Damien Sneed, the multi-talented composer, conductor, musician, and vocalist has reissued a delightful, four-track EP just in time for the holidays. Released on LeChateau Earl Records, Joy to the World includes four Sneed holiday favorites, specially arranged to get listeners in the spirit of the season, now available for streaming and downloading via iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, among others.
The collection presents highlights of an electrifying holiday program Sneed first arranged and performed in 2019 at The Apollo Theater in New York City, which included an array of diverse tunes as well as favorites from previous Sneed recordings. “People loved the Apollo performance. I received raved reviews. That was my first solo concert presented at the Apollo,” recalls Sneed, whose musical repertoire spans jazz, classical, gospel, and more. He repeated that program a week later in Washington, DC, at the historic synagogue Sixth & I, where the concert was recorded. “Then I performed for Washington Performing Arts, where we did this concert at a synagogue and I released a holiday EP titled, ‘Joy to the World.’ This is the manifestation of those performances.”
Sneed says that the many months that the country has been forced to grapple with staying home, mask mandates, vaccinations, and more have created an even greater need for holiday cheer this year. Though he had originally planned to go on tour with this material in late 2020, he too was forced to cancel those dates. Now, by offering music from those exceptional shows, Sneed hopes to share the joyful spirit that made them so special.
“I really can say this, it was, still to date, the best performance of my entire life and career,” says the musician and conductor of that DC performance. “The energy, the sound, the musicians, and the singers. I’m telling you it was so amazing. I was blown away. Everybody was blown away.”
Listeners will be able to join in on this glorious musical journey that celebrates the soul, spirit, and reason for the season.
The tracks presented on Joy to the World are as follows:
- “Joy To The World”This time-honored holiday favorite features Alicia Peters-Jordan on lead vocals with Keyon Harrold on trumpet; vocalists Chenee Campbell, Markita Knight, and Linny Smith; David Daniels, lead guitar; Marquéz Cassidy, Hammond B3 organ; John Matthew Clark, bass; Joel Tate, drums; and Sneed on keys. Here Sneed gives the tune an injection of gospel fervor in the intro, then shifts into an upbeat jazz exhortation.
- “What Christmas Really Means” featuring writer Lizzy Ossevoort on lead vocals, is a beautiful and gentle original ballad that recounts all that we should be grateful for, as her honey-sweet voice caresses each lyric and Sneed embellishes with a piano solo.
- “A Child Is Born”from Introspections LIVEfeaturing Damien Sneed, lead vocals, and piano. Here Sneed reverently reworks the tune, which was originally written by jazz trumpeter Thad Jones with lyrics added later, with a soaring vocal and intricate piano work that enhances the beauty of both the melody and the poetic description of the Savior’s birth.
- “Adore Him Medley”from Broken To Minister: The Deluxe Edition with Lynette McNeil, Chenee Campbell, Djore Nance, Matia Washington, Tiffany Stevenson, and Damien Sneed, lead vocals; Damien Sneed, piano; Jammal Graham, Hammond B3 organ; John Matthew Clark, bass; Isaiah Johnson, drums; and Matthew Jones, string arrangement. Once again, Sneed highlights his skills at not only playing but arranging on this meditative version of the classic Christmas carol that melds into uplifting harmonies on “No, He’s Not A Baby Anymore.”
For more information on Sneed’s 2021 North American tour, Joy to the World: A Christmas Musical Journey, please visit, www.damiensneed.com.
ABOUT DAMIEN SNEED
As a multi-genre recording artist and instrumentalist, Damien Sneed is a pianist, vocalist, organist, composer, conductor, arranger, producer, and arts educator whose work spans multiple genres. He has worked with opera, classical, jazz, pop, R&B, and gospel legends, including the late Aretha Franklin and Jessye Norman, which he is featured on Norman’s final recording, Bound For The Promised Land on Albany Records. He also worked with Wynton Marsalis, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Ashford & Simpson, Brandie Inez Sutton, J’Nai Bridges, Lawrence Brownlee, and many others. Sneed has served as music director for Grammy Award-winning gospel artists The Clark Sisters, Richard Smallwood, Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker, Marvin Sapp, Karen Clark Sheard, Dorinda Clark-Cole, and Kim Burrell, among others.
Sneed’s most recent studio recording is Damien Sneed: Unplugged, an all-gospel collection of soulful and inspirational songs, recorded in a spare studio setting with Sneed on piano and vocals alongside several noted vocalists, including Chenee Campbell, Linny Smith, Tiffany Stevenson, and Matia Washington. In January 2020, Sneed released his debut classical album, Classically Harlem and We Shall Overcome Deluxe on his boutique label, LeChateau Earl Records, which was established in 2009 to reflect his varied musical interests. Previous recordings also include Jazz In Manhattan (September 2019); The Three Sides of Damien Sneed: Classical, Jazz and Sanctified Soul (July 2018); Broken To Minister: The Deluxe Edition (March 2015); Spiritual Sketches (June 2013); and Introspections LIVE (January 2010). Sneed is a 2020 Dove Award winner for his work as a featured producer and writer on The Clark Sisters’ project, The Return, released on March 13, 2020.
