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Sacred Jazz ©
by Carl MaultsBy, Executive Artistic DirectorThis overview is intended to provide an introduction to Sacred Jazz and offer insights to what it is, what the origin of its roots are, and why it has a unique standing within the broad spectrum of traditional African American religious and gospel music. Sacred Jazz, also known as, Inspirational Jazz, is more than just spiritual music — it is the essence of Godly manifestations through the sounds of music.
ORIGINS
Music in the Sacred Jazz (Inspirational Jazz) tradition has been with us since the inception of jazz, the unequivocal American art form. True to the African tradition of not distinguishing between the sacred and the secular, Sacred Jazz, as well as jazz in general, has its roots in both the African American sacred and secular music traditions of New Orleans. It uses musical elements, harmonies and rhythms, of jazz and text based on sacred sources such as the Bible, the Koran and Yoruba chants. Not until Duke Ellington presented his "Sacred Concerts" did the music world begin to discover the body of music in the Sacred Jazz genre. And when these concerts were first introduced, they stirred a wave of controversy about whether the terms "sacred" and "jazz" should even be used together to describe this genre of music. Many felt uneasy with the term sacred jazz and prefer the phrase, inspirational jazz,but the Duke knew that this special music went beyond being just inspiring, it was reverent in its purpose and that made it sacred.
In May, 1991, Rejoicensemble! presented its first Sacred Jazz concert to a capacity house at St. Philip's Church, Harlem. This concert brought together Dianne Reeves, Jay Hoggard, along with Metropolitan Opera star Priscilla Baskerville, Danny Holgate, The Abyssinian Baptist Church Chancel Choir and was hosted by Pat Prescott, a DJ at New York City's CD 101.9 FM Radio. The program featured music that gave the audience both a historical sense of Sacred Jazz as well as introduced them to several original compositions in the idiom. On the historical side, the works included "When the Saints Go Marching In..." Duke Ellington's "TGTT..." "Praise God in Song and Dance..." "Come Sunday..." the Pharaoh Saunders/Leon Thomas composition "The Creator Has a Master Plan..." and Billy Taylor's "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free." Also included in the first Sacred Jazz were compositions by contemporary composers,
- Baikida Carroll,
- Jay Hoggard and
- Carl MaultsBy
It is the success of this first event that encouraged the Rejoicensemble! and its guests, Dianne Reeves and Jay Hoggard, to present yet another concert of Sacred Jazz in a larger space, still in the uptown community, to a more ethnically diversed audience: Sacred Jazz 2 at The Riverside Church, again hosted by Pat Prescott.
The music of Sacred Jazz 2 focused on the composer/performer. Both Jay Hoggard and Dianne Reeves gave world premieres of their compositions which utilized musical idioms of the African Diaspora along with African American jazz and sacred musical idioms. Mr. Hoggard's work "Worship God in Spirit, Truth and Love" uses musical elements from the Mandingo of Mali and features Mr. Hoggard playing the balaphone, an African instrument similar to the western xylophone. Ms. Reeves performed her compositions "More Than Me" and "Passageway;" both employ Afro-Brazilian musical elements. In addition, the concert featured Ms. Reeves performing her reggae rendition of "And the Glory of the Lord" from the Soulful Messiah recording. Rejoicensemble! performed excerpts from "Strong and Graceful Oaks: A Sacred Jazz Requiem," a recent composition by the ensemble's artistic director.
Sacred Jazz 2 also featured "Gold Mine" composed by Take 6 members Mervyn Warren and Claude McKnight, the Bobby McFerrin composition "The 23rd Psalm," a liturgical salsa setting of the spiritual "Rockin' Jerusalem," and an arrangement of "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" that features four styles of gospel music.
Rejoicensemble! continues the African tradition of blurring the distinction between sacred and secular to present Sacred Jazz.
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