A Child Is Born is a jazz standard composed by Thad Jones, with lyrics by Alec Wilder, who wrote them after hearing the recording. According to accounts of its origin, pianist Roland Hanna improvised the tune at the piano between sets with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra at the Village Vanguard, and Jones later arranged it and wrote it down. The credit story is disputed: Hanna is reported to have asked whether it was his tune, and Jones replied that it was his. The tune is a waltz in B-flat major with a long piano introduction, and soloists often shorten it to a 30-bar form. The original recording was made by bassist Richard Davis in December 1969, with Roland Hanna on piano, and released on the album Muses for Richard Davis in 1970. Thad Jones and Mel Lewis recorded it in 1970 on Consummation. Wilder's lyrics are considered his best independent lyric. Later versions include those by Oscar Peterson (1971, with Singers Unlimited wordless on In Tune), The Free Design (1972), Tony Bennett with Bill Evans (1977) and Stanley Jordan's instrumental recording (1985). The song was also included in the revue Clues to a Life (1982, Vineyard Theatre).
