faith like jazz part II

My previous post on faith like jazz sparked some interest and comments so I thought I’d keep fleshing this out. As the wise one Q says in Ecclesiastes. There is nothing new under the sun so it was exciting to see others working out this concept. Here’s what some other people are doing with the concept.

from blue like jazz

And jazz is this very real – free flowing music that is created as you go . . . Jazz is passionate, raw and honest – and as a musician playing jazz . . . you see the music as something to be explored – never knowing exactly what may be coming next – but confident that the music itself is a passageway to a treasure chest of even richer melodies, rhythms and harmonies . . .

A true jazz musician doesn’t think so much about what he’s playing . . . but he feels it first . . . in the very center of his being . . . and the music (the expression) flows out of that center – and true jazz is improvisational (often made up as you go) – each musician taking his cue from the musician before . . . and so creating the music together with one another . . . . . so jazz is this . . . amazing melody, that with each moment the song is played, – step by step – line by line . . . the music becomes more complete . . .

Here a quote from Juan Williams’ book  This Far by faith

It comes from an old gospel song and suggests the idea that faith has been essential to the African American religious experience in a unique way. For a variety of reasons, black Americans had to rely first and foremost on the notion of faith in God, that they had a personal relationship with God outside of any church. To me, the miracle of the African American Christian experience is the idea that the slave master introduces Christianity to the slave, but the slave reinterprets this faith and recasts it as a vehicle for liberation and social protest. You speak of black Christianity as being almost jazz-like in its expression. Jazz is an authentic American art form that includes elements of both African and white American musical traditions, but it was formed and given birth by black musicians. It’s a response to having been denied training in other classical forms of music, and having limited opportunities and places where black musicians could practice their craft. They created this new art form that gives them full expression, and it ended up being a gift to the world. I think of African American religion in the same way. You have people being denied opportunities, denied education in terms of being able to read and study the Bible, denied the ability to practice leadership in the white church, and so they create this authentic American entity called the black church. Despite the dehumanizing force of slavery and segregation, these men and women were fully

Over a the image journal forum was this quote from a post about faith and music

True faith is genuine freedom because you trust in Someone outside of yourself. Improvising is freedom within order where you trust that the rules of the music will take you somewhere as you use them creatively and wisely as a jazz artist.

Also, one must trust those engaged in the same musical adventure as musicians. There is the fragile interplay that comes from listening to each other in the moment, responding, pushing the envelope, and challenging each other to go beyond what is safe and comfortable, but together in unity.

Faith in Christ is like that. If we let him, he calls us to the new, the challenging and the freeing, but in unity with him.

Faith and jazz can learn from each other.

Chris Morris who is a pianist and Christian has a great example of improvisation on a theme based the hymn Holy Holy  It is released under the creative commons license so you can download for free and share as long as you attribute to the author.

Here’s quote from a sermon by Dean Angell at Lakewood Church

In fact the more you know about jazz and what it’s about – I believe the more you’ll be able to understand faith . . . because faith to . . . . . . is meant to be . . .

Free – Flowing – Passionate – Raw and Honest . . . something that is felt deeply to the center of who you are . . . and like jazz, God designed faith one step at a time – improvisational if you will

You can download the audio mp3 here or read the text here.

The jazz theologian has this to say about jazz and faith

Jazz and the African-American experience are not just about emergence but also convergence.

What would a jazz approach to theology look like? What about the current emergent church conversation…is emerging enough?

So maybe faith like jazz can redeem this conversation about faith and life we are in. Can faith like jazz help us shape a more dynamic, creative, expressive and inclusive expression of our historic faith?

If so here are some questions to ponder. What role does a pastor play? Band leader band member? Which standards do we all need to know? How do we use our “fake book” the Bible? What new songs will be composed?  What form will the group take?

what say you?

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