Jazz Vespers has been a hugely successful part of bringing new people to All Saints and affirming our commitment to an inclusive expression of faith for more than twenty years now. Our latest Studio ASC podcast talks about how the Jazz Vespers is important to All Saints. And we learn how jazz, with its roots in African traditions explored in New Orleans’ Congo Square through Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts and beyond, has long been a unifying and liberating spiritual force.
We share this episode in advance of our Sunday, March 17 Jazz Vespers, featuring a tribute to the music and life of Mahalia Jackson, with Tammy McCann and John Clayton, and which will include a meditation from this episode to guest , Dr. Josslyn Luckett. Vespers start at 5pm.
An Episcopal Church probably isn’t the first place you’d associate with a good jazz concert. Christina Honchell and Dr. Josslyn Luckett break down why you should and why jazz is a conduit to spiritual liberation and cross-cultural connections.
Here are some links to further exploration on the topic of Sacred Jazz and some of the work mentioned in this episode:
ELLINGTON’S SACRED CONCERTS – NYT 1985
John Coltrane, A Love Supreme, Part 1: “Acknowledgement”
Duke Ellington and Mahalia Jackson – “Come Sunday”
