NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Devory Pugh, a Special Education Aide at Henry Barnard Early Childhood Development Center, has released an EP of Christmas music titled Christmas with Dev, just in time to be the soundtrack to your holiday season.
Pugh, a keyboard player and singer, is the principal arranger and performer on the collection, which includes his reimagined versions of five classic Christmas carols: We Three Kings; O Come O Come Emanuel; Away in a Manger; Silent Night; and Little Drummer Boy.
“The project started in my living room, with me sitting at my piano,” said Pugh. “I was playing Silent Night and began to look for new ways to approach a holiday staple. I began to re-harmonize the chords and a world of musical colors opened up to me.”
The melodies and lyrics remain familiar enough to take you on a nostalgic trip, but Pugh’s sonically layered grooves are delivered with a modern, gospel chops-style energy that puts his contribution to the oeuvre squarely in line with the holiday traditions of contemporary jazz pioneers Fourplay, or the current sounds of trendsetters like Cory Henry & the Funk Apostles.
Pugh also engineered and produced the EP, while playing all piano, synthesizer and Fender Rhodes parts. It’s also Pugh that you hear through the talk box, turning the traditional vocals into something appropriately otherworldly for Christmas in the 21st Century. Other musicians contributing to the EP include Patrick Andy, John Beaty, Pei-Chin Faison, Joy Farmer, Chris Morgan, Greg Norwood, Marion Ross III, Marquis Sayles and Erick Walls.
“I am extremely fortunate and blessed to have such wonderful friends who saw my vision and lent their talents to make this project a reality,” said Pugh.
Get into the holiday groove with an EP that is definitely on the “nice list.” Listen to Devory L. Pugh’s Christmas with Dev on YouTube, add it to your Spotify library, or check it out on iTunes.