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You can hear
audio clips from Deanna's new release" From This Place"
here!
"Jazz, which
is rather on the fringe of society, is even more on the fringe of the life
of the Church. I strive to "throw away fear in pursuit of honesty" as I
bring together the richness of both jazz and liturgy."- Deanna Witkowski
Listen to Eric Copeland's
"The
Jazz In Me"
"I"I've
found that my love for jazz is deeper than just a genre or niche my music
happens to fall under. The elements that make up jazz: improvisation,
composition, rhythm, melody, structure, harmony, repetition...these are
things that are part of EVERYTHING I do, not just music."- Eric Copeland
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2010 |
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The Christian
Jazz Artists Network celebrates and promotes the diversity and infinite
variety of jazz music! We believe that jazz is a gift from the Creator to
be enjoyed and savored!
Our network is a community
that goes beyond music and unites us for a greater cause...spreading the
good news that the Creator God has given us life, Jesus, salvation, and
the gift of jazz music to share and overflow to others in
the world.
Our emphasis in this issue is on celebrating our musical
gifts and bringing jazz back into the church and to the forefront of
music...where it belongs!
"Every time God's children have thrown away fear in pursuit of honesty-
trying to communicate themselves, understood or not- miracles have
happened." - (Duke Ellington, from note to his First Sacred Concert.)
CJA Network Featured
Articles:
Moving
With The Spirit: The Sacred Jazz Of Mary Lou Williams by Deanna Witkowski
CJA Network Member Jazz
Pianist
Deanna Witkowski writes about the brilliant jazz pianist Mary Lou
Williams and her sacred jazz music.
"In
the 1960s, Mary Lou Williams, (who often stated that she wanted to be a
force for emotional healing through her music), began focusing on
liturgical jazz music compositions. Her service music inspired Duke
Ellington to write his own Sacred Concerts, yet differed from Ellington’s
work in that her pieces were conceived for use in actual church services,
rather than solely in concert settings. From 1963 until 1970 she composed
a number of hymns and three Mass settings that garnered attention within
the American Catholic church as well as from the Vatican. In 1975, jazz
was played for the first time in New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral, when
Williams performed Mary Lou’s Mass with her trio and a 60-voice youth
choir."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Let's Get Ready To Rumble!"
by Eric Copeland
CJA Network
Member Jazz Producer/songwriter
Eric
Copeland sounds the battle cry for Christian
Artists..."Shouldn't the church of all places be the outlet for the
creative talents God gave us?..."
"Many of us artists are longing for a place to belong, a place where the
arts are flourishing, where God is using the arts in a powerful way. A
place where artists can experience meaningful fellowship with other
Christian artists, where we can learn from each other and cheer each
other on. I believe that's part of what God wants our
churches to be: a place that harnesses the arts for His glory and
nurtures artists."
Put Jazz music back into the
church...where it belongs!
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The CJA Network
Welcomes New Members! |
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the CJA Network adds New members!
Our network
membership
of Christians who are jazz artists continues to grow and expand in many innovative and
creative ways and for that we are very thankful!
Check Out Our New Members!
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Seawind
This
influential late-'70s pop/jazz outfit boasted in-the-pocket grooves,
clever horn charts, and Pauline Wilson's signature vocals set to lyrics
that (more often than not) clearly communicated a Christian worldview.
Their horn section ranked
with Tower of Power as one of the most sought after for studio sessions
for many artists.
Pauline Wilson – Lead Vocals
Bob Wilson – Drums
Bud Nuanez – Guitar
Ken Wild – Bass
Larry Williams – Keyboard, Sax, Trombone
Jerry Hey – Trumpet and horn arrangements
Kim Hutchcroft – Sax
"It gives me great pleasure to re-introduce this
great group to the general public and we are very proud to have them as
members of the CJA Network! I consider Seawind to be one of the best
contemporary jazz groups to surface out of the 1970’s! The group could
play and sing gritty, Tower of Power type funk songs with top notch horn
arrangements then lay down excellent Brazilian flavored Sambas, jazz
fusion, and excel at both vocal and instrumental jazz with lyrics that
often reflected a Christian viewpoint."- (David Arivett CJA Network
Founder)
Hear audio samples from their early years
here!
Seawind has a brand new CD release "Reunion"!
“Reunion”
isn’t just a greatest hits album, designed as some last-ditch effort to
recapture the glory days (the path of many a hair band resurgence). In
many ways, it sounds like a brand-new album from a brand-new band, still
reinventing a smorgasbord of musical tastes -- from the laid-back
island style (lead vocalist Pauline Wilson is from Hakalau, on the Big
Island), some funk-R&B (the horn section is very hot!),fusion
and other jazz flavors!
