Author: Cliff

It was just a few weeks ago that I reflected on an earlier blog by Tim. He was sharing some of his favorite classic jazz standards and I went a step further suggesting four songs for observing Lent with jazz lament. I listed J. J. Johnson’s “Lament” and Coltrane’s “Alabama.” I shared some of my lyrics to McCoy Tyner’s “Search for Peace,” and suggested Keith Jarrett’s “Prayer” as a beautifully simple, yet deep, meditative piece.

Well, it’s Holy Week and Easter is upon us. Here are a few thoughts about some great jazz compositions that could fit into your Easter Worship. Granted, these selections may not speak to everyone in your congregation, but if used in the right way they can help to create an exuberant mood for your Easter worship.

I have to begin with Coltrane’s “Acknowledgement” from his spiritual masterpiece, A Love Supreme. Played as an introit it sets a tone, acknowledging the power of the Holy to transform all of our lives. The well-known bass line could even act as a thread throughout the service, weaving the theme as an underlying affirmation of praise tying together all the acts of the liturgy.

Duke Ellington’s “Come Sunday” can be sung as a congregational hymn or used as a worshipful meditation, especially if you have a great vocalist interpreting the melody. It’s a compelling way to blend Duke’s spiritual emphasis with the message of Easter.

Another of Tim’s choices is “Footprints” by Wayne Shorter. I often use this as postlude, but it could fit in nicely to an Easter sermon about following in the footsteps of the risen Christ. Or how about Horace Silver’s “Song for My Father.” Even if your church progressively eliminates masculine pronouns, the music itself with its contagious Latin beat offers a nice melodic energy celebrating our kinship with the Creator.

And finally, for a rousing postlude that will keep everyone in their pew, or dancing in the aisle, McCoy Tyner’s “Passion Dance.” Because, after all, isn’t that how we’re suppose to dance through life—with the passion of the gospel burning within us?

Whatever jazz you offer this Easter, share it with the “wild blessing” of Easter.

A few months back Tim listed some of his favorite Jazz standards for use in worship. On the bandstand these songs provide ample opportunity for the band members to strut their stuff. But these tunes are also appropriate for worship where the band presents their individual and collective improvisations as a faithful offering on God’s sacred altar.

Now that we’re in the midst of the Lenten season, are these songs still appropriate for worship during this traditional season of introspection and prayer? While all of the standards that Tim mentioned hold promise I’d like to share my thoughts about a few which I believe are appropriate during this season of lamentation. All of the following can be used as service music during morning worship or evening vespers.

First, the obvious—J. J. Johnson’s “Lament.” As a slow melodic ballad it conjures up the meaning of its title. After playing through a chorus or two, transition into a swing tempo to provide a very different feeling. It’s not joyous, but there is an upbeat quality that mirrors triumph over struggle, hope over despair.

Speaking of despair, Coltrane’s “Alabama” is one of the greatest jazz compositions of all time, lifting up the despair following the Birmingham bombing killing four little girls. The opening rubato melody creates the mode and when the rhythm section comes in cranking it up just a notch, an improvisatory palette is created to express the depth of heart-felt lamentation.

“Search for Peace” by McCoy Tyner is a beautiful journey into the soundscape of searching for unity, hope and peaceful resolution to the bitterness and strife of our world. I’ve written lyrics to McCoy’s expansive melody that have touched many in the pew:

Seeking a new horizon, searching for unity, all I see is set in confusion, love an illusion. How can it be?

Hoping to find an answer, yearning for sanity, but the world seems bent on destruction, lost in seduction. How can it be?

Searching for peace in the chaos and the strife. Hoping for peace to bring meaning to life. How can I make any difference at all? I’m just one voice feeling small.

Yet when it all seems hopeless, your gentle voice I hear: “Take my hand, we’ll do it together, make the world better. Peace is so near.”

It’s not an easy song to sing but in the hands of an accomplished vocalist the results can be amazing.

One final suggestion: “Prayer” by Keith Jarrett. It’s a wonderfully simple melody and is perfect for a trio, but add a horn and it gains color and depth. The song should definitely be played as a prayer, inviting he congregation to join in the spirit of prayer as you offer your prayerful improvisation.

Hoping that this will inspire you to invite the music of these great jazz giants into your sanctuary.

It is heartening to see how jazz has made its way into the worship and ministry of the Church during the past forty years. There was a time when jazz was labeled the “devil’s music,” but our cultural acceptance of diverse expressions has shifted and even some of the most traditional members in our churches recognize the spiritual depth that jazz can bring to worship. Jazz can be a great catalyst/spiritual discipline for our worship at any time of the Church year. And with Ash Wednesday upon us it is appropriate to recognize the possibilities for jazz during this sacred season of Lent.

