Album Review: The First Noel: Jazz Hymns for Christmas from Gwen Hughes

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Album:  The First Noel: Jazz Hymns for Christmas 
Artist:  Gwen Hughes
Label:  Fairfield Records
Release Date:  October 15, 2026
Website:  www.gwenhughes.com

The First Noel: Jazz Hymns for Christmas is vocalist Gwen Hughes's holiday release, applying her interpretive leanings to eleven tracks, a combination of carols, hymns, and seasonal compositions. The album completes her Jazz Hymns series, traversing across songs rooted in English, French, Irish, Welsh, and R&B/soul traditions.

Hughes's vocals move in synchronicity with her acoustic bass players, standing out as the driving force throughout the recording.  Her vocals move in time with Terrell Montgomery's bass quivers along "I Saw Three Ships," creating a cohesiveness that mesmerizes the listener.  Soothing and ruminating, Hughes's vocals cradle the listener, eliciting a sedate state of mind, most notably in the silky Celtic ripples of "Angels We Have Heard on High," a widely recognized hymn.  The airy lifts of "All Through the Night"  change to the rhythmic twitching from Charlie Chadwick's bass, producing a soft froth along "Joy to the World," and once again Hughes tailors her vocals to move to the rhythm of the bass.

Gwen Hughes is a singer, songwriter, producer, and live performer whose vocals are shaped by her interpretive skills to make a song her own.  Her strength is in cradling the listener, wrapping her audience in the soothing timbres of her vocals.   Her repertoire canvasses a labyrinth of jazz and gospel blends, each bringing out the pure clarity in her vocals.

Musicians:
Gwen Hughes - vocals
Micah Cadwell - guitar 
Max Brown - guitar 
Ramon Pooser - acoustic bass
Terrell Montgomery - acoustic bass 
Jason DeBlanc - acoustic bass
Charlie Chadwick - acoustic bass 
Randy Hoexter - piano
Tyrone Jackson - piano
Philippe Bronchtein - steel guitar, Hammond B3 
Colin Agnew - percussion
Mike Hinton - drums

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