Set My Spirit Free: Jazz Music’s Soul Connection
Come for a musical treat that will lift your spirits! The event will be livestreamed here.
Set My Spirit Free: Jazz Music’s Soul Connection is the title of a combination concert, worship service, story telling and poetry event at Eastern Mennonite School, Sunday, Sept. 25 at 4 p.m. The 90-minute program will contextualize the uniquely American art form of jazz music and celebrate its place in the worship traditions of the Black church.
The Rev. Edward Scott of Allen Chapel AME, the first black church east of the Blue Ridge, will inspire with stories and reflection. Dr. Joanne Gabbin, a member of Allen Chapel, will share poetry written about jazz for the event. The poet, author and educator recently retired from James Madison University, where she founded the Furious Flower Poetry Center, America’s first academic center dedicated to Black poetry. EMU’s Dr. David Berry will provide improvisational piano backing Dr. Gabbin’s reading.
Musicians featured in the professional jazz sextet include:
- Lew Taylor, piano
- Neil Perrine, bass
- Marlon Foster, drums
- Nick Skinner, trumpet
- Greg Moody, reeds
- Robert Mott, trombone
Sponsorship is provided by Eastern Mennonite University’s Music Department, the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival And the Racial Justice Task Force of Virginia Mennonite Conference.