Culturally, Lent is preceded by a brief time of anticipatory and, sometimes, raucous celebration. The tradition of Mardi Gras (New Orleans) and Carnival (Central and South America) provide one last fling just prior to the forty days of fasting and penance that has traditionally marked the season of Lent. Many churches are now celebrating Mardi Gras Sunday, often with a Dixieland band to offer the final “hurrah” before the deep introspection and solemn season to follow. One congregation I was a member of brings back the same Dixieland band every year to offer up “Just a Closer Walk With Thee” and “When the Saints Go Marching In” just prior to the pancake breakfast. All the “alleluia symbols” in the sanctuary are taken down and hidden until Easter Sunday. I’ve heard of one church employing Caribbean steel drums in worship, while another features their children/youth band.

In many churches, mid-week Lenten services offer a reflective time to utilize jazz in worship. I’ve led jazz worship on Ash Wednesday, creating a meditative environment to reflect on Jesus’ words in Matthew’s gospel about how to fast, offer alms, be at prayer and to ultimately affirm that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt 6:21).

The Sundays in Lent offer unique opportunities for sacred jazz, especially the talent of improvisation when reflecting on the themes of Jesus’ journey—into the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13), the transfiguration on the mountaintop Mark 9:2-9), the encounter with the man born blind (John 9: 1-41). Improvisation can tell the story without even one word sung.

The events of Holy Week offer unique possibilities for jazz worship—Palm Sunday: a time to share exuberant hosannas; Maundy Thursday: prayerful melodies undergirding the sacrament of Holy Communion; Good Friday: tailor made for the blues expressing the down-to-earth pain of life and death; Saturday night vigil: jazz musicians forming the experiential thread through the ancient liturgy. And this is all before the joyful celebration of Easter!

So rather than conform entirely to the traditional organ music of Lent, why not let jazz provide a new way to experience the depth of this profound and powerful season?

Tim and I want to thank you for making our first two volumes of Worship in a New Key such a success. We’ve appreciated not only your orders, but also your kind words and stories of jazz in your church. Volume 3 is now available, just in time for Palm/Passion Sunday, Holy Week and Easter Sunday Season. With Ash Wednesday and Lent coming so early this year it can seem like Holy Week and Easter is just around the corner. And it is! When I was in the parish I remember how I savored Epiphany as an “in-between” season of respite and planning. Such is not the case this year.

Volume 3 offers the same thoughtfulness and creativity invested in our previous collections. As always, in addition to the arrangements, we offer insights and commentary about each hymn. You will find again find a helpful introduction to the collection with a comprehensive list of associated hymns for each tune. For instance, while ST THEODULPH is the setting for “All Glory, Laud and Honor” you can also use the arrangement at other times during the church year for “God is My Strong Salvation,” “O How Shall I Receive You,” and others. We also supply a “how to” section—Hymn Tune Notes. A couple of examples:

Canonbury (Ride On, Ride On in Majesty): Canonbury has been set in a jazz funk style to bring out the celebratory feel of that first Palm Sunday procession. Two different “heads” have been provided to give you flexibility. The first one can be played either as an instrumental piece or as accompaniment to congregational singing. If song leaders will be singing the melody, a set of funky horn backgrounds can be used instead. In addition, there is a separate part provided for the rhythm section instruments.

St. Theodulph (All Glory, Laud and Honor): Traditionally, St. Theodulph conveys a stately ambience to the Palm/Passion Sunday narrative. We’ve changed the meter to 6/8 to emphasize the metaphor of children singing hosannas as Jesus enters Jerusalem. The horn interlude between verses continues the feeling of celebrative praise.

Passion Chorale (O Sacred Head Now Wounded): The mournful melody and passionate lyrics seem like a perfect fit for the blues, which is the basis for this arrangement. Two different versions of the melody have been provided – one to be used as an instrumental, and the other to be used if the congregation will be singing along. The melody is set up almost like a call and response, so try having one instrument play the melody and have another add an improvised bluesy response after each phrase.

We hope you’ll want to order this set of creative arrangements. And if you do, please be in touch with us to let us know how the music was received. And, of course, we hope you’ll spread the word about Worship Jazz. One final note. All of our collections are PDF DOWNLOAD ONLY. This allows us to pass along the savings of printing and mailing expenses, as well as giving you immediate access to the files.

We hope you will have as much “fun” with these arrangements as we have had creating them. We offer them as a starting point—a catalyst for your own creativity as you empower your worshipping community to experience the wonder and joy of worship through jazz.

