About this product

Product Identifiers

Record LabelCD Baby, Cdb

UPC0700580833592

eBay Product ID (ePID)23046075974

Product Key Features

Release Year2012

FormatCD

GenreJazz

ArtistWill Scruggs

Release TitleSong of Simeon: Christmas Journey

Dimensions

Item Height0.40 in

Item Weight0.11 lb

Item Length5.60 in

Item Width4.90 in

Additional Product Features

Number of Tracks11

Number of Discs1

TracksO Come O Come Emmanuel, The Annunciation - Gabriel's Message, The Song of Mary - Magnificat, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Nunc Dimittis - Song of Simeon, Go Down Moses, Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming, We Three Kings, T'was in the Moon of Wintertime (The Huron Carol), Ideo Gloria, Joy to the World

NotesWill Scruggs, tenor and soprano saxophone Brian Hogans, piano Dan Baraszu, guitar Tommy Sauter, bass Marlon Patton, drums Kinah Boto Ayah, percussion with Joe Gransden, trumpet on "Go Down Moses" Horn Ensemble: Joe Gransden, trumpet Ryan Whitehead, clarinet Brian Hogans, alto sax Norm Ficke, tenor sax Wes Funderburk, trombone Travis Cottle, trombone Lee Watts, bass trombone Will Scruggs, baritone sax Recorded April 2-4, 2012, by Marlon Patton, Tucker, GA Mixed and mastered by Tim Delaney at Electron Gardens Production assistance and management by Cathy Geier Original art and cover design by Ana Maria Paramo Copyright 2012 Willis I Music My vision for this recording was to create a musical journey through the deeper themes of the Christmas narrative. Using ancient canticles, hymns, and folk melodies, I chose eleven pieces to formulate a layered chronology that illustrates the profound, spiritual mystery of the radical biblical story of the birth of Christ. I knew I could not take on an artistic challenge of this magnitude alone, so I recruited several collaborators to help me fulfill my vision. To anchor the rhythm section I started with my friend Marlon Patton, an incredibly versatile and musical drummer who has been involved in all of my creative projects over the last five years. Next I called bassist Tommy Sauter, a hard-swinging player with a big sound and deep jazz roots who I had been looking for a chance to reconnect with after our steady trio gig ended in 2009. Multi-instrumentalist and Jazz Fellowship veteran Brian Hogans agreed to cover the piano while on break from his busy touring schedule (as an alto sax player), and to add texture and a second melodic voice I called on my friend Dan Baraszu, an extremely tasteful and precise guitarist with a beautiful, natural sound. It was Marlon's suggestion to add Kinah Boto Ayah on percussion. Although I had never worked with Kinah before, I knew his handmade "Ayah Drums" would add depth to the ensemble sound, and his creative contributions had a major impact on the project. Last but not least my father, Perry Scruggs, was my theological advisor and helped me to formulate and organize the program. The music we created was the result of a truly collaborative effort, arranged with major creative contributions by every band member. Only a few tunes were spearheaded by an individual arranger, and even those benefited greatly from group experimentation and review. This has been the most meaningful and fulfilling musical project of my career thus far, and it is a blessing to be able to share this spiritual journey with all those who play or hear this music. Thank you for listening. -Will Scruggs Because so many collections of Christmas music offer only religious sentimentality or holiday pop, it's intriguing to find one challenging listeners to explore both spiritual depth and jazz complexity. Will Scruggs and his Jazz Fellowship have managed to do just that in Song of Simeon: A Christmas Journey. At the conclusion of the nativity saga in the Gospel of Luke, the Song of Simeon portrays the Christmas event as "A light to enlighten the nations and the glory of your people Israel." (Luke 2:32). This proclamation forms the two halves of our program. Part I: The Glory, is a celebration of the fulfillment of the promise to God's people. Part II: The Light, offers a gift of new light to the world. These themes escort us through the Jazz Fellowship's renderings of both familiar and obscure traditional musical selections. The first set of songs, "The Glory of God's People," begins by defining the birth event as God's way to "ransom captive Israel" in the hauntingly familiar "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," a name which means "God with us." The birth narrative then begins in earnest as a young woman is called to be the instrument of the redemption of God's people, illustrated in a century old Basque setting of the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-48). The Magnificat, Mary's acceptance speech, shi