Christian Sands

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Christian Sands
Christian-sands.jpg
Sands in Denmark, 2015
Background information
Birth nameChristian Sylvester Sands
Born (1989-05-22) May 22, 1989 (age 35)
New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Genres Jazz
Occupation(s)Musician, composer
Instrument(s)Piano
Years active2000s–present
Labels Mack Avenue
Website christiansandsjazz.com

Christian Sylvester Sands (born May 22, 1989) is an American jazz pianist and composer. His third album for Mack Avenue Records, Be Water, was released in 2020 and received a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Instrumental Composition category for the song "Be Water II".

Contents

Life and career

Sands in Denmark, 2015 Christian-sands 01.jpg
Sands in Denmark, 2015

Sands was born on May 22, 1989. [1] He grew up in New Haven, Connecticut, and later moved to the nearby town of Orange. [2] He started playing the piano at a very young age, and took lessons from the age of four; he commented that "I grew up with it in the house, in the classroom and on stage so it has always been a huge part of my life". [2]

Sands was mentored by pianist Billy Taylor, who allowed the teenager to close one of the sets that Taylor played at the Kennedy Center. [3] Sands went on to study at the Manhattan School of Music. [4] The school's Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, led by Bobby Sanabria, recorded the album Kenya Revisited Live in 2009; [5] it was nominated for a Latin Grammy. [6]

After graduating, Sands joined Inside Straight, one of bassist Christian McBride's bands; they have toured internationally. [7]

Sands became a Steinway artist in 2012. [8] In 2014, Sands cited as influences McBride, Wynton Marsalis, Kenny Garrett, and Marcus Roberts, because "They're coming from the tradition of bringing people into the music, but also moving it forward into new directions". [2] In the same year, Sands became an American Pianists Association Jazz Fellowship Awards Finalist. [2]

His composition "Be Water II" was nominated for the Best Instrumental Composition Grammy Award in 2020. [9]

Discography

An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.

As leader

Year recordedTitleLabelPersonnel/Notes
2002*FootprintsStanzaTrio, with Jeff Fuller (bass), Jesse Hameen II (drums)
2004*HarmoniaStanzaTrio, with James Cammack (bass), Arti Dixson (drums)
2007*Risin'Christian SandsWith Michael Asseta (bass), Jesse Hameen II & Ryan Sands (drums), Josh Evans (trumpet), Bill Evans (sax)
2008FuriosoM&IWith Craig Handy (flute, tenor sax), Randy Brecker (flugelhorn, trumpet), Ugonna Okegwo (bass), Louis Hayes (drums)
2014Take One Storyville Trio, with Thomas Fonnesbæk (bass), Alex Riel (drums); in concert
2017Reach Mack Avenue With Marcus Baylor (drums), Yasushi Nakamura (bass), Gilad Hekselman (guitar), Christian McBride (bass), Cristian Rivera (percussion), Marcus Strickland (tenor sax, bass clarinet)
2017–18Reach FurtherMack AvenueMost tracks trio with Yasushi Nakamura (bass), Jerome Jennings (drums); some tracks trio with Nakamura (bass), Marcus Baylor (drums); EP; Jennings tracks in concert
2018Facing DragonsMack AvenueWith Yasushi Nakamura (bass), Jerome Jennings (drums), Marcus Strickland (sax), Keyon Harrold (trumpet), Caio Afiune (guitar), Cristian Rivera and Roberto Quintero (percussion)
2020Be WaterMack AvenueWith Yasushi Nakamura (bass), Clarence Penn (drums), Marcus Strickland (sax), Sean Jones (trumpet), Marvin Sewell (guitar), Steve Davis (trombone)
2023Christmas StoriesMack AvenueWith Jimmy Greene (sax), Stefon Harris (vibraphone), Marvin Sewell and Max Light (guitar), Yasushi Nakamura (bass), Ryan Sands (drums), Keita Ogawa (percussion) [10]

As sideman

Year recordedLeaderTitleLabel
2009* Bobby Sanabria Kenya Revisited Live
2012*Ulysses OwensUnanimous Criss Cross Jazz
2013* Christian McBride People Music Mack Avenue
2013* Christian McBride Out Here Mack Avenue
2017* Gregory Porter Nat King Cole & Me Blue Note
2019*Jordan PettayFirst FruitOutside in Music [11]
2019 Alexa Tarantino Winds of ChangePosi-Tone [12]

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References

  1. Collar, Matt. "Christian Sands". AllMusic . Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Get to Know Jazz Fellowship Awards Finalist Christian Sands" (September 11, 2014). American Pianists Association.
  3. Josephson, Sanford (2009) "Jazz Notes: Interviews Across the Generations". Praeger. p. 196. ISBN   978-0-313-35700-8.
  4. Lutz, Phillip (September 3, 2010) "Help for Those Just Starting Out in the Jazz World". The New York Times.
  5. Blanco, Edward (May 9, 2009) "Bobby Sanabria / Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra: Kenya Revisited Live!!! (2009)". AllAboutJazz.
  6. Grossman, Anna Jane (March 15, 2013) "Striking All the Right Notes". The New York Times.
  7. Jarenwattananon, Patrick (May 10, 2012) "Another Young Jazz Artist Who Also Cares About Pop Music Today (Gasp!)". npr.
  8. "Christian Sands". Steinway.com. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  9. "Christian Sands". grammy.com. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  10. Vacher, Peter (December 2023 – January 2024). "Christian Sands: Christmas Stories". Jazzwise . No. 291. p. 41.
  11. Willis, Samantha (April 2019). "Jordan Pettay: First Fruit". DownBeat. Vol. 86, no. 4. p. 54.
  12. Paul Rauch (June 10, 2019). "Alexa Tarantino: Winds of Change". allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved May 13, 2020.