Looking back, I’ve had the privilege of crafting and leading more than 200 jazz worship services—a great accomplishment to be sure, but also very humbling. Any pastor leading worship feels the weight of not only preaching every week but the even deeper responsibility of creating liturgy that assists people on their spiritual journey. It can be quite a challenge introducing new forms of worship to a congregation that embraces the old axiom, “we’ve always done it that way before.” And yet, it is these same folks who, I’ve discovered, appreciate the spiritual uplifting that a jazz worship service can bring. But creating and leading such a service can seem daunting to the pastor or church musician who does not have a jazz background. So, I offer five simple steps to creating a jazz service of worship:

1. Acknowledge and embrace your church’s worshipping tradition. Don’t try to change everything. Rather set your service in the framework of how you usually worship.
2. Select music that is accessible. Make sure the music fits the worship theme; that service music creates a spiritual mood; and the hymns are singable.
3. Approach worship with the notion that worship is not led, it’s choreographed. The service should be crafted as one entire entity with liturgists assuming the role of spiritual guides encouraging worshippers to experience each moment.
4. Engage jazz musicians who do not see this as just another gig. Each player needs to understand this as an opportunity to share his/her talent as an offering to God, and the congregation.
5. Finally, let go and let the spirit take the lead as you journey through the worship experience together.

Just last Sunday Oîkos led worship at a church in the St. Louis area. Almost always we are given the opportunity for planning and guiding the entire service (in consultation with the pastor and the church musician, of course). This service was one of those rare occasions when our role was limited to offering the music while the pastor and liturgists “led” worship. This service was a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Outlined below is an example of how we incorporated jazz into an existing worship format. One note, the two songs marked with an “*” are not the pieces we actually played. I’ve substituted suggestions in place of the original compositions we performed. The band consists of a vocalist, sax, piano, bass and drums.

PRELUDE: “All Blues” by Miles Davis* (instrumental)

INTROIT: “Contemplation” by McCoy Tyner (vocal, using lyrics by Chuck Marhonic)

HYMN: “Sweet, Sweet Spirit” by Doris Aikers (congregation)

GLORIA: “Give Me a Clean Heart” by Margaret Douroux (congregation)

CHILDREN’S MESSAGE: “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” by Thomas Dorsey (vocal, MLK’s favorite hymn)

SERMON INTRO: “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to be Free” by Billy Taylor* (vocal)

HYMN: “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” (congregation)

OFFERTORY: “Come Sunday” by Duke Ellington (vocal)

DOXOLOGY: “We are Climbing Jacobs’s Ladder” using the words “Praise God, Praise God for our Blessings” (congregation)

HYMN: “Glory, Glory Hallelujah Since I Lay My Burdens Down” an African American spiritual (congregation)

POSTLUDE: “Yes, God is Real! by Kenneth Morris (vocal)

This was one specific liturgy, created for a specific congregation for a specific occasion of worship. However, the focus and flow provides a model for crafting any service of worship. I hope you find this helpful.

I came to the Christian faith and the church community later than most. I was not reared in the church. My parents had both rejected the religious traditions of their youth – my father, his catholic roots and my mother, her Anglican Church of England heritage. My mother and father were typical post WWII, blue-collar parents with four children seeking the American dream: enough money to put food on the table, savings enough to buy a small house outside the city, a good car, and a good school where their children would receive the education they never had . . . so that perhaps, one day, they might be able to even attend college. But church was never in the picture.

How I ended up, at the age of 21, sitting in the pew of a Dutch Reformed Church is a story better left for another time. Needless to say that as a kid brought up on Elvis Presley and the Beatles, in addition to my introduction into jazz as a young saxophonist, I found church music to be – square, using a “hip” word of the day. So, there I sat, trying to not only digest this “thing” called Christian faith, but also trying to get into the music, especially the hymns. Fortunately, our church organist had been trained at Juliard, so that while many other congregations were wading through ponderously slow renditions of the old standards, Evelyn was joyously skimming over the keyboard while respecting the traditional intent of each hymn. The large organ pipes rang out and even I, a jazz/rocker enthusiast came to enjoy and appreciate the hymns.

As I explored Christianity at a church-related college and then seminary I began to study the roots of hymnody – musically and theologically. By the time of my ordination and first pastorate I had a good sense for which hymns had theological and musical integrity. Even though the old-timers in the pew wanted to sing “The Old Rugged Cross” I favored new, contemporary hymns that sought to offer a new vitality to worship. But I also appreciated many traditional hymns that offered a good message and musical quality. One of my favorites, since my first days in the Dutch Reformed Church pew, was “Be Thou My Vision.” Perhaps it was the music’s melodic celtic roots (traced back to the 5^th century AD) that nudged my English ancestry. Maybe it was the words about the wise, visionary presence of God’s call in my heart. Whatever the case, it’s a hymn that has stuck with me all through the years.

