RockOm

Most every Westerner has some relationship with the Christian church. He/She is usually either a part of it or alternately has some sort of aversion to it. We all understand that Christianity - maybe even moreso than other faith practices - carries with it a lot of cultural baggage here in the States. For this reason as well as personal reasons, many otherwise "spiritually open" people (the types of which might frequent this site) may tend to dismiss anything that has a Christian label on it. There is the possibility, however, that one is throwing out the proverbial baby with the bathwater.

Take this week's two main offerings from RockOm, for instance. Top-selling musician Derek Webb [pictured] (who has seen career sales approaching one million records) has a controversial new album that lays out an alternate and more honest perspective in the Christian conversation. He shares with RockOm about this album, his role as an artist and where he believes the music industry is headed. Another follower of Jesus, singer-songwriter Josh Garrels shares our Featured Track of the Week. His song "All Creatures" (which can be streamed in the right column of the homepage all week) speaks to "a deep connection with nature in relation to God."

Give these two guys a shot. You just may be surprised what you'll glean. You may even be blessed in the process.

Trevor, President of RockOm.net

RockOm Round-up is a quick glance at what's going on around the world in the areas of music and spirituality...

• Raider of the Lost Ark: ‘Scratch’ Perry is itching to release reggae’s spiritual side - "After more than 40 years exporting reggae and dub from Jamaica to the world, Lee “Scratch” Perry isn’t finished yet. At age 73, the legendary Jamaican producer certainly isn’t the same person he was in the 1970s, when he churned out hit tracks for the likes of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and himself." (bostonherald.com)
• Thou shalt not steel: Robert Randolph's brand of sacred music angers the church, but he plays on - "And guys like me who've dared to play outside the church, well, we're the devil to the elders. It's really mind blowing that they say you can't spread the gift that God gave you to people who aren't in this church." (philly.com)
• Muslims can see Black Eyed Peas, Malaysia says - "Malaysia has reversed an earlier ban on Muslims attending a concert by U.S. hip-hop band the Black Eyed Peas, saying it had no right to keep people from entertainment events." (in.reuters.com)
• “Idol” finalist Danny Gokey gets countrified with record deal - "Gokey also has plenty of fans, especially from Wisconsin and among devout Christians, who responded to the way he showed his own faith on the show. That could serve Gokey well in the country music realm, which has always had a heavy dose of spirituality stirred in with more secular concerns of job, love and money." (blogs.reuters.com)
• Crowds up to 320,000 expected for 12th annual Christian music festival - "Leading artists performing on five LifeLight Festival stages include Newsboys, Kutless, Sanctus Real, Superchick, Lincoln Brewster, Rush of Fools, John Reuben and Phil Joel." (argusleader.com)

"When I'm on stage, I'm trying to do one thing: bring people joy. Just like church does. People don't go to church to find trouble, they go there to lose it."

[James Brown]

As the US celebrates its Independence Day this weekend, we share with you these old church hymn lyrics as a sort of meditation. What a beautiful and balanced hymn - celebrating one's country of origin as well as recognizing the larger picture and world community. Words by Lloyd Stone.

"This is my song, O God of all the nations,
a song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
here are my hopes, my dreams, my sacred shrine.
But other hearts in other lands are beating,
with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

"My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,
and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine.
But other lands have sunlight, too, and clover,
and skies are everywhere as blue as mine.
Oh, hear my song, thou God of all the nations,
a song of peace for their land and for mine.

"May truth and freedom come to every nation;
may peace abound where strife has raged so long,
That each may seek to love and build together
a world united, righting every wrong --
A world united in its love for freedom,
proclaiming peace together in one song."

by Karl Nova

Visit Karl at:

MySpace
iTunes

Whether it is in rap format, spoken word poetry, or heartfelt street psalms (as he calls them), London-based Karl Nova seeks to give voice to the search for meaning and deep need for faith, hope and spirituality that relates to everyday living. Karl started in church but grew disillusioned by the discrepancies, his music and poetry now being like a diary of his journey, his highs and lows, discoveries and breakthroughs. He seeks to be an alternative and positive voice in the current contemporary urban music scene.

