For a long time now, I’ve written and recorded one Christmas tune each year. Some stay pretty close to the original carols, and others drift off into places you don’t usually hear this time of year. Along the way, Richie Beirach has reharmonized a few of them, which sent the music in directions I never would have planned on my own.

This isn’t a typical Christmas album—and that’s probably obvious from the title and the cover. Some of the music here is very traditional, and some of it definitely isn’t. There are moments that feel familiar and grounded, and others that wander into territory you’re unlikely to hear on a Christmas record anywhere else.

Although my musical identity is closely tied to jazz, my listening habits have always been pretty eclectic. I’ve never been very good at staying in one lane, and I don’t think this music does either. You’ll hear jazz influences, for sure, but also orchestral writing, unusual textures, and ideas that come from outside the usual holiday vocabulary.

Bones, Bells, and Angels is the result of following the music where it wanted to go. If you listen straight through, you’ll hear a mix of reverence, curiosity, and a willingness to take a few chances, hopefully enough to make these familiar tunes feel a little less familiar again.