Andrea Brachfeld, A Holiday Celebration of Light Review

Andrea Brachfeld’s A Holiday Celebration of Light: Where Holiday Traditions Meet the Language of Jazz

By Ferell Aubre

Holiday music occupies a familiar place in the listening calendar, with melodies that bring memories and expectations. For music lovers, that familiarity offers an opportunity. This is a time to enjoy and honor the character of a beloved song by finding records that bring something new within its harmonic and melodic framework. On A Holiday Celebration of Light, flutist Andrea Brachfeld offers selections imbued with the imagination of an experienced improviser and the perspective of a musician whose career has crossed jazz, Afro-Latin music, and other improvisational traditions. This is a collection that finds fresh expressive possibilities in seasonal repertoire through rhythmic explorations, harmonic creativity, and spirited ensemble conversation.

Brachfeld’s musical history provides important context for the recording. Her early work with Charanga ’76 established a lasting connection to Afro-Cuban music, where the flute serves as both a melodic instrument and an active participant in the rhythmic fabric. That experience remains audible in her phrasing, particularly in the way she combines flowing melodic lines with sharply articulated rhythmic figures. Joining her are pianist, arranger, and co-producer Bill O’Connell, bassist Blake Meister, drummer Eric Kennedy, and trombonist Wycliffe Gordon. The ensemble’s instrumentation is effective in adding character to each selection. Brachfeld’s flute brings lyrical clarity, agility, and a singing upper register, while Gordon’s trombone provides a contrasting voice rich in warmth, rhythmic character, and blues expression. O’Connell’s piano connects these melodic personalities through inventive harmony, supported by Meister and Kennedy’s responsive rhythmic foundation.

The opening “Silent Night” establishes the album’s widely appealing musical  approach immediately. Rather than presenting the carol as a delicate ballad, O’Connell introduces a relaxed, gospel-influenced chordal vamp that settles into a spacious 6/4 groove. Meister and Kennedy enter with an unhurried pulse, allowing the harmony to breathe while giving the familiar melody a gently swinging character. Brachfeld states the theme with a warm, focused flute tone, shaping her eighth-note figures with distinctly jazz-oriented accents. Gordon responds with New Orleans-flavored trombone commentary, answering phrases, filling spaces, and occasionally joining the flute in lower harmonies. Their interaction transforms the melody into a conversation without sacrificing its recognizable character.

As the arrangement develops, an inventive cadence leads into a key change, with Gordon assuming the melody while the rhythm section moves toward a more active jazz-waltz feel. The shift introduces fresh momentum, and the trombonist’s rounded articulation gives the familiar tune a different expressive weight. When Brachfeld returns to the melody, Gordon resumes his commentary, demonstrating the ensemble’s natural way of exchanging musical commentary. O’Connell’s harmonic substitutions add color and unexpected movement while preserving the song’s melodic identity. An extended vamp opens space for improvisational exchanges among piano, flute, and trombone. Brachfeld’s lines move with melodic assurance, incorporating blues-inflected figures and agile jazz phrasing. The performance balances sophistication with accessibility: listeners recognize the carol, while the musicians continually reveal new possibilities within it.

“Angels We Have Heard on High” moves the ensemble into a different rhythmic environment. O’Connell, Meister, and Kennedy establish a Latin jazz-funk groove around a recurring bass pedal tone, creating a foundation that builds harmonic and rhythmic interest. Brachfeld introduces the melody with precise articulation, allowing its familiar contours to align naturally with the underlying pulse. Gordon contributes guide-tone movement and contrapuntal lines, enriching the harmony without crowding the flute. The arrangement incorporates coordinated ensemble accents and harmonic substitutions, giving the traditional melodic material a contemporary Latin jazz vocabulary.

The performance becomes surprising when a sustained high flute note signals a transition into an Afro-Caribbean montuno. O’Connell’s repeating piano figure establishes the new rhythmic character, while Meister develops syncopated bass movement and Kennedy adds increasingly animated accents. The change creates a natural setting for Brachfeld’s improvisation. Her solo combines trills, long melodic phrases, and defined rhythmic ideas, reflecting the fluency with which she moves between jazz and Latin musical languages. Rather than placing a Latin groove beneath an otherwise unchanged carol, the ensemble allows the rhythmic vocabulary to shape the improvisation and arrangement itself. Ensemble figures eventually announce the return of the melody, with Gordon providing additional commentary before a unified Afro-Latin cadence brings the performance to its conclusion.

