Saxophonist Jimmy Greene celebrates a 'Beautiful Life'

Saxophonist Jimmy Greene is releasing a new studio album. Jimmy’s long career has seen him work with such luminaries as Freddie Hubbard, Horace Silver, Tom Harrell, Harry Connick and many more.

This recording though has a much deeper connection to Greene’s soul. On December 14th 2012 his life changed forever when 20 year old Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children and 6 staff members at the Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. Jimmy’s six year old daughter Ana was one of those killed.

The album, ‘Beautiful Life’, took inspiration from a book Ana made for her dad that she called ”Ana's Flower Book For Dad”, containing pictures she’d drawn.

"It's a brutal reminder of what I lost," Greene said in a recent interview. "There's very few people I think in life who love you unconditionally. She was one of them. We lost her. She had qualities in her that were very well beyond her years. She would sort of sense when somebody needed a word of encouragement or a hug or a little piece of kindness. She would do it without being prompted or without someone asking for it."

Ana features on the recording singing ‘Come Thou Almighty King’ with her brother playing piano.

Greene lived in Winnipeg where he and his wife Nelba Marquez-Greene worked at Universities. The proceeds of ‘Beautiful Life’ will go to the Ana Grace Project and The Artists Collective, which exposes children to the arts. The Greenes have also established the Ana Grace Marquez-Greene Music Scholarship Fund at Western Connecticut State University.

'Beautiful Life' will be released on Mack Avenue Music on Nov 25th.

Ana Marquez-Greene