Four years ago, in December 2015, Jordan Smith won season nine of NBC-TV’s popular vocal competition “The Voice.”
The Harlan, Kentucky native and Lee University graduate would become the show's biggest-selling singer, selling more
than 1.5 million singles and placing eight songs into the Top 10 on iTunes' singles chart, three of which went to number
one.
When you enjoy that kind of success on such a highly viewed television show, lots of wonderful career opportunities often
come you way. In Smith’s case, one of those opportunities brought him to the Evergreen Stage in Burbank, where he taped
his first hour-long Christmas program, the 2016 PBS special “Jordan Smith: ‘Tis the Season,” which aired on KET-TV in
Kentucky.
The show, which presented a concert of holiday music from Smith's 2016 Christmas album of the same name, brought together the talents of a number of top musicians and industry luminaries. It seemed almost a given that Smith would record a holiday album, giving his dynamic performance of the Mark Lowry-Buddy Greene Christmas classic “Mary, Did You Know?” on “The Voice.”
A special guest was the legendary Grammy®-winning composer, songwriter and producer David Foster, who produced Smith’s debut album, “Something Beautiful,” later followed by “‘Tis the Season.” Over the past four decades, Foster has been one of the busiest figures in the recording industry, working with a wide and diverse range of A-list talent including Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, and Chicago, just to name a few. He’s also renowned for the scores he composed for major films including “St. Elmo’s Fire.”
The PBS special presented Smith’s performances of a range of songs from his Christmas album including “Silent Night,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” and “O Holy Night,” the latter of which features the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Other vocals were provided by Maria Aleida, Charlean Carmon and Kenya Hathaway.
On the special, Jordan’s musical accompaniment was provided by Foster (piano), Chuck Berghofer (bass), Dean Parks (guitar), Jamey Tate (drums), Wayne Bergeron (trumpet), and Juliane Gralle (trombone and trumpet), as well as a string and horns/woodwind section led by musical director Ezequiel “Cheche” Alara. Alara is an industry veteran who has served as musical director and conductor for Grammy Awards Premiere Shows in 2017 and 2019; six editions of the Latin Grammys; several "Person of the Year" Concert galas featuring Placido Domingo, Caetano Veloso, Alejandro Sanz, Shakira, Miguel Bosé, and José Jose; several American Idol concert tours; and a number of other programs and concerts.
The show, which presented a concert of holiday music from Smith's 2016 Christmas album of the same name, brought together the talents of a number of top musicians and industry luminaries. It seemed almost a given that Smith would record a holiday album, giving his dynamic performance of the Mark Lowry-Buddy Greene Christmas classic “Mary, Did You Know?” on “The Voice.”
A special guest was the legendary Grammy®-winning composer, songwriter and producer David Foster, who produced Smith’s debut album, “Something Beautiful,” later followed by “‘Tis the Season.” Over the past four decades, Foster has been one of the busiest figures in the recording industry, working with a wide and diverse range of A-list talent including Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, and Chicago, just to name a few. He’s also renowned for the scores he composed for major films including “St. Elmo’s Fire.”
The PBS special presented Smith’s performances of a range of songs from his Christmas album including “Silent Night,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” and “O Holy Night,” the latter of which features the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Other vocals were provided by Maria Aleida, Charlean Carmon and Kenya Hathaway.
On the special, Jordan’s musical accompaniment was provided by Foster (piano), Chuck Berghofer (bass), Dean Parks (guitar), Jamey Tate (drums), Wayne Bergeron (trumpet), and Juliane Gralle (trombone and trumpet), as well as a string and horns/woodwind section led by musical director Ezequiel “Cheche” Alara. Alara is an industry veteran who has served as musical director and conductor for Grammy Awards Premiere Shows in 2017 and 2019; six editions of the Latin Grammys; several "Person of the Year" Concert galas featuring Placido Domingo, Caetano Veloso, Alejandro Sanz, Shakira, Miguel Bosé, and José Jose; several American Idol concert tours; and a number of other programs and concerts.