Inspiration from the Psalms

 

Paul Simon, who has consistently crafted some of the most influential and enduring work in the history of music, has announced the release of his highly anticipated musical work, Seven Psalms. Intended to be listened to as one continuous piece, the 33-minute, seven-movement composition transcends the concept of the “album” and will be released in its entirety on vinyl, CD and across digital platforms on May 19.

Recorded entirely on acoustic instruments, and predominantly performed by Paul, Seven Psalms showcases Simon’s craft at its finest and most captivating, simply with his voice and guitar. A stunning, intricately layered work, it’s a record which establishes an engaging and meditative, almost hymnal soundscape, with Paul’s lyrics providing the gravitational center for constellations of sound woven from guitar strings and other acoustic instrumentation – including choral elements from the highly-regarded British vocal ensemble VOCES8, and a beautiful vocal appearance by Edie Brickell.

A limited edition Seven Psalms record featuring seven spoken word pieces by Nick Cave set to music in collaboration with Warren Ellis was released last year. Kitty Empire writes that 'these short tracks ... hark back to the quietened Cave of 2001’s album of solemn love songs, No More Shall We Part. Because these psalms are lovesick prayers – a kinder God than often appears in Cave’s back catalogue. “When will I awaken to your love?” he wonders, pained, yearning for mercy, grace and heavenly succour."'

Roxy Music’s ‘Psalm’ from the album ‘Stranded’ is a song that feels sermon-like in structure and in sound and which is written as a form of testimony with a movement in understanding that goes from trying God out to standing by his gate and on to knowing you’ll be heard by him. It’s a song in which we are taken on a journey, a journey towards God. 

Roxy Music saxophonist Andy Mackay says of his 3 Psalms: "I have long been fascinated by this collection of ancient poetry and song which has permeated our cultural life. I have tried to reflect this by using the original Hebrew and Latin - the language in which they were written - as well as 17th Century English of the Book of Common Prayer. People of faith will find themselves in familiar territory of prise and mystery and worship while atheists and agnostics can join the extraordinary debate in which the Psalmists sometimes turn from a feeling that God is totally absent or unknowable to arguing with Him because He isn’t doing what they want!"

In The Shadow Of Your Wings is a musical exploration of the Psalms from Deus Ex Musica. This ecumenical project celebrates the unique power of the arts to bring together Christians in fellowship and mutual conversation around our shared love for Scripture. For this project, 3 groups of three composers were assigned a psalm to set to music for female voice and piano: Listening to each trio of compositions provides a unique and fascinating way to explore the ways each psalm can be interpreted differently. Originally presented in Boston in 2022, IN THE SHADOW OF YOUR WINGS was the version of Deus Ex Musica’s series of events that use new music to explore the psalms. These include I WILL LIFT MY EYES UNTO THE MOUNTAINS and THE BEAUTIFUL WORLD OF HOLINESS, each of which feature new compositions for voice and piano, as well as SEARCH ME, O GOD: a new album (and live event) featuring new works for solo violin written by Jewish and Christian composers.

For the One Beautiful World Arts Festival we have a related Deus Ex Musica performance at St Mary's Runwell, 3.00 pm, Sunday 14 May. Awake My Soul is a unique event combining performances of new sacred music with discussion. Performed by acclaimed violinist Emma-Marie Kabanova, this interactive event features new psalm-inspired works written by an international collection of Jewish and Christian composers.  

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Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - I Come Alone And To You.

3 Psalms, Art Songs & Spirituals, Spiritual Jazz

Andy Mackay says of his new recording 3 Psalms: 

"I have long been fascinated by this collection of ancient poetry and song which has permeated our cultural life. I have tried to reflect this by using the original Hebrew and Latin - the language in which they were written - as well as 17th Century English of the Book of Common Prayer. People of faith will find themselves in familiar territory of prise and mystery and worship while atheists and agnostics can join the extraordinary debate in which the Psalmists sometimes turn from a feeling that God is totally absent or unknowable to arguing with Him because He isn’t doing what they want!"

Free jazz pioneer and civil rights activist Archie Shepp is presenting a new project revisiting his ‘60s output where he explored both his connections to Africa and the civil rights movement that swept America. Kevin le Gendre noted that the spirit of protest "pervades the black church, a haven for African-Americans and touchstone for Civil Rights activists": 

‘Absolutely, you can’t really separate them from the periods that inspired them... slavery, oppression, injustice, he says before putting the current incumbent of the White House in the dock. ‘We’ve always needed spirituals. Donald Trump only represents problems that have existed in our society for centuries. It would be impossible for Trump to have found so much support and so many ears willing to listen without the fact that he was working in fertile soil. Racism and prejudice was already there and he was very much on time for those people who have so long courted fascist ideas. He’s not alone in the world. If we look at Austria and Europe (Sweden of late) in general (at what’s happening there, it’s frightening).'"

Goin' Home is a studio album by Shepp and pianist Horace Parlan. A jazz and gospel album, Goin' Home features Shepp and Parlan's interpretations of African-American folk melodies and spirituals. Its title is an allusion to Shepp's return to his African cultural roots. Shepp had never recorded spirituals before and was overcome with emotion during the album's recording because of the historical and cultural context of the songs.

