Lunch n Jazz
Presented by the High Point Museum in Collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center
Tuesday, April 9, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
High Point Museum, Lecture Gallery
Live Special Guest Jazz Ensemble
UNCSA faculty / student jazz combo
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
11:00 am – 11:45 am
Abyssinian Mass
The worlds of Gospel Music and Jazz have always shared a close bond. On Wynston Marsalis' Abyssinian Mass, the worlds come together as a full gospel choir-led by master artist Damien Sneed-and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis roar through one of the most joyful, ecstatic, and life-affirming pieces of music ever written.
Drawing from the full well of both styles' traditions, Marsalis brings his own take on the Mass format, infusing it with swinging energy, Blues expression, and rich melodic contours. Classic aspects of the Mass, from the Doxology to the Gloria Patri, are all present and will provide those familiar with the format with an exciting roadmap. The evening also featured a sermon prepared and delivered by Reverend Calvin Butts of the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, where the piece was first premiered.