Featured Track:
"Alone But Not Lonely"

"This track deals with the time that my inner search for deeper meaning, identity, significance, faith and God got so intense that I started contemplating suicide. I felt so lonely and rejected but at the same time (now that I look back), I realized that there had to be a higher power guiding me the whole time. I was able to finally reach the point where I was alone but not lonely." (Karl)

Click to Play

An Interview with Corey Smith

By Tom Crenshaw, tom@RockOm.net

Corey Smith definitely has a fire of unconventional conviction in him. You can hear this faith, as he describes it, “a calling to be honest and real,” in his music and can witness it at sold-out shows across the country. Smith’s incredibly energetic live shows, combined with clever, well-crafted lyrics and a soulful Southern voice has earned him an enthusiastic legion of fans. Smith says, “It really starts with a song. It’s just about writing songs that, for one reason or another, connect with people and impact their lives.”

Smith’s roots are in rural Jefferson, Georgia but his dreams of becoming a singer-songwriter were fueled by the diversity and sounds of nearby Athens, Georgia. Smith has long since paid his dues penning such anthem-style, crowd rousing sing-a-longs like “Twenty-One,” “I’m Not Gonna Cry,” and “The Wreckage.”

Smith has taken full advantage of the internet - or you might say the internet has taken advantage of him. His music is readily available for fans, old and new to download and even share without too much concern for profitability. Smith explains it this way, "I get asked if I mind when someone burns my music. I'm just flattered that people want to."

In July 2008 Smith released his fifth album - a six-song EP recorded live at The Georgia Theatre in his adopted hometown of Athens, GA. As you’ll hear in the podcast accompanying these brief interview excerpts, 2009 finds Smith writing new songs for yet another CD due out in the fall, which is sure to keep him touring well into the future and continuing on in his much deserved success.

RockOm: I’ve read where as you were growing up you loved singing gospel. You still enjoy singing gospel?

Corey Smith: I think I sing gospel music. I think my music is very religious, especially the stuff I write now. It’s not what you would normally hear in church, but it’s my form of gospel. I grew up in a fundamental Southern Baptist home, raised largely by my grandparents. The church had a big impact on me; it was where I learned how to sing and where I was first exposed to live music through the church choir. It was probably my bedrock as a musician. Later on, a lot of the things that I learned to listen to was in reaction to that. As I got older I didn’t want anything to do with gospel or country music because it was what my parents and grandparents listen to. I wanted to rock. In high school I was listening to alternative music, all the 90’s rock, and gangster rap and such. But it was largely a reaction against my upbringing.

RockOm: Tell me about that spark, that line, melody or lyric that suddenly appears in your head and starts a new song.

Corey Smith: It’s euphoric and very spiritual. At some point in the writing process when I feel like I’ve got the spark, that the song is on its way, I’ll say a silent prayer, just like “Thank you.” I do believe that for me the music comes from God. My whole experience as a musician is a part of a much longer, deeper relationship with God. It’s not traditional; it’s a much different relationship than I thought I would ever have [with God] as a kid. It’s something that goes beyond what I learned in church. To me, even the songs that have cussing in them and are about raunchy things - it’s still God. My calling is to be honest and real and sometimes it’s hard for people to listen, but I try to stay focused when I’m writing on not censoring myself so much. For me, now, it’s really largely about the music letting the melody dictate what the song is going to be [about]. Having the music parts, to me, those are the parts that get me excited. When I hear the melody that’s when I feel like I’m really channeling something. Then I’ll let the melody inspire an emotion or mood or idea that will then turn into the words.

The entirety of RockOm’s interview with Corey Smith can be heard at the RockOm.net podcast for the week of May 28, 2009.

www.coreysmith.com

www.myspace.com/coreysmithmusic

Homeless Shelter Lets Singers Share Their Gifts and Gain Confidence to Confront Their Troubles
by Tom Weld, The California Chronicle

Earnest enthusiasm easily carries the voices across the span of empty pews that separate the visiting choir from those gathered for a sparsely attended Lenten service at Unity Lutheran Church.

