I was watching the Ken Burns Jazz special and when teens loved
Ragtime, parents eschewed it as evil and "noise".

Personally, everything I play (in church or out) has a jazzy feel to
it. As a producer of Christian music here in Nashville, I'd say we
have never run into problems with anyone thinking the rock, pop, jazz,
or R&B we have produced for Christian artists is evil or sounds like
debaucherous things could happen during it. I've seen Hardcore
Christian shows with kids wailing around, screaming like possessed
demons, but doing so "in the Spirit".

However, to each his own as far as what is noise and what is amazingly
moving music.

Of course, some churches don't even allow instruments.

We could go round and round on this...

My point with this was that in general, Jazz music, it's freedoms,
it's improvisation, and it's sheer art relate quite well to the same
things that Christian music does for us.

EC
----------------------------------------------------
Eric Copeland, Personal Email
Artist, Creative Soul Jazz
www.EricCopelandMusic.com
www.CreativeSoulJazz.com
Franklin, TN . 615.400.3910
----------------------------------------------------
Sometimes I wish I could walk up to my
music as if for the first time, as if I had
never heard it before. Being so inescapably
a part of it, I'll never know what the listener
gets, what the listener feels, and that's too bad.
~ John Coltrane


--- In christianjazzgroup@yahoogroups.com, Lancbryant@... wrote:
>
> Concerning the "heart" a couple of scriptures came to mind, although
they
> are not in the context of musical style. In 1 Samuel 16:7, ... "Man
looks at the
> outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." In Matt. 15 the
> context is the Pharisees questioning Jesus, permitting his disciples
to eat with
> unclean hands. Jesus says, ... "but the things that come out of the
mouth come
> from the heart, and these make a man unclean. For out of the heart
come evil
> thoughts, ... These are what make a man unclean." My understanding
is that
> what matters is what is coming from the heart of a person. And God
judges the
> heart.
>
> I see what you're saying, that the hearts of man is evil. Gen. 29:11
But
> this, praise God, does not condemn us to hell. I agree that we are
to test all
> things by the Word, and "some things conceivable are corrupted." To
be sure!
> But if music that has been used in celebrations of debauchery is not
> acceptable then perhaps we shouldn't even have this "Christian
Jazz" group forum at
> all! Jazz music has definitely been used in settings of debauchery,
big time!
>
> Using the same logic one might say the people who have frequented
places of
> debauchery have no place with God. That would mean that the very
people Jesus
> placed himself in the presence of should not have been near him. In
fact if
> not for His redemption and grace, where would I be? If he can redeem
> prostitutes and tax collectors and use them for His kingdom, He
certainly can redeem
> a style of music.
>
> Subjectivity is certainly a real part of it. Chances are, some of
the very
> music you find spiritually moving may have been considered
blasphemous or at
> least strange to a worshiper a couple of centuries ago and in a
different
> country. It's hard to accept a wide blanket statements about music
when this form
> of expression is so subjective. I think we can make sensible musical
> judgments and choices based on our particular circumstances,
culture, etc.
> We agree that " within the context of our culture we know what is
acceptable
> and what is corrupt."
>
> We should be sensitive enough to know how things are perceived by
people. I
> perform jazz in churches very often and I would never perform the
"strip
> tease" melody. Almost everyone would immediately make the
association to that
> known melody. But many of the rhythms and harmonies of what we play
are the same
> sounds you'd hear in a night club, but the congregation receives it
the way
> it's meant to be received. Either by speaking or singing I put the
songs in
> proper context and people can sense the sincerity. But the music is
> technically just as rhythmic or bluesy as what you might hear in a
night club. Anyway,
> this is my experience and this is my understanding.
>
> LB
>
>
>
>
>
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