In many ways, jazz and St. PJ's are well matched. After all, jazz is polyglot music, drawing on West African and European traditions, and very much rooted in the American experience. As such, it exemplifies the cultural richness and respect to which we aspire. In the way it is typically performed, jazz provides a great model of community, where each individual is given room to stretch and grow without sacrificing the integrity of collective enterprise. In an ensemble, everyone is part of the supporting cast, and everyone gets to solo now and again, all in the service of the music as a whole.
As a musical form, jazz is both quite Anglican and a wonderful challenge to our traditional patterns of worship. Although improvisation might seem to be the antithesis of fixed, predictable Prayer Book liturgy, the truth is that the Book of Common Prayer allows for much more "freedom within structure" than is often realized. Also, jazz improvisation is not entirely free-form, but builds on themes found in the melody. It is rather like Bible study at St. PJ's, where the Scripture lesson is read straight through twice--first by one person, then by another--after which everyone is given an opportunity to explore a word, phrase or passage that has specially touched her or him. Similarly, although jazz's rhythmic complexity seems at odds with Elizabethan prose and the 1982 Hymnal, layered rhythms and syncopation are not inherently un-Anglican. Indeed, the vast majority of the provinces of the Anglican Communion have demonstrated that a little "swing" is not a bad thing. And most people who have worshiped at St. PJ's in recent years would agree.
Our expectation is that Jazz Vespers will provide an additional way for committed Christians to worship. We hope, as well, to open a channel through which the skittish and the skeptical can touch and be touched by God. Pray for us. And come join us.