This 12 song CD includes beautifully
performed, updated 2009 arrangements of "Follow Your Road", "Free" ,
"Devil Is A Liar" and "He Loves You" (which also features vocalist Al
Jarreau).
For even more on
Seawind visit here! |
 Norm
Stockton
Bassist/solo artist/clinician Norm
Stockton travels extensively throughout North America, Europe and
Japan. He has been profiled in Bass Player magazine (12/95 &
2/10) and is recognized by many as one of the premier bassists
today. Since 2006, he has been the touring and recording bassist
with chart-topping worship artist (and former Steve Perry guitarist)
Lincoln Brewster.
As a solo artist, he
has released two instrumental projects that have garnered widespread
acclaim from around the globe. His recently-released 2nd solo project,
Tea In The Typhoon, features stellar guest artists John
Patitucci, Gregg Bissonette, Lincoln Brewster, Michael Manring,
Etienne Mbappe and more, and further affirms Norm's reputation as a
world-class bassist and composer.
Norm
has performed or recorded with such artists as:
Vicky Beeching (worship artist), Lincoln Brewster,Dominique Di Piazza
(John McLaughlin), Brian Doerksen (worship artist), Bryan Duncan, Rob
Mullins (solo artist, The Crusaders), Steve Laury (solo artist,
Fattburger), Luna Halo, Mandisa (American Idol), Darrell Mansfield,
David Pack (Ambrosia), Rita Springer (worship artist), Darlene Zschech
(Hillsong) and many more.
Norm
is also known internationally as a bass educator and clinician. His
bass instructional DVD series, Grooving for Heaven (distributed
by Alfred Publishing), has sold extensively in the United States and
abroad. He has served as adjunct faculty at Concordia University, Hope
International University, Biola University, The Los Angeles Music
Academy, and MusicDojo.com. He also serves as the bass columnist for
Christian Musician magazine. Norm presently lives in Orange
County, CA, with his wife and daughters.
"Tea IN The Afternoon" is the much-anticipated 2nd solo project!
Continuing the exhilarating journey that was "Pondering The Sushi", Tea is
a 12-tune collection featuring guests Gregg Bissonette, John Patitucci,
Lincoln Brewster, Michael Manring, Etienne Mbappe & many others!
Listen to audio clips
here!
www.normstockton.com |
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 Shane
Philen
is a participating member of the
National Association for Music Education (www.menc.org), the International Association for Jazz Education (www.iaje.org),
and the Alabama Music Educators Association (www.alabamamea.org). As a
professional saxophonist since 1992, Shane has devoted his talent and
experience as a performer, instructor, band leader, and arranger
throughout the United States and in several countries. He has recorded
numerous projects for Integrity Media and has performed and/or recorded
with Louis Bellson, Big Daddy Weave, The Coasters, Darrell Evans, Ken
Folberg Big Band, 4Him, Group 1 Crew, King Pelican, Mandisa, the Moscow
Sax Quintet, Aaja Nachle, New Song, Bob Shultz Big Band, The Temptations,
TRUTH, Veggie Tales, Ayiesha Woods, and many others. Currently, Shane is a
music educator in the Mobile County Public School System as Assistant
Director of Bands at Theodore High School. He also plays lead tenor sax in
the Mobile Carnival Association Big Band and the Celebration Big Band of
First Baptist Tillman's Corner. You can find out more about Shane at
his website.
Hear audio clips
of Shane's new CD "Heritage"
here!
Shane also is a part of the "Live
Horns" team which provides great horn tracks for artists wanting to
have that fat horn sound added to their songs/CD projects. Click on
the banner below to find out how you can do this via the internet!
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 Jerry Zellers
Jerry Zellers is a guitarist who lists his main
influences as Phil Keaggy, Johnny Winter, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jim Hall,
Pat Metheny, Charlie Christian, Martin Taylor, Wes Montgomery, Herb Ellis,
Django Reinhardt... but Jerry shares that "I will always be a Joe
Pass wanna-be! Joe Pass is my all time favorite and biggest influence!
Jerry has a new release "Jazz Guitar Hymns"...
"Instrumental solo Jazz Guitar of classic hymns.
These fingerstyle chord melody arrangements integrate jazz harmonies,
rhythms and walking bass lines."
Hear audio clips
here!
To visit his web site:
www.jazzguitarhymns.com |
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 Greg
[Tardy grew up in a very musical
environment. "Living in New Orleans when I was a kid, I was constantly
around all different types of music. I remember hearing opera from an
early age (because my parents are both opera singers), church music and
R&B such as James Brown." Tardy began playing clarinet after third grade,
studying classical music. After he was introduced to the music of John
Coltrane, he began to focus primarily on Tenor sax.
