Travellin' blues...

This Sunday we're going to open worship with Dave Brubeck's "Travellin' Blues" because... well, you know!  Carlton turned me on to this last year and I've been in love with it ever since. Hi picked most of the jazz tunes - and all the liturgical music - this week. And man is it spot on!
After some pastoral calls this morning, we spent 90 minutes on the phone with our sabbatical interim minister, Bob Kyte, who is wise, experienced, grounded and oh so bright. Towards the end of the conversation, he asked us both "why JAZZ for the journey?" The conversation that followed will become the heart of Bob's first Sunday at First Church on May 24th: a Pentecost Improvisation with Community and Spirit. Just brilliant. It is going to be such a blessing for Carlton and Bob to go deeper into the WHY of Jazz for the Journey. Carlton is a creative and deep thinking as well as a stunning musical artist. Bob, while not an artistic performer, is a wise pastor and a gifted theological thinker. I can't wait to hear what they come up with in helping the wider congregation GET all this jazz stuff!

We will close worship on Sunday with our take on "The Swinging Shepherd's Blues." I never knew what this tune was called until we ran it last week. Waaay too much fun for two guys to keep to themselves so we hope to share with this the whole church and kick off this sabbatical with style. Join us Sunday at 10:30 am if you are in the area. (I hear tell that my musical buddy, Andy Kelly, is going to join us on this one, too!"