Jazz Nativity: Angels from the Realms?

Description

Jazz Nativity is a creative retelling (re-imagining) of the Christmas narrative through jazz and storytelling. Performed in a concert setting it can easily be adapted for use in worship. Each Jazz Nativity has been performed in church sanctuaries with the pastor as host, a guest storyteller to assist in highlighting the story, actors who portray various roles, and, of course, the band.

All Christmas music is notated in the script and arrangements can be found in our Worship in a New Key jazz hymnbook – volume 2. Additional carols and secular Christmas may be substituted and/or added.

At the core of Jazz Nativity is the gospel message of hope, peace, joy and love fulfilled in the birth of the Christ child. While Jazz Nativity is written to “re-imagine” the Christmas story dramatically and humorously, audiences have expressed their appreciation for experiencing the “old story” in a new way.

We hope you’ll like our Jazz Nativity scripts. We believe that these interesting characters and classic jazz carols will breath new life into your church’s Christmas season.

A quick glimpse at “Angels from the Realms of Glory?” – Script sample section

Band: [Performs “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” with vocal]

Host: Thank you band. I’m feeling in the Christmas spirit already. [To the audience] How about you? Well, I think we need to . . .

[A commotion from the rear of the sanctuary is heard interrupting the host. Two wildly dressed characters spill into the chancel area. They are quite the pair . . . and clearly perturbed.  Ivy is clearly the more “sophisticated” of the two . . . Holly seems just a bit “ditzy.”]

Ivy: Wait just a minute. I thought this was a jazz nativity.

Holly: Yeah, there’s plenty of jazz, but where’s the nativity?

Ivy: Don’t get me wrong, Rudolph’s a nice guy, but the song misses the point.

Holly: Yeah, just consider the theological implications.

Ivy: [Surprised at her colleague’s deep thinking] Theological implications?

Holly: Yeah, you know . . . the-o-log-i-cal. [Clearing her throat to make a profound observation]

Picture the nativity. The Messiah is born and who brings the message? A herd of high-flying reindeer, led by a dude with a bulbous, red, flashing nose. And each reindeer is adorned with silver bells tinkling in the snow-flaked filled air. Then some plump old geezer with a long white beard in a furry, red suit makes the celestial announcement to the shepherds—Ho, Ho, Ho!

Ivy: Ho, Ho, Ho?

Holly: [Really into her scenario] And there on the hillside—picture this—Santa’s elves singing “Christmas time is here, happiness and cheer . . .”

[The two stop and look at each other]

Both: I . . . don’t . . . think . . . so!