Continuing our updates regarding
the approaching 50th anniversary Guaraldi Jazz Mass celebrations...
As mentioned in an earlier post, Pastor Bill Carter and his Presbybop band are mounting a re-creation of
the entire Mass on September 6, accompanied by his First Presbyterian Church
Choir in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania.
At the same time, and perhaps not
entirely by coincidence — the network of “jazz worship” musicians likely being
fairly intimate — Northern California pianist Jim Martinez and his combo are
readying a concert-style tribute to Guaraldi’s Jazz Mass on August 15, at no
less than Grace Cathedral itself. Jim and his band will be joined by the Fair
Oaks Presbyterian Church Choir, along with a few members of the original St.
Paul’s Episcopal Church choir who — as children — sang with Guaraldi’s band
back in 1965.
The special guest list involved
with this San Francisco event has expanded to include Charles Gompertz. As a young
reverend, back in the day, he “hired” Guaraldi to compose and perform the Grace
Cathedral Mass, and was on hand throughout the ambitious project’s 18-month
gestation. He and Guaraldi became close friends, and Rev. Gompertz will share
his memories of that long-ago event, during a pre-concert introduction.
Additionally, Bill Carter will fly westward, also to be part of the August 15 event at Grace Cathedral. Jim
tells me that he’ll turn the keyboard over to Bill for at least a couple of
tunes, although that detail hasn’t yet been firmed up. Meanwhile, Jim just set
up an ambitious rehearsal schedule for the Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church Choir,
with (so far) six sessions taking place weekly throughout July and early
August, followed by a dress rehearsal on August 13.
As befits amiable colleagues,
Bill and Jim agreed to divide the necessary transcription chores, and both have
been quite busy with that sizable task. Bill very kindly sent along a detailed
description of how that is proceeding, so I’ll turn the rest of this post over
to him:
Transcribing the Guaraldi
Mass is trickier than one might think. According to all accounts, Vince never
played the music the same way twice, which is confirmed by the few existing
recordings of the Mass. So I’ve worked toward a consensus, to ascertain “the
mind of Vince,” knowing in advance that I probably will adapt the music in the
moment of performance, just like any other jazz musician.
The three hymns are taken
directly from the Episcopalian Church’s 1940 red hymnal. Only the melody is
printed in that text, which grants great freedom to the jazz combo. While the
melodies are sung rather strictly in unison, the instrumentalists offer a new
harmonic setting for each hymn. In this way, the traditional melodies are
blended with the jazz, and the congregation participates in the music-making.
Vince added a melodic
commentary over each hymn, offering a flurry of notes in the piano’s upper
register. His experience of backing up vocalists is obvious, and adds both
energy and interest.
The opening hymn, "Come
with Us, O Blessed Jesus," is based on the chorale of Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of
Man’s Desiring.” Only the first verse of John Henry Hopkins’ lyric is included
in the hymnal, so everybody sings it. Back in the day, Vince improvised with his
trio on the 32-bar form, and the congregation sang a reprise.
This may have been a first
in recorded jazz history: a recording of a congregation sharing a tune with a
jazz musician. Thelonious Monk did record “Abide with Me” and “Blessed
Assurance,” but no congregation was in his studio! In the larger context of Christian
hymnody, Vince is part of a venerable tradition. Good organists often have
played interludes between hymn verses, sometimes improvising as they go ...
although, alas, improvisation has largely become a lost art in the church.
Before the trio begins, the
organist introduces the first hymn by playing it straight, right out of the
hymnal. I chuckled at this, having survived a number of classically trained
organists who were (to put it mildly) uncertain about the inclusion of jazz in
the liturgy. When the trio enters with the choir, we immediately hear more
energy and delight.
Vince takes the melody,
written in the key of F major, and undergirds it with a G minor tonality. The
opening note (A) is the ninth of the G minor chord, which is so Guaraldi! He
loved the ninth of the chord as a melody note (which is the final melody note
on “Christmas Time is Here”). He keeps the harmony static: a G minor for six
measures, adjusting the major 7th, the 7th and the 6th, to keep it
moving. Measures 17-24 are on a C pedal tone (a single bass note). The whole
piece is approached as an A-A-B-A jazz tune.
“Come, Holy Ghost,” the
second hymn, sounds like a processional, with its steady beat and repeating
eight-measure melody. Vince again translates the major key melody — this time
in C major — to G minor. As with the first hymn, he offers a harmonic counter
line, raising the fifth of the chord (a D) to an augmented fifth, then to a
sixth, and back down. This hymn has no solo, although Vince’s fleet-fingered
piano fills add a chattering commentary.
I chose not to transcribe
his improvisations. That’s a personal matter for most jazz musicians. A
transcription of a solo is for the sake of learning and understanding a
musician’s style, not for the sake of replication or re-creation. And I’m
certain that when my band members play his arrangements, they’ll create new
solos of their own. That’s the fun of playing jazz.
The jewel of the three hymns
is Thomas Aquinas’ communion hymn, correctly titled as “Adoro Te Devote.” Vince
has squared off the flowing chant, in the key of D major, into easily sung
quarter notes. The harmony is gentle, moving from D major to E minor to D over
a F-sharp bass, and then to a G minor chord — again, such a Vince sound! —
before a rapid cycle of fifths returns to a D chord.
The middle of the tune
shimmers in a suspended chord over an A in the bass, before returning to the
initial sequence. It’s a very satisfying harmonic sequence, and perfectly
balances the experience of receiving the bread and wine of holy communion.
Vince put it together perfectly. No wonder it was chosen as the flip-side for
the 45 single Fantasy Records released to highlight “Theme to Grace”!
The translation of the
Aquinas text is stilted and stiff; during our September presentation, my
congregation will replace the words with the fresh translation in the new
Presbyterian hymnal, under the title, “Thee We Adore, O Hidden Savior, Thee.”
Once again, a blend of faithfulness and creativity will push the music forward,
which is the promise of jazz within the liturgy.
In upcoming articles, I’ll
report on Vince’s adaptations of the liturgical chant, and his introduction of
three original compositions for the Mass.
*******
Work hard and practice well, gentlemen ... August and September will be upon us before you know it!
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