Greene began work on the album that would come to be named Beautiful Life in memory of Ana.

Music speaks where words fail

Album celebrates life of Ana Greene

NEWTOWN, CT—After his daughter was killed in the Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut just over two years ago, Jimmy Greene was sick with grief. Little by little, the physical symptoms lessened, but the aching loss of Ana remained.

“The weight of that reality is difficult to come to terms with,” Greene says.

As a musician and recording artist, he naturally turned to music to give voice to the raw emotions that cannot be expressed in words.

“As an artist, my main job is to reflect life as I know it,” Greene says. “Music is a language that can express complex emotions and thoughts. It picks up where words fail.”

A new project wasn’t in the works, however, until Norman Chesky of HDTracks, who distributed a past album of Greene’s, approached Greene and offered to donate the producing and recording costs. He also offered to give up ownership of the master tracks if and when Greene was ready to write again.

With the incredible offer on the table, Greene began work on the album that would come to be named Beautiful Life in memory of Ana.

“It was a big undertaking,” Greene says. “Reflecting on all my daughter meant to me. But there had been so much reporting on how she died, I wanted to show people how she lived.”

As a musician and recording artist, he naturally turned to music to give voice to the raw emotions that cannot be expressed in words.
As a musician and recording artist, he naturally turned to music to give voice to the raw emotions that cannot be expressed in words.

The massive project took months, and employed dozens of support musicians, including the children’s choir from Linden Christian School in Winnipeg where the Greenes lived for three years prior to moving back home to Connecticut in 2012.

“But it had to be just right,” Greene says.

The album released November 24, 2014 and Greene hopes listeners get a glimpse of who Ana was, and “more importantly, who I know our God to be,” he says.

The album is reflective of Greene’s faith journey, interweaving themes of loss and response, hope and God’s glory.

“It’s difficult to go through this and not ask, ‘Why? Why God would you take my little girl? Such a loving girl?’ But it’s a natural human response,” Greene says. “We faced unimaginable grief, shock and trauma. But He’s the same God today as December 13, 2012.”

The first track on the album is a recording of Ana singing “Come, Thou Almighty King.”

“Ana loved to sing and dance,” Greene says. “Her little life was filled with dancing and music.”

The album also includes an original melody Greene wrote to accompany The Lord’s Prayer, a prayer he learned and prayed with his own mother, and one he taught and recited with Ana.

“It is the great hope I will rejoin my little girl again,” Greene says.

Part of the proceeds from the album will go towards the Artists Collective in Connecticut (artistscollective.org), a program that gives youth access to the arts, and the same program that Greene himself attended. Proceeds will also go towards the Ana Grace Project (anagraceproject.org), initiated by Greene’s wife Nelba, which promotes love, community and connection for every child and family.

Find Beautiful Life on iTunes, Amazon or by visiting JimmyGreene.com.

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