The story of Christ's passion
Familiar Hymns and joyful new songs
Sacred songs and poems
Bending Towards the Light is a Jazz Nativity composed by Anne Phillips and presented by the ChurchJazz Band. This marvelous presentation of the story of the birth of Christ features the band, a choir, soloists, and dancers. Joseph, Mary, the angels, and the shepherds sing traditional Christmas carols and new music to tell the story. A highlight is the appearance of the trumpet king, the tap dancing king, and the Latin percussion king.
This show is part of the Ed Ward Fine Arts Series.
Featured Performers
This performance features some of Chicago’s best jazz musicians conducted by Justin Sisul, including Matt Bowker, Kecia Waldschmidt, Dan MacDonald, Gayle Bisesi, Jon Negus, Jennifer Kew, Tramaine Parker, Lisa Bowker, Jake Stouffer, Bill Balmer, Bobby Lewis, Bobby Schiff, Stewart Miller, Ken Jandes, Geraldo de Oliveira, Andy Tecson, Tim Coffman, Steve Eisen, John Blane, David Onderndonk, Kirk Garrison, and Bob Rummage.
This show features interviews with David Abrahamson and Andy Tecson, and a new studio performance of a simplified version of the Jazz Passion for use by a church choir accompanied by a pianist and one instrument, with singers Kecia Waldschmidt, Gayle Bisesi, Daniel Riley, Dan MacDonald and Jon Negus, and Bobby Schiff on piano, me on sax, Geraldo De Oliviera on congas, Bobby Lewis on trumpet, Steve Eisen on flute, Ernie Adams (off camera, but providing a soulful drum track for the Resurrection), Tim Frakes behind the camera, and Roger Heiss in the Tone Zone recording studio at the soundboard.
We hope to find a publisher for this music so that choir directors at churches and schools can use one or more of the pieces for worship with just their pianist and choir (with one optional additional single instrument), as opposed to performing all twelve pieces with 25 musicians.