| "Norm Freeman knows
jazz and he knows prayer and he knows liturgy, and he knows how
to put it all together for an experience of worship that opens the
doors of the church wider than you might imagine. And everyone wants
to get inside." Anne
The Rev. Anne S. Howard, Associate Rector |
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| "Wow. Thank you so much for giving
me the CD of the Jazz Vespers. I am so impressed, not only with
the quality of the music but the quality of production, too. You
are a phenomenal vibe player, Norm, and the other players are damn
good, too. And you were right, as I was listening to the General
Thanksgiving, the individual solo voices came out of the mixed congregation
and highlighted each prayer. Beautiful. I hope you can some how
continue this work. Also, thank you for your conversations during
our time together in Denver, and for being so supportive of my music
and other creative work." - Bill Campbell William Campbell |
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"Hi, Norm! The "notices" are coming in and people cannot stop talking about the wonderful music and the worship. "Let's have them every Sunday!" has been said more than once. It was glorious...a new experience for folks who had previously thought of jazz as sort of cheesy music.We have begun to dream of next year...Would you all consider coming back on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend next year? I want to tell you personally what a joy it was to meet you, and have some time to talk. God is truly using you in remarkable ways, but that indeed is the kind of God we have. Amazing! Thanks for coming." -Mother Toni, (Rector of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Sacramento, CA) |
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| "What else makes the Jazz Vespers
service so unique? Maybe it's the melding of jazz, a quintessentially American art form that is at once introspective and exploratory, with the centuries-old liturgy of the Church. Based on the late-day service known as "Evensong," Jazz Vespers allows liturgists and artists to invest traditional worship with a soaring sense of the divine." - Bill Slocum, contributor to The New York Times |
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“I was impressed with the musical work your group is doing. I also loved what I saw on the website in terms of your use of jazz in worship. Keep it up!!! We need this kind of creativity at work in the church. I hope I can come and worship with you at some time in the future.” - Tex Sample Tex Sample is Coordinator of the Network for the Study of U.S. Lifestyles and now lives in Goodyear, Arizona. He works as a freelance lecturer, workshop leader and consultant with the church and with community, governmental, and business organizations. For many years he was The Robert B. and Kathleen Rogers Professor of Church and Society at the Saint Paul School of Theology. Sample is a frequent consultant and researcher for church and community organizations. He has conducted more than one hundred studies for a variety of denominations including the Disciples, the Presbyterians, the Episcopalians, the United Methodists, and the American Baptists. |
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| "Dear Norm, Just wanted to thank you again for a great Jazz Vespers last Sunday. I have heard marvelous things from many people, how they love to watch you play and how much they enjoyed the youngster on the piano. Tom has played your CD quite a lot already. We both like it! We may have to do it again since the "feed back" has been tremendous. Blessings!" - Martha Lamar (Music Director, St. Columba’s, Camarillo, CA) |
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Listen to MEDITATIONS by The Rev. Norm Freeman (13 minutes)
more to come...
