Articles by author: Norm Freeman

My arrangement for solo vibraphone of the Shaker melody, "Simple Gifts."

Theo Saunders, Putter Smith, Kendall Kay and Norm release CD, featuring "Teach Me Tonight," "Saving All My Love For You," "Cute," and five more.

William Ross is the winner of a Creative Arts Emmy Award for 'Outstanding Music Direction' for his work on "Streisand: The Concert," which aired on CBS in 2009. Barbra Streisand performs "Come Rain Or Come Shine" from "The Concert," Norm Freeman on percussion and timpani.

The Reverend Norman R. Freeman, Jr. includes a vibe performance Sunday during his service at St. George's Episcopal Church in Laguna Hills. Freeman had to take a leave of absense from St. George's Episcoplal Church in Laguna Hills last month -- to tour with Barbra Streisand. Freeman was a professional percussionist, grabbing four Grammy nominations, before becoming a minister.

A wide variety of individuals tell stories of how they pray, or how they began or stopped praying, or how prayer saved their lives. Each story is unique and compelling; no one model fits all. The authors come from diiferent walks of life; a military chaplain, a bishop, a film maker, a religous commentator, a muslim physican, an icon painter, an illustrator, and the mother of a gay son. Writers include Martin Marty, Norman Mailer, Phyllis Tickle, Nora Gallagher, Frederick Buechner, Allen Jones, and Harvey Cox.

Podcasts blending musical meditations and spiritual readings.

This week, the Bell Curve is a clueless but enthusiastic music critic.

That's because on last Sunday, I was blown away by a very special kind of spiritual music called jazz at the Saint Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church in Corona del Mar. If there were any atheists in the audience that day, they have to be wondering if the music we heard could possibly have been less than divinely inspired.

In 2006, Freeman toured with Streisand again, playing 20 concerts in 16 cities, before packing up for a new ministry as priest-in-charge under special circumstances at an Episcopal church and school 55 miles south of Los Angeles. "The bishop called while I was ... actually in rehearsal for the tour and asked if I would seriously consider this appointment."

There was no shortage of thrilling moments in the first of Barbra Streisand's two New York concerts in her, let's call it, return-farewell tour: She revved up into "Don't Rain on My Parade," wrapped her still-supple chords around "My Man," pumped warm sensuality into Harold Arlen's "Come Rain or Come Shine" and explored the somber side of love with "In a Very Unusual Way" from "Nine."