Music this morning, May 31st, features vocalists Tyler Gruttemeyer and Julia Olynyk, and Matt Wallace on Sax.
Pentecost is always a good opportunity to talk about improvisation in jazz, considering we celebrate scriptural references to the influence of the Spirit and speaking in many languages. At its core, improvisation is about conversations – finding a common language and letting that conversation “move in mysterious ways.” Particularly appropriate for Pentecost is Free Jazz – an idiom where players come together in the moment to have a conversation – sometimes their individual languages coalesce, sometimes they remain completely independent. With no written music, and little to no form, Free Jazz runs the gamut from untamed atonality to minimalist expressions of a single scale or mode.
Of the two improvisations today, one is loosely based on an AABA form, and the other has no form, but is based on two scales. So not completely free jazz, but still conveys that conversational element that evolves through the music in a unique way that can’t be captured through written composition.
O Spirit of the Living God
O Spirit of the living God, thou Light and Fire DivineDescend upon Thy Church once more and make it truly Thine
Fill it with love and joy and power, with righteousness and peace
Till Christ shall dwell in human hearts, and sin and sorrow cease
Blow, wind of God, with wisdom blow until our minds are free
From mists of error, clouds of doubt, which blind our eyes to Thee
Burn, winged fire, inspire our lips with flaming love and zeal
To preach to all Thy great good news, God’s glorious commonweal*
So shall we know the power of Christ, who came this world to save
So shall we rise with Him to life which soars beyond the grave
And earth shall win true holiness which makes Thy children whole
Till, perfected by Thee, we reach creation’s glorious goal
Benediction
“For the past four years, this Benediction has been the second to last song that the Faith Singers sing on tour. It was a way for us to summarize our “Holy Surprises” that we had the privilege of experiencing. I chose to sing this in honor of our seniors, feeling blessed that I had the opportunity to meet them when they arrived in Faith Singers, and knowing that they are leaving Countryside ready to bless the world with their spirit.” – Tyler Gruttemeyer
May the Lord bless you and keep you
May the Lord smile on you, shine His light upon you
May the Lord lift you, turn His face towards you
Give you His peace, give you His peace
Blessed we came to this place today, and blessed now we will go
In the name of the Creator, the Spirit, and the Son
May the Lord bless us and keep us
May the Lord smile on us, shine His light upon us
May the Lord lift us, turn His face towards us
Give us His peace, give us His peace
Go now in peace, go now in peace
Spirit of God Descend Upon My Heart
Spirit of God, descend upon my heart; wean it from earth, through all its pulses move;
stoop to my weakness, mighty as thou art, and make me love thee as I ought to love.
Teach me to feel that thou art always nigh; teach me the struggles of the soul to bear,
to check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh; teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.
Teach me to love thee as thine angels love, one holy passion filling all my frame;
the baptism of the heaven-descended Dove, my heart an altar, and thy love the flame.