Jazz-shaped faith

George Luke's review in Third Way of Orin Meta by Femi Temowo summarises the way that jazz has often been used to express a Christian faith:

"Duke Ellington's 'Come Sunday' and John Coltrane's Love Supreme album are two classic examples, but it now seeing a more contemporary boom in the gospel community. The Philidelphia singer Ruth Naomi Floyd has released a string of fine albums marrying the genre with gospel; more recently she's been followed by artists such as the saxophonists Kirk Whalum, Mike Parlett and YoLanda Brown, South African guitarist Jonathan Butler, pianist Barry D - and now the Nigerian-born Brit Femi Temowo."

Luke could also have mentioned Duke Ellington's Sacred Concerts, the work of Albert Ayler and Charles Gayle, Jan Gabarek's collaborations with the Hilliard Ensemble, and, more tangentially, 'Believer' by Susanna and the Magical Orchestra, among others. For a fuller review of expressions of Christian faith within jazz see 'Spirituality under the surface of jazz'.

Luke quotes Dave Brubeck as saying, "To me, if you get into that creative part of your mind when you're playing jazz, it's just as religious as when you're writing a sacred service." He writes that Temowo is the proof of that. For more along similar lines, see Jazz theologian Robert Gelinas and his book Finding the Groove for reflections on a jazz-shaped faith.

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Femi Tomowo - The Pilgrim.