"A Child Is Born" is a 1969

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

song written by

Thad Jones Thaddeus Joseph Jones (March 28, 1923 – August 20, 1986) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer and bandleader who has been called "one of the all-time greatest jazz trumpet soloists". Early life, family and education Thad Jones was born i ...

, based off a tune by Roland Hanna.

Alec Wilder Alexander Lafayette Chew Wilder (February 16, 1907 – December 24, 1980) was an American composer and author. Biography Wilder was born in Rochester, New York, United States, to a prominent family; the Wilder Building downtown (at the "Four ...

independently added lyrics after hearing the recording. It has become a jazz standard with many recordings.

Composition

The song was written in 1969 by the jazz trumpeter

based on a tune by pianist Roland Hanna. Gioia, Ted. ''The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire''.

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 2021. 72f. Roland Hanna improvised the song at the piano between sets with The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. The band would often improvise off of what Hanna played. Over several weeks at the

Village Vanguard The Village Vanguard is a jazz club at Seventh Avenue South in Greenwich Village, New York City. The club was opened on February 22, 1935, by Max Gordon. Originally, the club presented folk music and beat poetry, but it became primarily a jaz ...

, Hanna developed the tune with the band. One night, Jones came in with a full

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestr ...

for the band. Hanna asked, "Is this my tune?" Jones replied, "No, it's mine." Hanna recognized Jones was doing what every band leader does, writing down material that comes out of the unit. Hanna had no hard feelings about Jones taking credit for the song, since he was the one who wrote it down. Hanna "gifted it to Thad".Stryker, Mark. ''Jazz from Detroit''.

University of Michigan Press The University of Michigan Press is a university press that is a part of Michigan Publishing at the University of Michigan Library. It publishes 170 new titles each year in the humanities and social sciences. Titles from the press have earn ...

, 2019. 97f. After hearing the band play it one night at the Vanguard,

went back to the Algonquin Hotel and wrote lyrics for it. It is considered his best independent lyric.

Lyrics

Now, out of the night New as the dawn Into the light This Child Innocent Child Soft as a fawn This Child is born One small heart One pair of eyes One work of art Here in my arms Here he lies Trusting and warm Blessed this morn A Child is born

Form

"A Child Is Born" is a waltz. Jazz soloists often shorten it so that the form is only 30 bars.Levine, Mark. ''The Jazz Theory Book''. Sher Music, 2011. 561. The original was recorded in

B-flat major B-flat major is a major scale based on B, with pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative minor is G minor and its parallel minor is B-flat minor. The B-flat major scale is: Changes needed for ...

with a long piano introduction. The melody is anchored by repeated low Ds that occasionally climb an octave to the higher D, creating a sense of two distinct vocal registers.

Recordings

"A Child Is Born" was first recorded with Roland Hanna on piano in Richard Davis' band for his 1969 album '' Muses for Richard Davis''. The track begins with Hanna intoning three low Bs on the piano and saying, "A child is born...Thad Jones". Thad Jones & Mel Lewis recorded it the following year for their 1970 album '' Consummation''. The Singers Unlimited recorded it on '' In Tune'', their 1971 collaboration with

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. As a virtuoso who is considered to be one of the greatest Jazz piano, jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordin ...

's trio. Their version is wordless. One of the first recordings with Wilder's lyrics was on The Free Design's 1972 album '' There Is a Song''. Tony Bennett recorded it with

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, block chords, innovative chord voicings, a ...

on their 1977 album '' Together Again''. It has been frequently recorded as both an instrumental and with Wilder's lyrics by artists like

Stanley Turrentine Stanley William Turrentine (April 5, 1934 – September 12, 2000) was an American jazz tenor saxophone, tenor saxophonist and record producer. He began his career playing R&B for Earl Bostic and later soul jazz recording for the Blue Note Reco ...

and

(also released on '' Christmas with Sinatra & Friends''), Richard Davis,

Kenny Burrell Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige Records, Prestige, Blue Note, Verve Records, Verve, CTI Records, CTI, Muse Records, Muse, and Concord Records, Conco ...

Dee Dee Bridgewater Dee Dee Bridgewater (née Denise Garrett, May 27, 1950) is an American jazz singer and actress. She is a three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award-winning stage actress. For 23 years, she was the host of National ...

Hank Jones Henry Jones Jr. (July 31, 1918 – May 16, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians have described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts h ...

, and

Helen Merrill Helen Merrill (born Jelena Ana Milcetic; July 21, 1929) is an American jazz vocalist. Her first album, the eponymous 1954 recording ''Helen Merrill (album), Helen Merrill'' (with Clifford Brown on EmArcy), was an immediate success and associat ...

.Jenness, David, and Donald Velsey. ''Classic American Popular Song: The Second Half-Century, 1950-2000''. Taylor & Francis Group, 2005. 135–6. The song was included in a revue of Alec Wilder's music called "Clues to a Life". It ran for 20 performances at the

Vineyard Theatre The Vineyard Theatre is a 120-seat Off-Broadway non-profit theatre company, located at 108 East 15th Street in Manhattan, New York City, near Union Square. Founded in 1981 by Barbara Zinn Krieger, the Vineyard states that its goal is "to give ...

in 1982, and a cast album was released.Dietz, Dan. ''Off Broadway Musicals, 1910-2007: Casts, Credits, Songs, Critical Reception and Performance Data of More Than 1,800 Shows''. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2010. 10f.

References

External Links

100 - A Child is Born
, Wilderworld. February 16, 2007. Songs about children 1969 songs 1960s jazz standards Real Book Song Songs written by Alec Wilder Jazz compositions in B-flat major {{1960s-jazz-composition-stub