Pianist shares Comfort & Joy in Christmas music concert

For two decades now, adult contemporary pianist Jim Brickman has crisscrossed the country bringing Christmas cheer on his annual Comfort & Joy Tour. The chart-topping musician makes a stop Friday at the Maumelle Performing Arts Center.

So, when this yearly Christmas season trek started way back when, did he have any idea it would last so long?

"I don't think anyone ever really thinks about that when they're doing it," Brickman says from a tour stop last month in Pittsburgh. "I think that you're just so busy doing it, and then it hits a certain point and you realize, wow, it's been a long time." This also marks the first time Brickman has brought the tour back to central Arkansas since the early 2000s, when he played the old Robinson Center.

The concert features seasonal stories mixed with traditional carols and Brickman's songs, including "The Gift," "Angel Eyes," "If You Believe" and others.

"I always think of my show as more of a theatrical experience," he says. "I model it after a master of ceremonies-type thing, like the Andy Williams Christmas Special was. To me, it's about inviting friends and they come through the show; they come on and go off."

The production, he says, can be a soothing escape from the often hectic pace of the holiday season.

"I call it the antidote to the chaos and the noise of the season," he says. "It's simply based on heart, emotion, beauty and positive things. It's very idealistic and very nostalgic, but in a contemporary way."

Special guests this year include singer Anne Cochran and electric violinist Tracy Silverman.

Conway's Kris Allen, who has been on the tour, is not scheduled to appear at Friday's show, says Allen's representative.

Allen is, however, featured with Brickman on "A Little Bit of Christmas," a track from the latter's new album Comfort & Joy: The Sweet Sounds of Christmas, which also includes collaborations with Johnny Mathis, John Oates and others.

The two met on Brickman's syndicated radio program, Your Weekend With Jim Brickman, back in the spring.

"We started chatting off the air because I was a fan of his voice and it was cool," he says of Allen. "We got a chance to get to know each other."

Brickman, 55, started playing piano as a child growing up in Shaker Heights, Ohio. While in college, he started a commercial jingle company and in 1994 his debut album, No Words, was released on the Windham Hill label. He's released more than 30 albums since then and has worked with Collin Raye of De Queen, Michael W. Smith, Lady Antebellum and others. He has been nominated for a Grammy Award and has won a Dove Award from the Gospel Music Association for his album The Gift.

On the small screen, he has been featured in four PBS specials. He's also an author, with four books to his credit, including Soothe -- How to Find Calm Amidst Everyday Chaos.

Weekend on 12/15/2016