Sylvia Brooks takes a classic hymn, two and a half centuries old, and breathes new life into it, creating the first-ever jazz version of this timeless composition.
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This rendition of Amazing Grace is in no rush. Over its six minutes and thirty seconds, it says everything it needs to—and then some. It’s a declaration, with John Beasley’s arrangement (from someone who clearly knows how to turn the past into the present) setting the tone so delicately that at moments, the song feels like a prayer.
Having grown up immersed in jazz, Sylvia Brooks channels everything nature has gifted her, and it’s all embedded in her voice. Her interpretation of the hymn feels deeply personal yet almost universal. Here, the song becomes an epic. It walks the fine line between tradition and modernity without losing itself along the way. In its 250-year history, Amazing Grace has seen countless interpretations, but this one compels you to listen through to the end, unable to look away.
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