But how to arrange it for worship? I soon discovered that the way I wanted to play it on my sax was not the way most people could sing it. You’ll see that my arrangement of SLANE doesn’t change any of the notes. Rather it changes the rhythm, just enough, that its syncopation would challenge most congregations. We offered this arrangement in Volume One with the caveat in the notes: This highly syncopated version of SLANE may be better performed as an instrumental piece rather than as accompaniment to singing. I’ve tried to teach it several times in worship and even when prompted and led by a great jazz vocalist, folks in the pew have a difficult time finding the rhythm. So, perhaps it is used more effectively in worship as an anthem, an offertory or a postlude.

Perhaps. And yet the song calls out to be swung as a joyous affirmation of what we feel when we embrace the treasure of God’s presence within. The last time we tried this as a hymn an older woman came up to me after the service and said how much she liked it. She said, “To be truthful, young man, I just couldn’t sing it, but I wanted to dance it. But after my hip replacement I knew better than to try. So, I just let it dance through my heart.” Amen. I couldn’t have said it any better myself.

Epiphany: classically defined as “an appearance or manifestation, especially of a divine being.” Or in secular terms “an usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something; an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking; an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure.” Or in simpler terms – one stumbles on to something, the light bulb goes on, and an ordinary event leads to an extraordinary “aha!”

Sounds like jazz to me. A jazz musician opens himself/herself to the music and discovers (hidden within the interplay of melody, harmony and rhythm) the spark of an idea. It’s a discovery that begs exploration, and the musician pursues the spark, seeking the meaning and flow of the inner music as it cascades through his/her soul . . . and then s/he is compelled to improvise a new creation, sharing it with the other musicians and listeners (worshippers?).

In the Church, Epiphany is that wondrous, illuminating time: post-Christmas and pre-Lent . . . the time celebrated as the encounter of the Magi with the Christ child . . . foreign dignitaries, following a celestial sign that leads to a big surprise. What better time to plumb the spiritual depths than through jazz?

With the beginning of a new year comes the opportunity to travel new paths seeking epiphanies that open up possibilities for spiritual renewal. Tim and I wish you the wild blessings of “jazz epiphanies” as you seek out inspired moments in the midst of familiar melodies and discover the improvisatory wellspring of the Spirit in your quest.

 

Frederick Buechner, a wonderfully inspired writer with more than 30 books, relates a story told by an Episcopal priest friend. It goes something like this:

It was Christmas Eve and the children’s pageant was underway. Parents, relatives and parishoners watched as all the tiny characters took their places, recited their lines and sang their songs. Soon it was time for the angels to make their grand entrance; and angelic little cherubs they were, dressed in white and adorned with halos.

As they processed down the center aisle one tiny girl, tripping over her too-long celestial robe became hemmed in, with older children towering around her blocking her view. Unable to see what was going on she became frantic and stretching on her tiptoes trying to see the manger scene hidden by the angelic host around her, cried out, “Let Jesus show!”

The minister immediately stopped the service, shouted an “amen,” and offered the benediction. “It was,” says Buechner, “the greatest sermon he ever preached.”

Amid all the barriers trying to prevent us from seeing and sharing the peace and goodwill of Christmas, we need to stop and shout out, “Let Jesus show.” And then reveal the Christ within us to become the bearers of peace and goodwill in our fractured world.

We, who offer our creative jazz talents in worship, have but one purpose—to let Jesus show through our music. May the wild blessings of spiritual jazz ring out this Christmas.

Jazz to the world!

Cliff & Tim

So, you’ve decided that your worship needs a little changing, a bit of updating, something more contemporary in nature, liturgy with some oomph. You’ve been reading the experts on revitalizing ministry and worship—Brian Mclaren, Cameron Trimble, Molly Baskette and others, so you know there are lots of ideas and models for enhancing your worship life. Perhaps you’ve given thought to your church’s music program and have expressed gratitude for your music ministry leaders but feel there’s a creative energy lacking in the traditional organ-centered music of your congregation. Or your church has started a praise band—plenty of energy but the music seems a bit simplistic and the theology questionable. And now you’ve heard about jazz and wonder if it could be a viable option.