Greg
has performed/recorded
with an extremely large array of prominent artists including: Tom Harrell,
Dave Douglas, Wynton Marsalis, Jay McShann, Steve Coleman, Betty Carter,
James Moody, Bill Frisell, Rashied Ali , John Patitucci, Joe Lovano, Mark
Turner, Chris Potter, Dewey Redman, Ravi Coltrane, and many others.
“One of the bright hopes,
Tardy sounds like a seeker, absolution and salvation in every solo.” - New
York Times
Hear audio clips of Greg's music here!
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 Sean
OBryan Smith has
nearly twenty years of experience in virtually every musical genre and Sean
has become one of the most celebrated and highly sought
after bass players in the music industry. The combination of virtuoso bass
technique, a high energy stage presence, and the ability to adapt to all
types of music has landed Sean in an enormous variety of different musical
situations.Sean has also been very
fortunate to work with some of the best musicians, songwriters, and
producers in the industry including Jeff “Skunk” Baxter (Steely Dan,
Doobie Brothers), Monty Powell (Keith Urban, Rascall Flatts), Jerry
Marotta (Peter Gabriel, Sarah McLachlan), Allen Morgan (Dolly Parton, U2),
Jeff Franzel (Les Brown, Frank Sinatra), Tim Akers (Leann Rimes, Michael
McDonald), John Jarvis (Faith Hill, Tim McGraw), Mitch Reilly (Tower of
Power, Stephen Stills), Jeff Coffin (Flecktones, Mu'tet), Tony Colton
(Eric Clapton, Allman Brothers), Johnny Neel (Allman Brothers ), Ken
Rarick ( Madonna, Cher ), Forrest Robinson (India.Arie, TLC), Teddy
Andreadis (Velvet Revolver, Guns 'n Roses), Tom Hemby (Amy Grant, Vince
Gill), and many, many more. All of these vast experiences have led Sean to
a rewarding musical career that continues to grow.
In addition to his work as a sideman, Sean has spent a number of years
performing with his own jazz groups. With these bands, Sean had an
opportunity to travel throughout the Southeast and also open for some of
the jazz industries leading talents including the late Michael Brecker,
Eddie Palmieri, Roy Haynes, Kevin Mahogany, Fattburger, Kermit Ruffins,
and jazz/jam heavyweights Medeski, Martin, and Wood.
“Tapestry” is a return to
Sean’s roots in jazz, blues, and soul. It features him on fretted,
multi-string, upright, and fretless basses as well as guitar and
keyboards. The CD transcends many musical genres and also reunites Sean
with a collection of his favorite fellow sidemen including Jeff ”Skunk”
Baxter ( Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers ), Jerry Marotta ( Peter Gabriel,
Sarah McLachlan ), Rich Eckhardt ( Toby Keith ), and Ken Rarick ( Madonna,
Cher ) as well as some of the Nashville areas greatest unknown players.
You can hear audio
clips here.
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 Paul Yoder is a very
talented
trumpet and flugelhorn player residing in southern California. Paul shares
that as a young child he found his inspiration for wanting to play the
trumpet from watching television. “I used to watch the Lawrence Welk Show
with my parents, and was always mesmerized by the trumpet playing of
Johnny Zell. He was just incredible. I wanted to sound like THAT!”
His other teachers and
influences would include Uan Rasey, Roy Poper, John Papenbrook, Jerome
Callet, Doc Severinsen, Maynard Ferguson, Arturo Sandoval, Chuck Mangione,
Chet Baker, John Faddis, Allen Vizzuti, Rick Braun, Greg Adams, and of
course, Miles. “I have always been drawn towards trumpet players that had
an “edge”, either in their aggressiveness or their range or their
sound...or even their lifestyle. That's always where it's been at for
me...on the edge.”
Yoder brings a fresh new face to
the world of Contemporary Jazz. His individualistic musical style and
interpretation contains elements of pop, rock, hip-hop and fusion. Paul's
first CD release "Dreamin" scored rave reviews. His second release
"Catalina Cool", due out in May of this year features some of the biggest
artists in the smooth jazz world including: Michael Lington, Mindi Abair,
Paul Jackson Jr., Chris Standring, Jay Soto, Freddie Fox, and Dan Kuramoto
of Hiroshima.
