Breath of Heaven: A Holiday Collection

Breath of Heaven: A Holiday Collection
Compilation album by Grover Washington Jr.
Released	September 30, 1997
Studio	Van Gelder Studio (Hackensack, NJ)
Genre	Jazz
Length	59:35
Label	Columbia CK 68527
Producer	Donald Robinson Todd Barkan
Grover Washington Jr. chronology
Soulful Strut (1996) Breath of Heaven: A Holiday Collection (1997) Aria (2000)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
The New York Times	(favourable) [2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[3]

Breath of Heaven: A Holiday Collection is a Christmas compilation album by Grover Washington Jr., mostly on soprano saxophone, released in 1997 and nominated for a Grammy in 1998. ^[4] Dawn Andrews contributes vocals and cello. Billy Childs contributes piano. ^[5] It was also the last album released during his lifetime as he died less than three months later on December 17, 1999. His next album, Aria, was released posthumously on March 7, 2000.

Reception

Scott Yanow of AllMusic commented "For this set of Christmas-related songs, Grover Washington Jr. (mostly on soprano but also contributing some tenor and alto) sounds soulful but restrained. The renditions are lightly funky, atmospheric, and generally quite dull. Billy Childs is excellent on piano, and the musicianship of the other players is fine, but the similarity of moods and grooves, along with the somber feel of most of the music, makes this a surprisingly tedious listen". ^[1]

Track listing

1. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin) – 4:56
2. "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)" (Chris Eaton, Amy Grant) – 6:59
3. "The Love in His Infant Eyes" (Donald Robinson, Grover Washington Jr.) – 4:27
4. "Away in a Manger" – 5:56
5. "I Wonder as I Wander" – 5:23
6. "Christmas Time Is Here" (Vince Guaraldi, Lee Mendelson) – 5:04
7. "The Magi's Song/A Child Is Born" (Joe Locke/Thad Jones)– 4:56
8. "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" (Johann Sebastian Bach) – 4:22
9. "The Christmas Song" (Mel Tormé, Robert Wells) – 4:33
10. "The Christmas Waltz" (Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne) – 4:47
11. "Christmas Day Chant" – 3:41
12. "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song, Instrumental Version)" (Eaton, Grant) – 5:18

Personnel

• Grover Washington Jr. – alto saxophone (1, 3, 4, 8), soprano saxophone (2, 5, 7, 8, 10–12), arrangements (5), tenor saxophone (6, 8, 9)
• Hiram Bullock – keyboards (1), arrangements (1, 9), guitars (2, 6, 12), electric guitar (4, 9), acoustic guitar (5, 10)
• Billy Childs – acoustic piano (1, 2, 5–8, 10, 12), keyboards (4, 9), arrangements (4, 5, 8, 10)
• Joe Locke – keyboards (2, 7, 11, 12), arrangements (2, 6, 7, 11, 12), chimes (5), vibraphone (5, 7, 8, 11), marimba (11)
• Donald Robinson – acoustic piano (3), keyboards (3), arrangements (3)
• Adam Holzman – synthesizers (3)
• Will Lee – bass (1, 2, 4–10, 12)
• Gerald Veasley – bass (3)
• Steven Wolf – drums (1, 3, 4, 9)
• Victor Lewis – drums (2, 5–8, 10, 12
• Pablo Batista – percussion (1, 3, 9)
• Bashiri Johnson – percussion (5, 7)
• Dawn Andrews – cello (2, 11, 12), vocals (11)
• Lisa Fischer – vocals (2)

Production

• Todd Barkan – producer
• Donald Robinson – producer
• Rudy Van Gelder – engineer, mixing, mastering
• Maureen Sickler – assistant engineer
• Paul Silverthorne – production coordinator
• Christine Washington – production coordinator
• Sven Granert – product manager
• Kiku Yamaguchi – art direction
• Alice Butts – design
• David Ellis – illustrations
• Norman Jean Roy – photography

References

1. Yanow, Scott. "Grover Washington, Jr.-Breath of Heaven: A Holiday Collection". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
2. Ratliff, Ben (December 5, 1997). "From Sacred to Silly: Chestnuts Roasting on the CD Player". The New York Times – via nytimes.com.
3. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1469. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.
4. "Top Contemporary Jazz Albums". Billboard. 27 June 1998. p. 50. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
5. "Grover Washington, Jr. – Breath Of Heaven - A Holiday Collection". Discogs . 1997. Retrieved 29 December 2018.