Hush, hush, somebody's calling my name... Hush, hush, somebody's calling my name... Hush, hush, somebody's calling my name... Oh my Lord, oh my Lord, what shall I do, what shall I do?

The song grabs hold of the worshippers, even those still settled in their coats, sitting near the back. It rises to the tall, arched rafters and expands toward the glowing stained-glass windows.

It carries with it the sincerity of a choir formed largely by the homeless and formerly homeless who find help through Repairers of the Breach, a daytime shelter in Milwaukee's central city.

Their words continue:

I'm so glad, troubles don't last always

I'm so glad, troubles don't last always

I'm so glad, troubles don't last always

Oh my Lord, oh my Lord, what shall I do, what shall I do?

The joyful release in traditional gospel songs compels the congregants to stand, to clap, to stomp their feet and sing out, to spark rare enthusiasm in a traditional Lutheran Lenten service.

The response leaves the singers beaming, filled with pride and accomplishment, far removed from the difficulties that brought them to this healing choir, formed on a cold day in the city's only daytime shelter for the homeless.

Their performance at the church on E. Oklahoma Ave. in Milwaukee is another step toward a collective recovery, from abusive relationships, addictions, illnesses and struggles that often put them on the streets or in shelters.

In many ways, the tracks of their lives match the scales they sing during weekly rehearsals, ascending and descending, ascending and descending.

The rehearsals, Saturday afternoons in the Repairers of the Breach shelter on W. Vliet St., afford the members an opportunity to find their voices, to move past the feelings that often cause them to silence themselves.

"I was ashamed at first to bring my voice out, but it's starting to come," said Vickie Parker, a 40-year-old mother of seven and one of the dozen or so regular choir singers. "Now I can sing without being embarrassed or afraid."

Parker first sought help at the Repairers of the Breach shelter in winter of 2007. At the time, the native of East St. Louis, Ill., was living in a shelter and had no money to buy Christmas presents for her children.

Since then, she has relied on the Repairers for mattresses, sheets, towels and other furnishings for the cramped flat she rents off W. Center St. She's relied on the choir to fill her spirit.

When little in her life seems within ready control, joining the other voices eases the depths of her depressions.

"I believe when we're all in that group, we support each other," she said. "We help each other through weakness."

Arlene Skwierawski partners with country music singer K.C. Williams to provide the musical direction for the singers who fill the choir's ranks, both during rehearsals and in the performances at area churches. Skwierawski, 71, taught music at North Division High School for 25 years and directed the All Saints Roman Catholic Church Choir for 15.

She traces the start of the Repairers Choir to an appearance by her church choir in the shelter on a cold night around Christmastime, roughly three years ago.

The shelter kept its doors open late that night to give the homeless respite from the cold, and many of them joined the All Saints Choir in song. MacCanon Brown, who runs Repairers of the Breach, suggested Skwierawski start a choir featuring those who visit the shelter.

Skwierawski was unable to say anything but yes to the people curled up in blankets on the floor.

She thought: "How can you say no when you're looking at people who are that down and are still willing to sing?"

The singers, bolstered by members of the Milwaukee Public Schools Alumni Choir, meet in a tightly packed practice room that doubles as a storage area for the daytime shelter. A stack of crutches leans in a corner, paint peels from the ceiling, a portable heater hums against the chill, and boxes of food surround the singers in their chairs.

Skwierawski leads them with an electric piano and a pounding enthusiasm for the rhythm of southern gospel music.

Helped by her former student, Williams, she impresses a level of musical discipline on the singers, arranging them into sopranos, altos, tenors and basses and directing them to sing their parts.

Some mouth the words quietly at first, hiding their voices from themselves and the others. Eventually, their eyes brighten and their voices gain strength, melding with the others.

"We found all kinds of marvelous singers," Skwierawski said.

