Make your list and check it twice. This holiday concert is more than just nice.<\/p>\n
A Peter White Christmas with Mindi Abair and Vincent Ingala is coming to the Miller Center for the Arts on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
Contemporary jazz lovers eagerly await this annual Boscov\u2019s Berks Jazz Fest holiday concert, presented by Berks Arts, which has featured White in different configurations for many years.<\/p>\n
\u201cReading has been a major part of the annual holiday tour,\u201d White said. \u201cI always look forward to coming to Reading and sharing the spirit of Christmas through music with our many Berks Jazz Fest fans.\u201d<\/p>\n
White is an extraordinary and fluent acoustic guitarist whose skills are world-renowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy earliest memories of Christmas were probably not much different from many other people,\u201d White said. \u201cSnowflakes, tinsel, Santa Claus, reindeer and the opening of presents surrounded by family. As a child, my father taught me to play Christmas music on my first instrument, the recorder, and my love for Christmas music has endured throughout the years.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope this tour will be an opportunity for many smooth jazz fans to enjoy their favorite Christmas songs in a family setting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Revered saxophonist Abair returns with her dynamic vigor ready to captivate audiences.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrowing up, my family would get together for Christmas every year,\u201d Abair said. \u201cMy grandmother would cook oyster stuffing and rhubarb pie, and we\u2019d all play and sing together. I still make a rhubarb pie every year in her honor.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy grandmother gave me great advice early on, \u2018If you play the piano you can be the life of any party!\u2019 She was an opera singer and would sit and play piano and sing Christmas songs. My father would take over and play more rock\/blues\/jazz versions of Christmas songs and we\u2019d all sing.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd of course, I\u2019d pull out my sax and play along with my father on piano. What an amazing way to grow up, with music surrounding me, and weaving into my life so seamlessly from a young age.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ingala, a multi-instrumentalist whose instrument of choice is the tenor sax, is no stranger to contemporary jazz audiences \u2014 his charisma, energy and musicianship will put a smile on anyone\u2019s face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can vividly remember not being able to fall asleep waiting for Santa Claus to arrive on Christmas Eve,\u201d Ingala said. \u201cSomehow though, he always managed to get the job done while I was sleeping, and before I could catch him! I remember feeling extra special that Santa would place all of the gifts around the fireplace like a display, as opposed to them being wrapped under the Christmas tree. I would sneak downstairs multiple times with my flashlight to get a sneak peek before the sun would rise on Christmas morning.\u201d<\/p>\n