The rise of Kamasi Washington and his 3-volume album “The Epic” marked an interesting point in recent jazz history as increasing numbers of jazz musicians started exploring spiritual jazz, where the divine meets spontaneity, expressiveness, and eclecticism. Stingray DJAZZ has highlighted five spiritual UK jazz acts:

• Maisha: Drawing influences from the music of Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, as well as West African and Afro-Beat rhythms, the act released their debut EP “Welcome To A New Welcome” in 2016. Led by the drummer Jake Long, Maisha also features one of the biggest raising jazz stars - saxophonist Nubya Garcia.
• Shabaka Hutchings: The virtuoso saxophonist, composer, and musical leader, Hutchings has been exploring the spirituality aspect in jazz via most of his musical projects: Sons of Kemet, The Comet is Coming, as well as Shabaka And The Ancestors. His sound has been inspired by many elements found across African continent.
• Matthew Halsall: Trumpeter Matthew Halsall is probably the most spiritually sounding trumpeter on the jazz map right now. His music has this mesmerizing atmosphere that blends less conventional instruments such as a harp, or flute, together with distinct percussive sounds, slow tempos, and modality. The type of jazz played by him has its roots in different qualities of life: calmness, mindfulness, and above all - spiritualness.
• Dwight Trible: Dwight Trible has shaped a unique and spiritually saturated sound. Having performed with artists, such as Pharoah Sanders and Kamasi Washington, Trible is perhaps the only true spiritual jazz singer out there at the moment, which gives him a cult status among many jazz fans as well as like-minded musicians.
• Nat Birchall: One of the lesser known spiritual jazz musicians on the list, Nat Birchall, released his first spiritual jazz record in 1999. Ever since, the saxophonist has been an active member of the UK jazz community. His latest release “Cosmic Language” (Jazzman Records, 2018) combines the already established spiritual jazz elements with classical Indian music, meditation, as well as his favorite instrument - harmonium. Yet, it is the small pump up organ that really defines the sound of Brichall’s music at this moment, giving it Zen-like atmosphere and filling it with the particular energy, which can only be found among classic spiritual jazz musicians, such as Alice Coltrane or Pharoah Sanders.

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Archie Shepp & Horace Parlan ‎– Goin' Home.

Greenbelt diary (4) & Windows on the world (16)

Greenbelt, 2008

On Day 4 I actually got to listen to Peter Rollins, as opposed to talking about him, in the session that he gave on 'Changing something so that everything remains the same.' This was essentially about the importance of revolution remaining outside the 'system,' in this case emerging church remaining outside of existing church. However, the main substance of the talk was an explanation of Bonhoeffer's 'religionless Christianity' and its relevance to our contemporary context.

On revolution versus system, this is the eternal debate over whether more radical change occurs from within or outside the system (whatever that system is). Rollins argues for radical change primarily coming from outside and made some interesting observations about the way in which systems can absorb aspects of revolutionary movements in order to remain essentially unchanged. However, in doing so he was also ignoring examples of the way in which systems, while in some fashion continuing, have been radically changed by revolutions. It seems to be that prophets are needed both inside and outside existing systems and that their roles and approaches will differ as a result. There is a great attraction of purity in what Rollins is advocating but I would worry if his arguments were dismissive of those working actively to change systems from within (if he were arguing that the only way to be faithful is to betray).

On religionless Christianity, Rollins was more apposite emphasising our responsibility for deciding, risking and willing action in every moment. His tendency, though, seemed to be to use the language of philosophy and story rather than that of the Bible. Only at the end of the talk when asked about the Bible and his favourite Bible verse did he begin to talk about his ideas in terms of the Bible's narrative. When he does use this language what he says makes alot of sense and so it seems a shame and self-limiting that, as in The Garden's installation/performance, he seemed to prefer to talk in terms of the defining books of the past being placed in the museum.

In the afternoon I heard a wonderfully energetic Martyn Joseph in concert and caught the end of Niall Williams speaking about his novels. As a result I have begun to read As It Is In Heaven. However, the main revelation of this final afternoon was Jamie Catto and 1 Giant Leap. Catto (ex of Faithless) played an acoustic set full of beguiling and broken songs. As a result, I missed the second Peter Rollins talk of the day and went to the screening of the second 1 Giant Leap film entitled What About Me? As with McLaren and Rollins, the film emphasised the significance of experience, of living in the moment, in the now. What I wonder, however, is whether the sense in which the present is formed by the past and includes plans for the future is being fully taken into account when the importance of experience is stressed.

My Greenbelt finished back in The Hub at the final Artist's Forum alongside Martin Wilson and Jon Mackay to show the Love & Light dvd. Wilson is a conceptual artist who cycles thousands of miles photographing images on 35mm film strips that tease meaning from the urban jumble. Mackay is an Oxfordshire based photographer whose 'So What Do You Think?' photography project from Greenbelt can be viewed by clicking here.

This Greenbelt seems to have been a shuttling between the via negativa in the pervading ideas of Peter Rollins and an actual experience of the affirmative way in the sampling of the variety of art on offer. Both ways ultimately exclude the other; which path to choose is the question posed?

As a coda to these posts, I returned to Nailsworth on Tuesday morning and found, in Nonsuch Books & Music, copies of three books by Greg Tricker. Of these, I purchased Francis of Assisi: Paintings of Our Time and am enjoying both the paintings and the reflections.

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1 Giant Leap - Wounded.