a cast of world renown musicians and longtime friends that collaborated alongside Nichols, including Grammy Award-winning producer Michael Omartian (Billy Joel, Steely Dan), Dove Award-winning producer Chris Rodriguez (Keith Urban, Faith Hill), David John, Matt Pierson, Steve Brewster and Dove Award winning orchestral arranger/pianist David Hamilton (Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith) who also arranged and conducted The Nashville String Machine, a 30-piece orchestra that is featured on the project.
“This album was such a joy to help create,” says Hamilton. “The combination of the rhythm section and Grady's saxophones, with the power, beauty and majesty of a symphony orchestra captures the spirit of Christmas in a unique way. The blending of classic orchestral traditions and jazz is a vibrant setting for Grady’s masterful and lyric playing. You can sense the joy and feel the true meaning of the season in this music.”
“Grady sings through his saxophone and communicates the joy of Christmas with every fiber of his being,” adds Rodriguez. “It was such a pleasure to see his vision of a holiday (‘Holy Day’) record with orchestral sections come to fruition.”
Throughout his musical journey, Nichols has collaborated with some of the world’s leading talents. He has opened for Ray Charles, the Temptations, Al Green, and Luciano Pavarotti, making him the only artist allowed to open for Pavarotti on his North American farewell tour. Nichols has performed with Peter Cetera, the Beach Boys, Kirk Whalum, and Roy Clark. In addition, his albums have featured acclaimed guest vocalists such as two time Grammy Award winner Bill Champlin of Chicago, Leigh Nash of Sixpence None the Richer and Zac Maloy, alumni of the Nixons who also penned the No. 1 hit “Temporary Home” for Carrie Underwood, Jeff Lorber, and Grammy Award winner Chris Botti who toured with Sting, among others.
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