The Works：Christmas Special 2022: percussionist Lauren Yuen & singer Jennifer Palor

Hello and welcome to The Works. It is the time of the year when The Works and our sister programme 藝坊星期天 bring you something festive in our Christmas Special. And with us today is the presenter of that sister programme: Billy Lee. Hello everyone, I'm Billy Lee. Also here to wish you all a Merry Christmas! We’re bringing you a jazzy Christmas this year. Musically, Christmas and jazz have long gone together, thanks to classics by performers ranging from Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra to modern day musicians such as Michael Bublé and Diana Krall. Later, Ben Pelletier will be talking to singer Jennifer Palor about the irresistibly festive mélange of jazz and Christmas tunes. But before that with us is Lauren Yuen, a young musician who is also a big jazz fan.

For Christians, Christmas is of course the celebration of the birth of Jesus. It has also became a secular family holiday observed by non-Christians all across the world. Families and friends come together to celebrate the holiday season with food, gift-giving, and music. Singing carols and Christmas music is a quintessential part of the festivities. There's Christmas music in a wide range of genres, from church plainsong through Baroque and medieval, popular music, to carols and contemporary Christmas songs. Jazz has long been a natural accompaniment to the holidays too. Jennifer Palor is here to talk about her upcoming concert as part of “Jazz in the Neighbourhood” in Tsuen Wan on Christmas Day.