Support and change

One of them is Odell White, a 58-year-old who traveled to Milwaukee from Louisiana in 2006, after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

White learned gospel music listening to his mother sing in the kitchen during his boyhood days. But he strayed from that music and that message for much of his adult life, time -- by his telling -- spent "rippin' and runnin', clownin' and drinkin'."

He continued with that wayward life in Milwaukee, and was living in and out of shelters when he followed directions to Repairers.

"My thinking ability, my mentality, my morals and everything seemed to go by the wayside," White said. "I knew one way, but that wasn't the right way."

White was overwhelmed by the support he received from his fellow strugglers at the shelter, and by the chance to sing.

During rehearsals, his feet are the first to stomp in time. He quickly stands, and taps into his background in gospel quartets to help direct others singers, encouraging them to give power to their voices and their feelings.

He turns his lean body to those singing near him, smiling and nodding in an angular rhythm.

"The choir is inspirational to me," White said. "It's positive. I'm doing it for a good reason, a good cause -- that's the Lord Jesus Christ."

'Make a little noise'

During rehearsals, the choir members nurture each other. During the performances, roughly one time per month, they drink in the positive response from worshippers whose lives are so far from their own.

Walking toward the exit, one of the Unity Church worshippers commented to a friend: "They woke up the congregation. We should do that more often. Make a little noise."

In the fellowship hall, Pastor Amy Becker smiled at the spark the choir brought to her church and its members.

"It was fun to see people engaged through music," Becker said. "There was definitely more movement than there usually is.

"Beyond the energy, it was experiencing how God works outside of our own system, our own lives."

Linda Orr, 52, sought help from the Repairers shelter when she became homeless, and joined the choir to be "uplifted" even when her life circumstances began to improve.

She relishes the quiet in the church settings, as the congregants take their seats, and the choir members wait before them, dressed in their best clothes. She watches for the "little old ladies" to begin clapping, to share the lift that she feels, the positiveness and hopefulness of the music and her voice.

It confirms her belief that "If you got nothing else, at least you can sing."

Is there truly such a thing as ‘Christian’ Music? Or is all music a gift, if it lifts the human soul?
By Deacon Keith Fournier, Catholic Online

I love music—always have and always will. At the age of five I fancied myself an Elvis impersonator—crooning the king’s music to anyone who would listen at Rocco’s Cafe in Dorchester, Massachusetts while my aunt laughed and danced. I even painted my little white bucks blue so that I could sing “Blue Suede Shoes” with authenticity.

I was a lead singer in a high school rock band having taught myself how to play the guitar at the age of thirteen. By fifteen I had written for, performed in and promoted bands. I knew the extraordinary capacity music had to bare the human soul. By the age of seventeen I had written my own music that I would later self record. I lived through my turbulent teenage years searching days from lyric to lyric with rock and contemporary music. To this day I still experience the emotional moods of seasons of my life every time I hear some of the old “counter culture” music of the late sixties and early seventies.

I love all kinds of music—from sultry women rhythm and blues singers—to jazz, contemporary, to the best of the Western tradition's classical treasury. Finally, although I am Boston bred, I have become a Virginian by choice and with it I have expanded my musical taste. My oldest daughter provided my entry into the world of country music. I have moved from hiding my country leanings to actually walking into a store and unapologetically purchasing the latest offerings without apology. However there is one kind of music I don’t like. I don’t like much of what is often called “Christian" music.

I know this will scandalize some who read these words. But at least hear me out. First, I am a Christian. My relationship with the Lord and my life as a part of His Catholic Church is the most important aspect of my identity, my family and my reason for living. I am also a member of the Catholic clergy and serve at the altar. I absolutely love good worship and liturgical music. My dislike for much of what is called “Christian" music is simple to understand, I question the term itself. I actually do not like the expression. It is sometimes a part of a kind of worldview that separates faith from real life. This kind of an approach sometimes seems to present music that does not have religious words attached as “secular.” Interestingly, an entire genre of such music has evolved. It use to be almost exclusively part of evangelical culture but now it is spreading into some contemporary Catholic circles.

