etroit

DON COHEN
Special to the Jewish News

orget what it says in the
newspaper ads. When Jim
Brickman comes to town
this month, it's a holiday
show, not a Christmas show.
And to Brickman, one of Windham
Hill's hottest recording artists, that
distinction makes a difference.
Brickman brings his "Simple
Things" holiday concert to Detroit's
Music Hall Center for the Performing
Arts Friday, Dec. 28. Special guest
Donny Osmond will perform with
Brickman regulars — vocalist Anne
Cochran and electronic violinist Tracy
Silverman.
"When we go to do our holiday
tour, there is always a big discussion. Is
it going to be called a 'Christmas' tour
or a 'holiday' tour?" Brickman says.
"How is this going to affect what we
are aoina D to do?
"It's a fight I have quite a bit with
the other people on [tour] with me
because they say, 'I have this song,
"Baby Lying in a Manger," that
Donny Osmond wants to sing,' and I
say, This is a nonsectarian holiday
concert.'"
But if it's not a Christmas concert,
why is there Christmas songs?
"If it's been around for centuries
and it is a traditional hymn, I don't
have a problem with it. My theory is
that these types of songs are so in the
culture of the world that they have
more of a hopeful message than a
religious message. They have a sort of
emotional connection to a higher
power in general.
"Growing up hearing a song like
`Silent Night,' Jews don't even hear
the message because it is so ingrained
in our culture. We hear the melody
and tone, and it is almost by rote,
almost like the Pledge of Allegiance
,,,
or 'The Star Spangled Banner.
But Brickman draws the line at
"anything that has a contemporary

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