November 1, 2005
Jazz
The spontaneity of a jazz band is what makes it so exciting. There’s the melody that supplies the rhythm, ie, the pattern the melody follows. There’re the chord changes around which the melody is wrapped. There’s the tempo, the pace, the pulse, that, whenever it is exactly right, is said by musicians to be “in the pocket.”
Coupled with and weaving through all this liturgy are the players and their improvising, in their turn creating new melodies in the instant of their playing. But perhaps most importantly, there’s the mutual appreciation and interdependence for one another’s skills and limits and ideas and interpretations. And then, there’s the listening, not only by the audience, but by the players, themselves.
We churchers would profit so from such listening, listening carefully to all on this All Saints Day. For without this, there is no jazz, there are no saints marching in.
[Visit Episcopal Relief and Development at http://www.er-d.org/ to make a donation to hurricane relief or Episcopal Migration Ministries at emm@episcopalchurch.org to volunteer to assist displaced people with housing.]