Piano Christmas
Artist: Tom Howard
Label: Kingsway
Time: 15 Tracks / 62 minutes

This final release by pianist and string arranger Tom Howard, who died in January, is a testament to the entrancing effect of a well-played solo album. No fuss, nothing showy, no kitsch, this is simply a collection of favourite Christmas music, unhurriedly played and full of feeling. 

The less familiar “How Low a Rose” shows how deeply sensitive he is to the melody, as Howard loses himself in the music. It is easy to picture him here in his conductor role, his body leading the players in the swells and dips that make music come alive.

Sometimes we get the improviser and arranger. “It Came upon a Midnight Clear” plays freely with a lesser-known melody; a bell-like section introduces “The First Noel” and reprises in places; and Howard plays the verses of “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” with a definite jazz attitude. It may be here that those familiar with his debut album View From the Bridge will most easily recognise his style.

But when tunes need a straightforward and sensitive approach, he delivers it, such as on the beautifully unadorned “In the Bleak midwinter” and “What Child is This.”

With refined simplicity and an arranger’s heart, Howard’s swansong works as a fine background to Christmas just about anywhere (apart from the office party!)

Derek Walker