All music is a gift from God if it edifies the human person. It is meant to be enjoyed as a part of the fabric of the human experience. Putting “God words” on a melody does not make it Christian. In fact, sometimes it has the opposite effect leading the listener to believe that Christianity is simply some kind of “holier than thou” club for those who live in a parallel universe—rather than a way for all men and women to reach their highest destiny. Through the Incarnation of the Son of God the entire human experience was transformed. Christians tend to forget the extraordinary depth of that ancient and fundamental truth of our faith.

Christianity is a relationship—with God through his Son in his Spirit—and through Him with one another as a part of His body. We literally live in the Church now—in Christ. In Him we are sent into this world to carry on His redemptive work. No inanimate object or creation of the human person is “Christian”. Only persons are capable of having a “relationship” with the Lord. Of course artistic creations such as music can be especially set aside for Him. Creation itself is in a relationship with the Creator. However, it is only human persons who freely embrace an intimate relationship with the Trinity, through Jesus Christ. That is the root meaning of “holy” in the original language—to be set aside for God.

That setting aside of music for Him is why liturgical music was so vitally important (and still should be) throughout the history of the Christian church. However, some of that Church has forgotten what liturgy is or has trivialized its uniqueness. I also find increasingly distasteful some of the “ditties” that have emerged in some of our worship and substitute themselves for the grandeur and majesty befitting solemn worship of the all Holy God. Are they truly fitting sacrifice to the God who made the universe in all of its glory?

The Biblical passages (Old and New Testament) pertaining to music spoke to temple worship or the early Christian liturgical assembly. Of course Christians sang (and yes danced—particularly at weddings like Cana in Galilee) outside of their common worship. Was that music “Christian”? The early Christian fathers had a concern about some of the music that the pagan cultures had adopted because they did not edify. However, the Christian contribution to music did not include only “God words” set to rhythms. Some of the greatest ... musical compositions throughout human history have come from Christians. Whether writing about love, or a sunset, the struggles of adolescence or the depth of suffering which is so much a part of the human experience, Christian persons have written wonderful music of every kind.

Christians do not lose their humanity. Therein we find the deeper concern I have regarding "Christian" music. In fact, to be a Christian is to be more fully human! I love the way the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council captured this truth in a powerful document on the role of the Church in the Modern world: “In reality it is only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of man fully becomes clear. For Adam, the first man, was a type of Him who was to come, Christ the lord, Christ the new Adam, in the very revelation of the mystery of the father and of His love, fully reveals man to himself and brings to light his most high calling.”

The problem with much of what calls itself "Christian" music these days is that it sometimes puts “God words” to poor music. Sometimes in so doing it misses the opportunity to truly move human hearts toward God’s Living Word, the One who truly understands the human experience and is capable of transforming it through His redemptive love. Additionally, it can misunderstand the fullness of the Christian mission. We are not called to build little cultural ghettos within which we escape the corruption and pain wrought by the effects of sin. Sometimes we develop such strange language and subcultures that real people, the kind who flocked to Jesus, find us at best unapproachable and at worst weird.

We are to manifest in very human and real ways the implications of that pre-eminent passage from the Sacred Scripture: “God so loved the world the world that He sent His Only Son (John 3:16)” He still does, and He sends his Son into that world through us. We are to be with the very people whom He came to save, heal and love! We need to sing, dance, weep and play with them. Not only do they need it, we do as well. I have had the privilege of spending time with some very holy people in my life—true saints. One thing I can say is they were intensely real, intensely human and approachable. I know that’s how Jesus was and how He should be experienced as people still touch the hem of His garment through us.

If we are going to be fruitful in our missionary mandate we would be better off seeking to incarnate God’s Word in our lives and live a truly renewed human existence in the midst of real men and women. There, fully rooted in a real world, we should sing, laugh, cry, suffer, dance and die as Jesus did. In so doing we should be great musicians, of every sort, and leave our comfortable little religious ghettos where we put “God words” on—all too often—poor music and feel that we have fulfilled our missionary mandate. Well there I said it. I told you it might be uncomfortable for some. I do not mean to offend.

