by Gary Powell
Jazz pianist and long-time friend Jeff Hellmer came to the studio in 2008 with the purpose of creating a solo piano recording of seldom-heard Christmas songs. Jeff was graciously helping me build a catalog of holiday music for Miramuse, which at the time was a business-to-business solution for helping companies learn how to best utilize music to enhance their brand or deepen their relationships with customers and even employees.
I had researched ancient hymns and carols in the mid-1980’s for Ensemble 109 at the University of Texas and had written several vocal arrangements for several of these beautiful pieces of music; most of them lost to antiquity. Jeff freely improvised from these original hymn arrangements delivering a freshly re-harmonized interpretation of these ancient carols. Jeff also added a classic in “Oh Christmas Tree” and and one of my own tunes which I wrote as he waited, “Enchanted Star.”
The gift Jeff Hellmer brings to us is a relationship to music that belies that relationship’s underlying complexity while deepening our own. Jeff’s musicianship invites us to engage his music in an atmosphere free of self-agrandizement. What’s that sound like? The sound is alive, safe and disarmingly intelligent! – Gary Powell
Now this recording is available for download from iTunes, Amazon and Rhapsody for the rest of the world to hear. Thank you Jeff for making my Yamaha C7 sound better that I could ever do myself. Also, thank you to master piano technician, Brian Henselman, for keeping this piano in top shape.
by Gary Powell<\/p>\n
I had researched ancient hymns and carols in the mid-1980’s for Ensemble 109 at the University of Texas and had written several vocal arrangements for several of these beautiful pieces of music; most of them lost to antiquity. Jeff freely improvised from these original hymn arrangements delivering a freshly re-harmonized interpretation of these ancient carols. Jeff also added a classic in “Oh Christmas Tree” and and one of my own tunes which I wrote as he waited, “Enchanted Star.” <\/p>\n The gift Jeff Hellmer brings to us is a relationship to music that belies that relationship\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s underlying complexity while deepening our own. Jeff\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s musicianship invites us to engage his music in an atmosphere free of self-agrandizement. What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that sound like? The sound is alive, safe and disarmingly intelligent! – Gary Powell<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Now this recording is available for download from iTunes<\/a>, Amazon<\/a> and Rhapsody<\/a> for the rest of the world to hear. Thank you Jeff for making my Yamaha C7 sound better that I could ever do myself. Also, thank you to master piano technician, Brian Henselman<\/a>, for keeping this piano in top shape. As an old Flemish carol, the first melody Jeff Hellmer plays is entitled \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Three Kings\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and predates the long-loved Christmas classic which happens later in the piece. <\/p>\n Kings are here both wealthy and wise With tambours and drums Saint Stephen was a holy man And by the blessed Spirit of God O man do never faint nor fear From the Lute Book by William Ballet, early seventeenth century, Trinity College, Dublin.<\/p>\n Sweet was the song the Virgin sang Lulla, Lulla, Lulla, lullaby Sweet babe, sang she, my son Lulla, Lulla, Lulla, lullaby Jeff Hellmer freely interprets the original melody with lyric by German, S. Scheidt, 1650. O little one sweet, O little one mild This is a free translation of a Welsh carol by the Reverend W. Lloyd. The tune and original Welsh words first appeared in Carolan Nadolig by Canon Owen Jones. <\/p>\n Dark the night lay, wild and dreary When behold, the clouds are parted The tune and parts of the illegible ten verses of the original are from a collection drawn together A through-composed piece by Gary Powell<\/p>\n Composed by Gary Powell<\/center><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[73],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.garypowell.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/718"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.garypowell.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.garypowell.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.garypowell.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.garypowell.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=718"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"http:\/\/www.garypowell.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/718\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":741,"href":"http:\/\/www.garypowell.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/718\/revisions\/741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.garypowell.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.garypowell.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.garypowell.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Jeff](\"http:\/\/www.garypowell.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/wp-photos\/Jeff_Hellmer_Christmas_Jazz.jpg\")
<\/a>Jazz pianist and long-time friend Jeff Hellmer came to the studio in 2008 with the purpose of creating a solo piano recording of seldom-heard Christmas songs. Jeff was graciously helping me build a catalog of holiday music for Miramuse, which at the time was a business-to-business solution for helping companies learn how to best utilize music to enhance their brand or deepen their relationships with customers and even employees. <\/p>\n
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\nJeff Hellmer, Christmas Jazz<\/h2>\n
1. We Three Kings<\/h3>\n
\nCome riding far over the snow covered ice
\nRoyal in throng, Noble in song
\nThey search for the child, the Redeemer of wrong<\/p>\n
\nThey go sounding along
\nWith tambours and drums
\nThey go sounding along<\/i><\/p>\n2. Saint Stephen<\/h3>\n
\nEndued with heavenly might
\nAnd many wonders he did work
\nBefore the people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sight<\/p>\n
\nWhich did his heart inflame
\nHe spared not, in every place
\nTo preach God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s holy name<\/p>\n
\nWhen God the truth shall try
\nBut mark how Stephen, for Christ\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sake
\nWas willing for to die<\/i><\/p>\n3. Oh Little Town of Bethlehem<\/h3>\n
4. Lute Book Lullaby<\/h3>\n
\nWhen she to Bethlem Juda came
\nAnd was delivered of a son,
\nThat blessed Jesus hath to name<\/p>\n
\nLulla, Lulla, Lulla, lullaby<\/p>\n
\nAnd eke a Saviour born\u00e2\u20ac\u00a8Who hast vouch safed from on high
\nTo visit us that were forlorn<\/p>\n
\nSweet babe sang she
\nAnd rocked him sweetly on her knee<\/i><\/p>\n5. Oh Little One Sweet<\/h3>\n
\nThe second verse are the exact harmonizations written by J.S.Bach.<\/p>\n
\nThey Father\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s purpose thou hast fulfulled
\nThou cam\u00e2\u20ac\u2122st from heaven to mortal ken
\nEqual to be with us poor men
\nO little one sweet, O little one mild<\/i><\/p>\n6. Oh Christmas Tree<\/h3>\n
7. Dark the Night<\/h3>\n
\nMoaned the wind by Melchior\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s tower
\nSad the sage, while pondering weary
\nO\u00e2\u20ac\u2122er the doom of Judah\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s power<\/p>\n
\nWestward, lo, a light gleams far!
\nNow his hearts true qauest has started
\nFor his eyes have seen the star.<\/i><\/p>\n8. Come, Love We God<\/h3>\n
\nby Richard Shanne in 1611 from Methley, Yorks.<\/p>\n9. The Leaf<\/h3>\n
10. The Babe is Born<\/h3>\n
11. Spanish Carol<\/h3>\n
12. Enchanted Star<\/h3>\n