Black Wood Jazz Advent

Black Wood Jazz Advent space will be at 6.00 pm 30 November at a location to be confirmed. 

BYO picnic tea. Daniel Lee and friends will provide live jazz. 

Early thinking for Advent 2008

We met yesterday afternoon to plan this year's advent space, and though we are still to settle on a date, it will either by 30 November or 7 December at 6.00 pm. 

At this stage, we are thinking of meeting in Belair National Park for a picnic, along the lines of the Jazz at Nunyara of 2006, though on a more intimate scale. 

We've got some great ideas for reflection over our dinner and jazz, and will be refined over the next 8 weeks. 

So if you're in Adelaide at the beginning of Advent, and are looking for an evening of smooth jazz, great company, and deeper conversation as we prepare for another Christmas celebration, pencil in those dates, and watch this space ... 

Album release

While I'm here - Liz Tobias, who has provided music at two Black Wood Jazz events here and here as Liz Chehade - has released her first album. Look for it on itunes or in good music shops! It's typically soulful sound from one of our fave singer/musicians! Congratulations Liz. 

finding an old friend

wanted to share with whoever reads this the joy of rediscovering a long lost friend - i lost my cd of jamie cullum's twenty something some time ago, and just bought it off itunes. 

listening to it is filling me with joy following weeks of sadness, as i fall back into familiar lyrics, melodies and oh the harmonies of all at sea. 

i have missed these tunes, how indescribable to have them seeping through my senses to my soul once more. 

the psychology of improvisation

heard on the radio today of a jazz musician from scandanavia somewhere who is researching the psychology of improvisation. what an interesting topic for consideration. I am going to search his work out, and will share what i discover ... 

Was Jesus a jazz musician?

this was the first session I went to on my last day of greenbelt, a huge christian arts and social justice festival in the uk - more posts at sarah tells stories. 

Philip Roderick is involved with a group called contemplative fire, who had led some worship sessions that I had missed and it was too late by now to do anything about that. However, coordinating a jazz church space as I do, I thought I would hear someone else's reflections on Jesus and jazz. 

Really there was nothing new in what Philip said, using language for Jesus and jazz such as flow, zone, grace and swing. there is a dance between structure and freedom in jazz, as there was in the life of Jesus, in what he was teaching the disciples. As he, as we, allow the Spirit to speak/flow through structures, the both/and-ness of things is beautiful. 

All of creation has a melody - we just need to hear. As we interact with others, Philip suggests that it is helpful to find the melody of others and thus be able to walk in time with them. 

improvisation is hugely underestimated according to Philip, though as I rewrite this from my journal, I forget the context of that thought ... later in the session, he spoke about bricolage, french for taking what we have and using just that, and he led us in an improvisation singing vive la bricolage. it was lovely. as community we strive to breathe together, think together, pray together in improvisation. again, the image of community mirrors that of a jazz band, with its delicate balance of personalities, each individual and each group learning the best of the past and adding our own personal vision. One has to understand one's own role in the group well enough to improvise. 

Philip spoke of three elements of a jazz musician: respect for tradition (learning not merely repeating); respect for other players, allowing each person's gifts to blossom; openness to learning something new from an old piece and from each other. Are these elements in all people, living in community? 

Relating jazz to the kingdom, Philip suggests that in neither is their failure - only feedback. Jazz operates on the knife-edge of failure, incorporating mistakes and bum notes. 

And on contemplative prayer, he says that this requires the same attentiveness, atunement and alertness that jazz calls for in order for music to play the performer, in order for us to be played through - hearing echoes of Spirit??