Vespers at Trinity

 Next Vesper Services -  featuring Gracenote & the Andy Duffy Sextet

November  6, 2011, 3:30 pm

December 4th, 2011, 3:30 pm

Vesper Services  have been taking place for a number of years at Trinity. A Vesper service is a unique form of worship that includes liturgy, music and often candlelight. in the past, guests at Trinity have offered a variety of music genres, including bluegrass, jazz and old time gospel.  To add to everyone’s musical enjoyment something new has been added -”Swing-Grass” Vespers Service, part Jazz, part Blue Grass.  On Nov 14th a Swing-Grass Vesper Service was held featuring an hour of scripture, prayer and reflection set to the gospel bluegrass vocal harmonies of GRACENOTE and the swing music of the Andy Duffy Flextet, featuring Andy Duffy, on piano, Peter Dawson on fiddle , Tom Dennison on Bass.  Don’t miss the next one, watch News & Events for dates.

GRACENOTE & Andy Duffy

Some Background on Andy Duffy and Jazz Vespers

In   June  2008  Trinity held its first Jazz Vespers service which was well attended and very much enjoyed by all.  Trinity has been pleased to present a number of Jazz Vesper services since then and each one has become  even more popular.

The accomplished Andy Duffy Group played a variety of Christian-based jazz from standards and originals to re-worked arrangements of traditional hymns. With the joyful encouragement of vocalist Allison Fagan, the congregation gladly joined in. Pastor Shaun Seaman led the service with candle-lighting, readings, reflection and prayer.

Several people commented afterward that the service was very spiritual and caused them to appreciate both church and jazz in a new way. A second Jazz Vesper service in Sept was equally well received as Andy Duffy and guest vocalists, Gracenote performed for an appreciative audience.  It is Trinity’s hope that the Andy Duffy Group will hold these Jazz Vesper services as often as  possible at Trinity.

Jazz Vespers began in New York City in 1961 when the late Reverend John Garcia Gensel started an evening service at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church designed for those musicians who couldn’t make it to Sunday morning service after playing late Saturday night. It was a blending of an age old lamp lighting liturgy from ancient Israel with the unique musical language we call jazz. Jazz Vespers services have since become popular around the world, evolving into a variety of formats.

Jazz thrives on improvisation as musicians play creatively and spontaneously on a theme, responding to the moment and the movement of the other musicians, the audience, and their own inner sense of sound and rhythm. It expresses the human experience, while exploring a musical vocabulary that transcends the limits of the written or spoken word.

Christian faith is something like that. It requires discipline, openness to experiment, and readiness to step out and build on the work of others or to hold back and let someone else shine. It happens best when the Spirit moves and people respond freely.

Don’t miss this unique, creative and very spiritual experience.  Check  News & Events or Trinity Calendar for dates of the next service.   Everyone is welcome.  For more information call 613 592 6959 or 613 836 1429.

Gracenote