People have tried, but you can’t ever really escape the roots of jazz, which is the church. Here are two recent samples of Sunday morning sounds.
Full toned tenor saxist Javon Jackson fits perfectly the role as a Baptist preacher on this collection of modernized spirituals. The team of Jeremy Manasin/p, David Williams/b and McClenty Hunter serve as the perfect support team, as they shuffle over Jackson’s sermon on “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel” or plead with the leader on “Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child”. “Wade in the Water” includes some poetry by Christina Greer and Nikki Giovanni, with the latter adding a sweet light through the stained glass window of “Night Song”. Manasin and Jackson deliver a recitative of “Lord, I Want to Be A Christian” while Williams reflectively bows on “I’ve Been Buked”. Soul stirring.