Let me explain further. I do not dislike all "Christian" music. I understand that it often plays a vital evangelistic role. I just question an approach to Christianity that renders it a subculture and creates either an "oasis" or a "Masada" where Christians escape or from which they assault the world they were commissioned to help redeem. It not only is an ineffective missionary approach, it misunderstands some of the implications of the Incarnation. It also tends to make Christians forget their own humanity which is unfortunate, both for them and for others.

But now I will take a break and listen to some jazz. Now that’s really good music….

Last summer, RockOm asked yoga chant master Krishna Das the following question:

"From kirtan sessions to Sunday morning church services, why do you believe music is such a powerful agent in connecting us with the divine?"

While you can read KD's answer here, we were recently pleased to read a new article laying the same question out on the table - though, in this instance, from more of a Christian/Jewish worship perspective.

Voices of Faith: What is the importance of music in worship?
for McClatchy Newspapers

The Rev. Fran T. Cary, pastor of Trinity A.M.E. Church, Kansas City, Kan.: Music is something we both hear and sing when we worship. This is related to the fact that worship is both call and response. The call of God reaches the depths of our hearts with special power through music, and our singing expresses with special power the deepest response of our hearts to God.

When we recognize the importance of music we do not detract from the centrality of word and sacrament. On the contrary, music adds immeasurably to the power of Scripture and preaching, prayer and sacrament. Because music is also rooted in the emotions, music can express the inexpressible and serve as a mask for realities in life.

Music allows us to demonstrate our belief in and faith in God through adoration and praise. It is an attempt of the human spirit to touch the divine through religious activity. Keeping this in mind, there are some things that music should do.

First, the quality of music should be constantly tested by the biblical norm. Second, music must be understood in the context of worship. Third, music must reflect the social as well as the theological history of the community. Fourth, music should contribute to the edification, or "up-building," of the people of God.

Rabbi Mark Levin of Congregation Beth Torah, Overland Park, Kan.: From the human perspective, God is wholly other. We share only the holiness God has implanted within us. But God has provided humans with an intuition of God's existence and the means for humans to cross the infinite gap between the human and the divine. Among these are love, altruism, meditation, prayer and music.

Music has many roles in worship. Where words conceptualize and build one upon the other like bricks in a building, music's immediacy bypasses the rational and taps directly into the emotional. Music facilitates intimate experiences of the divine, even though those experiences are entirely personal and therefore non-transmittable except among those who share the moment. Music brings the divine and human together beyond rational cognition to nearly familiar communication.

Often music is used not only to construct a communal experience, but also to facilitate memorization and repetition. In the Hebrew chanting of the Torah, musical cadences are harnessed to express the grammar and divine intent of the unvocalized text that contains neither capital letters nor punctuation.

Thus music is the interpretive tool to transmit divine words to the people. In combining movement, prayer and music, the entire body is brought to the prayer experience and utilized to connect to God.

Music connects the past to the present and links global communities in different times and places together in a shared experience of approaching God.

[Source]
Reprinted with Permission

By Eric Reed at Allaboutjazz.com

Generally, the idea of "sacred jazz" either brings to mind Duke Ellington's three sacred concerts or causes confusion in the minds of those who are not cognizant of what is "sacred" or "jazz". Is it John Coltrane's A Love Supreme, Mary Lou Williams' Black Christ of the Andes or Ahmad Jamal's After Fajr? In all these cases, yes. In the broad sense of what is "sacred," the common thread that exists among the aforementioned references pays respect to the devotion to a supernatural being, considered to be higher than us. As for jazz, of course, you gotta swing, but so many people want to make jazz so many things. (Really, must we?) My search for clarification in this field was prompted by my recent participation in a jazz series that focused on "The Sacred Side of Jazz," where I demonstrated the connection between jazz and gospel music via hymns, Negro spirituals and the blues.

