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Andrew J. Shelden's On Christmas Night is an extraordinary instrumental piano album for the holidays. The moment the album started, the music ("God Rest You Merry, Gents") immediately brought the verve and imagination of Mannheim Steamroller to mind, except performed on just the piano. This music is new age with a hard-charging soul. Shelden's arrangements are magnificent, and every piece shimmers with excitement.

This classically-trained, jazz-influenced musician plays with rare intensity and emotion. In addition to providing the arrangements, Shelden also composed one piece entitled "Light Snow"; this superb track lives up to the title by evoking the sentiment of swirling snow just outside the frosted windowpane. As for the eleven holiday favorites presented here, Shelden uses imaginative approaches to make the pieces seem wholly fresh and new. For example, his "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing 'Away in a Manger'" presents a darkly minor, discordant opening (and closing!), the song grows into a joyful angelic celebration with jazzy intonations before "Away in a Manger" sweetly slides along; the melding of "Hark!" with "Manger" is adventurous and magnificent.

Everything works very, very well on this excellent album. Shelden is not your average new age pianist; he is George Winston on steroids. Passion pours from every note, and the album's high level of engagement pulls the listener in.

Bravo, Andrew J. Shelden! On Christmas Night is a powerful and glorious piano statement for the holiday season!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2005)

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From the liner notes:

All arrangements by Andrew J. Shelden.
All songs in the public domain except "Light Snow" (1989 Andrew J. Shelden).
Engineer: David Flashner

Andrew J. Shelden

On Christmas Night

Artist link

Track List