A number of years ago a pastor friend shared with me that he and the church’s worship leaders determined that music was the key element providing the thread to their worship service. They decided they needed to update their church’s music program and began researching various music forms and while they valued traditional hymnody, enjoyed some elements of praise music, and affirmed the meditative quality of Taize, they wanted something with more vitality. They seriously considered creating a service format based in Rock ‘n’ Roll but realized that musical intensity was created by increasing volume. Not desirable. “But then I spoke with a good friend who headed the university department of jazz,” he said. “He explained that jazz musicians did exactly the opposite. To increase intensity they turned inward to explore their inner expression and many times actually played softer, but with such intensity that it was compelling.” Another jazz musician friend of mine calls this “quiet fire.” More on quiet fire in a subsequent blog post.

So, in beginning a jazz ministry it’s important to connect with jazz musicians who understand their musical expression as a manifestation of their interior life. They may not be practicing Christians, but they should be deeply spiritual. Depending on how integrated you want the music to be in the liturgy will determine the number of musicians, the music performed and the extent to which the music inspires and leads the service.

A large New York City church has a weekly Sunday evening jazz vespers service, actually more of a jazz meditation. Some of the biggest names in jazz play the service and it’s truly a spirit-filled and inspiring time. But it’s fairly passive with little or no jazz hymnody. Another church I know has an occasional jazz service where the jazz musicians go the extra step—playing the hymns. But at the service I attended there was no sense of musical leadership to help support the singers, and the music performed wasn’t related thematically to the service. When they finished playing they sat down and nothing was ever mentioned about their presence from the pulpit. It was a sort of jazz plug in service.

So, the first thing to do is to make a choice—do you want the music be more of a jazz meditation (prelude, postlude, offertory, etc.) or do you want the musicians to provide musical continuity by accompanying the congregation in their singing. Both ways are valid, but whichever you choose it’s important to make sure that the music is integrated with the theme and the entire service a coordinated whole.

More next week,

Cliff

“So, how do we do it?”, the church’s minister of music asked. “I don’t know the first thing about jazz. We don’t have any jazz musicians in our church. Our minister wants us to be more contemporary, but the congregation is made up of mostly older members and quite traditional. Where do we begin? In fact, why should we even consider using jazz in the first place?”

Sound familiar? Over the years, I’ve heard variations on this from church musicians and pastors. In the weeks ahead, Tim and I will focus on a variety of “how to” themes for incorporating jazz into worship. Obviously, we can’t address all the issues in a single blog post, but we hope to provide thoughtful commentary from our years of leading jazz worship services. We will aim our thoughts at church leaders who have limited experience with blending jazz into the worship experience.

So, let’s start at the beginning—why should churches consider jazz as a musical form in worship?

Many great jazz musicians grew up in the church and had their first musical experience as part of a faith community. These artists went on to amazing musical careers that rarely, if ever, brought their musical artistry into the church for worship. And yet, their music is deeply spiritual. Yes, Duke Ellington wrote dozens of sacred jazz compositions and Dave Brubeck composed more than fifty works of sacred music blending jazz and classical motifs. Yet, for the most part, jazz and church have remained separate, particularly when it comes to the Sunday experience of worship.

At the heart of “spiritual jazz” is improvisation—taking a melodic statement and exploring its depth through spontaneous creation. Violinist Stephane Grappelli once said, “Improvisation, it is a mystery . . . When I improvise and I’m in good form, I’m like somebody half sleeping. I even forget there are people in front of me. Great improvisers are like priests; they are thinking only of their God.” Charlie Parker, the pioneering bebop saxophonist said it even more succinctly, “I am a devout musician.” [See my blog entry from 8/24/15] about the spirit of improvisation].

As a jazz musician (and a pastor) I can speak from first-hand experience. When jazz musicians play, we perform a sacred rite; we are at prayer. We are never more deeply in communion with the Holy than when we’re improvising—fashioning spontaneous melodies, harmonies and rhythms as an act of giving—a holy offering to God and the listener. Jazz musicians fashion spontaneous musical motifs, but more than that we paint portraits, tell stories, reveal hidden (and not so hidden) truths. When I play I often feel as if I’m preaching more effectively (and passionately!) than I ever did in the pulpit.

If our worship is to be an act of praise to our Creator God, we need to make it the most soulful, creative, inspiring offering possible. And who better to lead such a creative journey of faith than the jazz ensemble. When it comes to worshiping God, as Stephane Grapelli noted, we jazz musicians are like priests—priests inspiring worshipers to journey into the heart of worship.

As the weeks unfold we welcome comments and questions from those who have planned jazz services and those who are eager, but feel they don’t as of yet have the resources to explore jazz worship.

More to come . . .

Cliff