"Serious jazz-fusion,
combining the sounds of traditional jazz, Latin rhythm, funk, and R&B to
create something spectacular". - Unsigned Music Magazine
Listen to audio clips visit
here!
www.paulthomasyoder.com |
 Eric C. Ajaye
was born in Brooklyn, New York and moved to Los Angeles,
California with his family at an early age. He studied violin for nine
years before switching to bass. In college Eric studied bass under Buell
Neidlinger at California Institute of the Arts where he was on
scholarship.While in Los Angeles, Eric’s music career included many aspects of the
music industry, such as recording albums with artists from Bill Cosby
to Chaka Khan, television and film soundtracks, and numerous
television and radio commercials.
Eric has toured Asia, throughout Europe, Russia, Latvia, Ukraine,
Kazakhstan, Central and South America and has been a member of the bands
of Freddie Hubbard, Taj Mahal, Bennie Maupin, James Morrison, The Doug
MacLeod Band, the Pointer Sisters and Barry White. He has also backed such
artists as Nancy Wilson, Gary Bartz, Bob Mintzer, George Howard, Sonny
Stitt, Joe Williams, Della Reese, Gregory Hines, Savion Glover, Harold
Nicholas, Todd Cochran (Bayete), Pee Wee Crayton, Joe Louis Walker,
and many more. Eric moved to Australia in 1998 and has work with many of
Australia’s top jazz artists accompanying them at jazz festivals, in jazz
clubs and on recording sessions.
Since February 2000 Eric has been a member of the Jazz Department
faculty at The Australian National University School of Music,
teaching double bass/electric bass, aural, improvisation, creating and
running a “Styles for the Studio” class and directing the Commercial
Ensemble, which performs at various jazz festivals during the school year.
Eric formed the Straight Up! (Trio) which recorded and released
their debut album "The Flow" in 2006. Their 2nd album Straight
Up! (Trio) "Another Year" was released in 2007.The band featuring
Eric C. Ajaye (bass), Michael Azzopardi (piano/synth) and Chris Thwaite
(drums), received excellent reviews and responses from both critics
and audiences. 
"A diverse performance of original material ranging
from subtle sensitivity to hard driving grooves over material that touches
the genres of straight ahead jazz, funk, world music and beat, all heavily
grounded in improvisation"
To hear audio clips visit
here!
http://www.myspace.com/ericcajaye |
 David Devasto
As a
pianist, DeVasto has performed in various ensembles, such as; Johnson
County Landmark, Three Page Fives, and The Louisville
Metro Big Band. He has performed with renowned artists, such as; Richard
Stoltzman, Brent Sandy, Steve Grismore, Michael Spiro, Jim Dreier, Craig
Wagner, and Tyrone Wheeler.
David's compositions have been heard
throughout the United States in various conferences and festivals,
including; The UCM New Music Festival, EMM (Electronic Music Midwest),
N.E.O.N. (Nevada Encounters of New Music), The Electro-Acoustic Juke
Joint, The SCI National Student Conference, and The Midwest Composers
Symposium. Recently, DeVasto completed two large ensemble works
featuring the saxophone. His saxophone concerto, Ecce Signum,
was recorded with The University of Iowa Center for New Music, while his
piece for jazz orchestra "We Were Buried", was recorded with
Johnson County Landmark.
DeVasto earned degrees from The University of Iowa,
The University of Louisville, and Webster University. He has served as a
Graduate Teaching Assistant in both, Music Theory and Jazz Studies, and
his primary teachers have included; David Gompper, Michael Eckert, Steve
Rouse, Bob Chamberlin, Kim Portnoy, and Kendall Stallings. DeVasto’s
jazz mentors include; Jim Connerley, Paul DeMarinis, Carol Schmidt, Tom
Byrne, Steve Schenkel, Tyrone Wheeler and John La Barbera. DeVasto
currently teaches jazz piano at McKendree University in Lebanon,
Illinois. More on David here:
www.devasto.net
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For more news/info on all of
our over (120) Network Artists visit
here!
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All the charts and resources you need to
play more inspirational jazz in church, concerts, and studio!
Big Band, and various
ensemble arrangements by Ralph Carmichael, Chris McDonald, Chuck Marohnic,
John Carlson, David Arivett, Jeff Anderson, Denver & the Mile High
Orchestra, and many others can be found on the Christian Jazz Charts page
located
here!
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All the
Jazz Educational resources you need to take your musical talent to the
next level are just a
click
away!
One
of the most complete collection of jazz ed resources you can find on one
web site! |
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Smooth
Pizzazz...Jazz with Pizzazz!
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Just a few clicks away is an internet radio
station containing nearly 500 tracks from top jazz artists.
Broadcasting all over the world 24/7 Smooth Pizzazz has the most
complete collection of jazzed up hymns, sacred jazz, and spirituals
you will find anywhere! So what are you waiting for?
More
info
here! |
Celebrate
Today And Be Jazzed!
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