A Holiday Celebration of Light

Liner Notes

Here it is, just in time for the season: A Holiday Celebration of Light, a joyful selection from flutist Andrea Brachfeld that’s also the holiday jazz album you never knew you needed.

Celebrate Christmas? Hanukkah? Kwanzaa? A Holiday Celebration of Light has you covered. In fact, it has you covered within one song. “See the Light” is a sweet, hopeful, inclusive anthem near the album’s midpoint. Brachfeld wrote it and sings it herself in a plainspoken, welcoming manner. Whatever you celebrate, it’s a marker of the traditions you love—and of how much more we share than we differ. In a subtly delicious reflection of that, Brachfeld’s longtime friend and collaborator, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon (whose robust low horn tones are the yang to Brachfeld’s high, dulcet yin) sings background vocal and complements her horn solo with one of his own.

But that’s only the centerpiece of a fully formed statement—and a fully formed ensemble, which also features the dazzling rhythm section of pianist Bill O’Connell, bassist Blake Meister and drummer Eric Kennedy. All of them, together and separately, have too many highlights on the record to list here. Besides, one of our shared traditions is to wrap our presents before we give them: Discovering for yourself what’s hidden underneath is part of the fun.

They take on the timeless Christmas classics, like a gospel-tinged, after-hours-y “Silent Night” and driving Afro-Latin “Angels We Have Heard on High”; the more modern standards, via fond deliveries of Vince Guaraldi’s “Christmas Time Is Here” and Mel Torme’s “The Christmas Song,” and a hilarious, hyper-updated tune called “Ho Ho Ho” with Gordon channeling Jolly Old Saint Nick. There’s a trio of Hanukkah staples: a warm, charming setting for the traditional Hebrew song “Ma’oz Tzur,” and a medley of what must be the swingingest, soulfullest renditions of “O Hanukkah” and “Sevivon” ever laid down. And there’s even a gesture toward the Eastern Orthodox traditions with “Phos Hilaron,” a Greek hymn that’s one of the world’s oldest Christian artifacts. Brachfeld and the musicians shroud it in mystery and majesty, but not so much that they conceal the serenity and peace emanating from the performance.

The musicians, the material, the arrangements, the performances: They’re all cognizant of the joy and tradition that are as part-and-parcel of jazz as they are of the winter holidays they evoke here. None of it, though, is drowned in excessive reverence. Yes, there’s an acknowledgment of something greater than all of us. But after all, holidays are to be celebrated! They’re about togetherness, too, and that’s the core message of A Holiday Celebration of Light. The holidays give us a chance to find each other anew, to seek and share the light within us all, to “hold each other’s hands in unity and love.” What we really celebrate, this music reminds us, is each other.

Michael J West, A Jazz Journalist in Washington DC

A Holiday Celebration of Light — In the Press

• A Holiday Celebration of Light – Dee Dee McNeil - November 5, 2026 Andrea Brachfeld has a thriving wide-ranging career as a flutist, composer, arranger, educator and bandleader. She has always wanted to record a holiday album featuring her flute. The premise of this recording is summed up in the title of the only original song she has included called “See the Light.”  Brachfeld hopes… …Read More
• A Holiday Celebration of Light – Ferell Aubre - October 21, 2026 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.… …Read More
• A Holiday Celebration of Light – Michael Friedman - Fall 2026 Michael Friedman, Baltimore Jazz Alliance …Read More
• A Holiday Celebration of Light – Russell Trunk - September 21, 2026 For those still unaware, Andrea Brachfeld has built a wide-ranging career as a flutist, composer, arranger, educator, and bandleader whose work spans jazz, Latin jazz, Brazilian music, salsa, charanga, funk, and other improvisational traditions.A graduate of New York City’s High School of Music & Art and the Manhattan School of Music, she… …Read More
• A Holiday Celebration of Light – Susan Frances - September 14, 2026 Composer, improviser and flautist Andrea Brachfeld has established a body of work that moves between Latin and straight-ahead jazz settings seamlessly.  Her 2026 project A Holiday Celebration of Light is a compilation of holiday standards, spiritual hymns, and original works, some of which are written by Brachfeld.    Accompanied by pianist, arranger, and co-producer Bill… …Read More
• A Holiday Celebration of Light – George W Harris - September 14, 2026 Andrea Brachfeld stuffs the Christmas stocking with her mix of flutes as she ecumenically celebrates a variety of the end of year holidays with her team of Bill O’Connell/p, Blake Meister/b, Eric Kennedy/dr and Wycliffe Gordon/tb. Gordon here is a major bonus, adding a rich foil of sound on his rich trombone… …Read More

Notable Quotes

• Dee Dee McNeil - “Brachfeld hopes that her  music inspires us to remember we are all creations of light and we must see the light of good, peace and harmony within ourselves in order to pass it on to the next person, the next family member, the next friend, the next stranger, the next generation.” “Brachfeld’s concept for this… …Read More
• Ferell Aubre - “…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 flute brings lyrical… …Read More
• Michael Friedman - “…it’s a pleasure to have a holiday album with musical substance. A rarity.” “…her choice to combine trombone with her flute is quite remarkable. The lightness of the flute and the gruffness of the trombone; it’s a unity of opposites.” “The instrumentation, the harmonies,  and the diversity of the music say something to me about… …Read More
• Russell Trunk - “The recurring image of light provides the connective idea, allowing familiar songs and less expected selections to coexist without reducing the program to a single holiday tradition.” “…coming to a close on the breathy brilliance of an engagingly delightful The Christmas Song.” “With a sincere hope that we all enjoy her new album of holiday… …Read More
• Susan Frances - “Brachfeld showcases her personal approach to a selection of novelty tunes and  originals that focus on rhythmic clarity, melodic trimmings, and improvised dialogue. “  “Christmas Time Is Here," … features an emotive interplay between Brachfeld's flute and Wycliffe Gordon's trombone that sinks deep into the  “ Not a one tonal artist, she (Brachfeld) likes a variety in… …Read More
• George W. Harris - “Gordon here is a major bonus, adding a rich foil of sound on his rich trombone to team up with Brachfeld for a nice and bluesy “Silent Night” while getting cozy with her under the mistletoe…” “The light shines in the darkness on this release, making it sound good all year round.” George W. Harris,… …Read More
• Michael J West - “Here it is, just in time for the season: A Holiday Celebration of Light, a joyful selection from flutist Andrea Brachfeld that’s also the holiday jazz album you never knew you needed. “ “….and a fully formed ensemble, which also features the dazzling rhythm section of pianist Bill O’Connell, bassist Blake Meister and drummer Eric… …Read More