NFQ

"A musical journey that is both fresh and inspiring!"
Michael James Murphy, Four-time Dove Award Winner, Exaltation Pastor, Central Christian Church, Henderson, NV

"Inspired, in the most spiritual sense of the word."
Edith Moore Hubert, Music Coordinator, Palms Presbyterian Church, Jacksonville Beach, Florida

"..uplifting and creative..the most exuberant worship celebration I've ever experienced."
Julie Mason, Concert Organizer, Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church, Jacksonville, Florida

"What a gift to all of us who like a little edge in our worship..."
Carol DiGuisto, Associate Pastor, Palms Presbyterian Church, Jacksonville Beach, Florida

The primary purpose of "Sacred Jazz" is to praise and glorify God, and to use our gifts and talents to serve Him. Our approach to this is outside the traditional bounds of "church music."

Jazz musicians have a long-standing tradition of taking popular music and repackaging it in fresh, creative ways. With "Sacred Jazz" we take popular sacred music, from traditional hymns to contemporary praise and worship songs, and present them in a way that is paradoxically familiar yet very new. It is music we all have heard in a way we have never heard before.

In doing this we strive to use the unique talents God has blessed us with to lead others into authentic worship of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sacred Jazz has the flexibility to be presented as a concert, or in combination with a worship service, for weekend or mid-week services or a conference setting.

In addition to musical performance, we offer the added value of educational workshops and clinics geared specifically to the musician serving on a music and arts team, both professional and amateur. Drawing from our real-world experience as professional musicians, as well as our own experience leading and serving with church music teams, we encourage other musicians to develop their potential, explore new ways to approach sacred music, as well as offering solutions to the special challenges encountered by church music directors and their music teams, both as an ensemble and as individuals. Below are some of the workshop/clinic topics we offer:

General Topics
	What’s your purpose?
	Performing vs. Worshipping: Who is the music for?
	The Blessing, Privilege and Obligation of Talent
	Good Enough for Church? Bringing our best to God
	It’s Okay to Have Fun at Church
	Eyes, Ears and Mind Open: Working together as a team

Instrumentalists – keyboard, guitar, bass, drums, horns
	It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got That GROOVE
	Lifting the Music: The Overlooked World of Dynamics
	Communication On and Off the Stage
	Playing Beyond the Page
	If you play everything the same…it all sounds the same!
	Let it Breath: Effective use of instrumentation
	Horns Players: Soloists and sections, the fine line between filling and overplaying
	Horns: Creating parts on the fly

Vocalists
	Diction: Great voice! Is that English?
	Mike Technique: How to make a soundman love you
	Take a Deep Breath and Call Me in the Morning: Proper breathing is the cure for almost 90% of vocal problems
	Open Invitation: Stage presence and engaging the listener
	Phrasing: Very Well Put (it's all in how you say it)

Music Leaders
	Creative Arranging: Breathing new life into old (or overplayed) songs
	Intro’s, Endings, and Segue’s: How to change tracks without derailing the train
	Building a Set: Creative, effective programming
	Rehearsal Techniques: Getting the most from limited, valuable time
	Horn Arranging: What do I do with the horn players in my church?
	Basic Sound Setup and Tweaking

Claim Me.

Those two words convicted me to the core.

After 19 years as a professional musician, the last 13 as a leader of my own band, I had hit a wall. We had enjoyed a lot of "success" as the world defines it. But the last year had been one disappointment after another. And it seemed that no amount of time, money, commitment, sacrifice or willpower could move it forward.

Out of sheer frustration I asked God, "What am I missing? What am I doing wrong?" The answer came quickly and resounded through my head: You need to claim Me.

I had accepted Christ and been baptized three years earlier, but truly I had continued serving myself, working for my own glory and still seeking the world's approval.

We had recorded a CD of "sacred jazz" a year and a half earlier, but I had not really done anything with it, not wanting to be labeled a Christian musician. Sadly the label of "Christian" fell far down on the list behind other more "safe" identities such as jazz musician, husband and father.

Finally I had asked the right questions, and God responded unequivocally and in no uncertain terms: Claim Me.

Today I hope to be known as a Christian first. Not from a point of boasting, for it is truly by grace that I can make that claim, but as a public acknowledgement that Jesus Christ is the Living God.

I am fully aware that any talents I may posses are gifts from God. It is my hope that I will be a good steward of His blessings, and that they may be used to serve Him.