I usually don't play such mellow music. "Christmas Lullabies" just ended up that way, so I named it accordingly. I was glad, and a little amused, to hear later that friends of mine were using the CD to put their babies to sleep. Well, it's good for something!

Actually, I love the CD myself. And I don't usually like stuff I create -- that constant critic lives within.

My name is Roshana Ariel; I'm a flutist.

In early 2001, right after Christmas, I began to toy with the idea of creating a Christmas album. Around that time, I met Ben Romans, a gifted keyboard player. He was playing piano at a church I attended in Salina, Kansas. Little did I know that he would go on to become a member of a very popular band: The Click Five!

Anyway, when I heard him play, I thought, "If I could play piano well, that's exactly how I would play." He had such a warm, flowing, beautiful, improvisational style.

I asked Ben if I could hire him to lay down some tracks for me. He agreed, and came over to my house to record about 10 songs using my MIDI keyboard. He did them all in one or two takes ... except for "O Holy Night"; that took a little more work, especially since I wanted to insert about eight key changes. :-)

Ben was so accomodating and easy to work with. One of my favorite pieces with him is the medley I thought up with two versions of "Away in a Manger" and "The First Noel." I just gave him my idea, and he played it beautifully.

From that point, I worked with the tracks he left for me. In some cases, I added intros and endings. I changed keys and modulated things. But for the most part, they're all Ben.

After that, I talked an awesome guitar player, Steve Hanson, owner of S.M. Hanson Music in Salina, Kansas, into playing some Christmas songs with me. And he agreed. Another monster musician, Steve can play any style, any time, any place. We had a couple of rehearsals and then met at the studio, where Steve laid down his parts in a couple of takes.

The songs on "Christmas Lullabies" are my favorites of the Christmas season, mostly ancient hymns and carols. They're wonderful to have on in the background during dinner or in front of a fire while meditating on the meaning of Christmas. They're sweet, familiar melodies that take me back to my childhood ... maybe even as far back as my nursery, where I might have been lulled to sleep by my mother playing Brahms on the piano in the living room.

I hope you enjoy these lovely winter melodies.

Merry Christmas!

Roshana