When you get right down to it, the term "sacred jazz" becomes somewhat redundant because the nascence of jazz is in sacred music! Do you think Jelly Roll Morton (who probably did invent piano jazz) simply stumbled upon "Wild Man Blues" without ever hearing a gospel blues? It's doubtful he could have spent five years in Chicago and not have ever crossed paths with Rev. Thomas Dorsey or Mahalia Jackson. The stamp of "sacred jazz" is actually rather generic, mainly because it covers such a wide array of artistic concepts. As a child, "jazz" and "sacred" had always intersected in my playing: from bluesy treatments of hymns like "Amazing Grace" or "Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior" in my father's Baptist church to Charles Brown's "Merry Christmas, Baby" while entertaining family friends.

For me, there was never a conscious aesthetic separation of gospel and secular music, but I had enough good sense not to subject the congregation to "Meet Me With Your Black Drawers On" during the offering. Thomas Dorsey and Rosetta Tharpe met with much angst from church folks who insisted they perform on "one side of the fence or the other." Fortunately, my parents never vexed me in that area, so I was free to explore and develop my own farrago of diverse musical worlds, leaning towards a sound influenced by musical and personal experiences, biblical teachings, Negro spirituals, the blues, swing and a heavy groove.

My music is influenced by a spiritual foundation (specifically, God's spirit, in this case), which encourages me to remain focused on the reason I was born with the gift He gave me—to praise Him. In addition, I share that love and desire with the audience, with the hope that they can be reeled into my spiritual space, to be entertained and blessed by the experience.

For years, my notion was to learn and perform the 'standard' jazz repertoire, composing songs that sounded like standards and generally to honor the brilliant creators—from Armstrong to Waller—that laid it all out before me, while offering the occasional 'tribute' to my spiritual background. Fortunately (and hopefully for most of us) life changes force us to be wisely flexible; as brilliant artists-to-be, we learn that the music doesn't end with the lessons of our youth. On the contrary, it only begins there, laying the groundwork and leading us down the paths we trod towards the excellence of our more mature years in the arts. Merging my personal life with my music has become more than merely composing some swing ditty and pasting God's name in the title. Boldly and unabashedly, I put my love, honor and thanks to God at the forefront of my music—before the transcribed solos, Hanon exercises, repertoire—even the commitment to swinging.

Many jazz artists encountered a "spiritual awakening" on personal and musical planes later in life: Duke Ellington, Mary Lou Williams, John Coltrane as referenced earlier. For others, the awareness was apparent earlier on: Yusef Lateef, Ahmad Jamal. Even though all don't pay tribute to the same deity, the vibration in the music of an individual genuinely connected to his faith cannot be ignored—even if you don't identify with his spiritual philosophy. There is music for music's sake and then there is music that encompasses a deeper purpose.

Of a somewhat less "faith-based" intent, is what has been referred to as "funky jazz" or "soul-jazz". This would be jazz that parrots the sound of Black church music and is more contrived than reverent. Popular jazz hits like Horace Silver's "The Preacher," Billy Page's "The In Crowd" (as performed by Ramsey Lewis) or Bobby Timmons' "This Here" were mostly funneled through artists' impressions of gospel music. It's much like listening to dyed-in-the-wool jazz musicians play Latin or funk—without a full immersion in the experience. Perhaps, this is where the divide begins with regard to sacred versus secular; whereas one implies an honoring and worshiping, the other has a slightly exploitive dynamic that, over the years, has continued to nosedive into poor imitations, the end result being some minstrel-type exhibition by individuals who have no real clue of the value and essence of a spiritual experience.

My recent challenge to connect gospel music with jazz music effectively has ignited a brushfire that sweeps through my bones. Early on, I heeded the jazz curriculum to the letter. As I continue to move through life, my purpose becomes much clearer and now I am moved to invoke the sentiments of Duke Ellington, expressed before he performed his first sacred concert: "Now, I can say openly and loudly what I have been saying to myself on knees."

Eric Reed at All About Jazz

Visit Eric Reed on the web