The original composition “See the Light” brings Brachfeld’s broader artistic intentions into focus. Written to embrace the celebrations of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, the song places her in the role of vocalist as well as composer and instrumentalist. A relaxed waltz introduction from the rhythm section establishes a gentle setting for a memorable, predominantly stepwise melody. Brachfeld sings with an assured, conversational quality, emphasizing the song’s welcoming character rather than relying on elaborate vocal ornamentation. The multipart vocal harmonies broaden the texture, with occasional contrary motion introducing additional melodic interest. References to different holiday traditions reinforce the composition’s inclusive message, while the arrangement gives that message a corresponding musical shape.

The bridge introduces greater dynamic intensity as the vocal melody rises in register, creating a natural transition toward the instrumental passages. Brachfeld’s flute solo is expressive, its rounded timbre and carefully shaped articulation bringing a different color to her melodic ideas. Gordon follows with a playful quotation that develops into a fluid jazz improvisation, his phrases combining rhythmic personality with a strong sense of melodic direction. O’Connell’s piano solo offers another perspective, pairing elegant right-hand lines with harmonically rich voicings. The return of the principal melody brings layered flute textures and vocal harmonies together, allowing the arrangement to conclude with a sense of musical unity. The composition’s central message is expressed as much through the interaction of its musical voices as through its lyrics.

That sense of collaboration continues in “O’ Hanukkah, Sevivon,” which combines two traditional melodies within an energetic jazz-samba setting. Kennedy, Meister, and O’Connell establish an upbeat rhythmic foundation, with the pianist contributing crisp, inventive right-hand figures before the flute and trombone enter. The melodies sit comfortably within the Latin jazz arrangement, demonstrating the ensemble’s ability to reinterpret traditional material without obscuring its essential character. Brachfeld’s solo is distinguished by her expressive tone and rhythmic articulation, alternating connected phrases with groove-centered accented figures. Gordon’s improvisation introduces a playful contrast, his trombone bringing humor, warmth, and rhythmic elasticity to the performance.

Meister’s bass lines maintain the groove’s forward motion while responding to changes in phrasing, and Kennedy’s drumming supports the soloists without becoming rigid or repetitive. O’Connell’s harmonic framework provides continuity between the two traditional melodies, allowing the arrangement to move naturally from one to the other. As the ensemble approaches the conclusion, figures build the energy toward a spirited tutti cadence. The performance captures one of the recording’s most appealing qualities: the musicians preserve the individual identities of the melodies while bringing them together through a shared improvisational language.

The wider program also includes the ancient Christian hymn “Phos Hilaron,” the playful O’Connell composition “Ho Ho Ho,” Vince Guaraldi’s “Christmas Time Is Here,” and the traditional Hanukkah selection “Ma’oz Tzur.” Their inclusion expands the album’s repertoire beyond the most frequently recorded seasonal standards. Brachfeld’s conception of light provides a thematic connection among these selections, but the recording’s musical identity rests on the ensemble’s ability to approach contrasting material with a consistent sense of creativity and purpose.

What distinguishes A Holiday Celebration of Light is the balance between respect for tradition and the freedom of jazz expression. Brachfeld’s melodic fluency, Gordon’s conversational trombone, and O’Connell’s harmonic imagination give the performances their individual character, while Meister and Kennedy provide the rhythmic flexibility that makes the stylistic transitions convincing.

The familiar melodies are never treated as limitations; they become starting points for improvisation, rhythmic exploration, and collective invention. Just as importantly, the musicians demonstrate that musical unity does not require the loss of individual expression. Each player contributes a distinct voice, and their willingness to listen and respond gives the performances their warmth and vitality. In that shared musical conversation, Brachfeld finds a fitting expression of the album’s central idea: light becomes something the musicians create together.