joy spring
Clifford Brown's "Joy Spring" has a natural uplift to it. It's a typical A-A-B-A form, but the second A is a half-step higher, and the B starts off a further half-step higher. It's like a little harmonic staircase that's endlessly fun to climb as you play the song and the form repeats over and over.
The band played it this last Sunday at church, for the offertory.
I'm remembering the other time I played that tune at church for an offertory: several people — naturally, I'll never know who they are — complained to the minister, who called me in for a meeting, relaying their displeasure. (And how many people went to him and expressed their pleasure at hearing this song?) He hadn't been there during that service, so I explained that the overall sound was a pleasant one, and that, after all, it was a bit of a departure from the kind of thing we'd been doing — all in the name of big-tent musical inclusiveness — and we probably wouldn't be doing offertories like that too often. It was just a bit of variety. Lots of people liked it.
After our conversation he concluded that it might have brought on some unpleasantness but it was all probably OK, and those people were just griping; he seemed especially relieved to hear that we weren't introducing a regular feature with it. Then he requisitioned the video of it so he could see and hear it all himself.
Whew!
Then there was this Sunday, when not only the congregation expressed enthusiasm, but the minister(s) made it a point to say how great it was; the pastor had, in fact, made a bit of a deal before the service about how much our jazzy sound added to the texture of worship there. A few days earlier he'd gotten in touch with me to say "The Bishop's going to be there Sunday, so — "
Yeah, I've heard sentences like that before. They always end in caution and tamping-down and preemptive inoffensiveness. This time, though, the sentence ended in " — so don't hold back! We really want you guys to do what you do."
Ahhh.
I'm proud of the worship band I'm a part of. We give an offering, joyfully and with our various personalities intact, and it creates something that can't be duplicated. It's always been, I believe, a pleasant scent to the True Audience, the Audience-of-One that we're really all playing for. It's nice though, that these days our offering is also honored by the people around us, and the people in charge.
Blessings abound.
The band played it this last Sunday at church, for the offertory.
I'm remembering the other time I played that tune at church for an offertory: several people — naturally, I'll never know who they are — complained to the minister, who called me in for a meeting, relaying their displeasure. (And how many people went to him and expressed their pleasure at hearing this song?) He hadn't been there during that service, so I explained that the overall sound was a pleasant one, and that, after all, it was a bit of a departure from the kind of thing we'd been doing — all in the name of big-tent musical inclusiveness — and we probably wouldn't be doing offertories like that too often. It was just a bit of variety. Lots of people liked it.
After our conversation he concluded that it might have brought on some unpleasantness but it was all probably OK, and those people were just griping; he seemed especially relieved to hear that we weren't introducing a regular feature with it. Then he requisitioned the video of it so he could see and hear it all himself.
Whew!
Then there was this Sunday, when not only the congregation expressed enthusiasm, but the minister(s) made it a point to say how great it was; the pastor had, in fact, made a bit of a deal before the service about how much our jazzy sound added to the texture of worship there. A few days earlier he'd gotten in touch with me to say "The Bishop's going to be there Sunday, so — "
Yeah, I've heard sentences like that before. They always end in caution and tamping-down and preemptive inoffensiveness. This time, though, the sentence ended in " — so don't hold back! We really want you guys to do what you do."
Ahhh.
I'm proud of the worship band I'm a part of. We give an offering, joyfully and with our various personalities intact, and it creates something that can't be duplicated. It's always been, I believe, a pleasant scent to the True Audience, the Audience-of-One that we're really all playing for. It's nice though, that these days our offering is also honored by the people around us, and the people in charge.
Blessings abound.
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