A Child Is Born is a 1969 jazz tune written by Thad Jones for the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, based on a piano idea by Roland Hanna. Alec Wilder later added lyrics after hearing the recording, and the piece has become a jazz standard with many instrumental and vocal versions. The tune is a 3/4 waltz and is typically performed as a tender ballad, about four minutes long. The first recording featured Roland Hanna on piano with Richard Davis's group for the 1969 album Muses for Richard Davis; a widely known instrumental version by the Jones–Lewis orchestra appears on the 1970 album Consummation (Solid State). Notable later vocal versions include Tony Bennett with Bill Evans, The Singers Unlimited, and other artists such as Bill Evans and Stanley Turrentine.
