Advent songs from the Black Gospel Tradition

As a cross-cultural church, we are always looking for good resources for music from outside the mainstream. When I go to the usual websites, hymnals or whatever it can be difficult to locate unique gospel music resources for Christmas. Here’s a few that I’ve come across that you might enjoy:

 

The Classics

Go Tell It On The Mountain (we’ve been using the Norman Hutchins Arrangement)

Jesus Oh What A Wonderful Child (Mississippi Choir – more changes than we play, but an excellent groove)

Rise Up Shepherd and Follow (We do this a lot more R&Bish, but I’m loving this churchy sound on the clip)

Mary Had A Baby (this clip is brilliant)

Deeper Cuts

Poor Little Jesus (I prefer the Goldgate Quartet’s version of this tune, but I couldn’t find a youtube clip. This version is pretty sweat as well.)

Behold The Star (here’s a Morehouse/Spelman clip for my friend, Darwin)

Contemporary Choir Tunes

Rejoice – Richard Smallwood (Smallwood is the king of cool changes, polyphony, and scripture-based text)

Emmanuel – Norman Hutchins (This is a song inviting adoration – simple and effective)

O Come – Israel Houghton (this is basically a “Thriller” groove for Advent)

Now Behold The Lamb – Kirk Franklin (Deeply meaningful song)

Great Joy – Broadway Inspirational Voices (We’re singing the arrangement of Hark The Herald that is on this recording, but the whole octavo is nice)

O Holy Night – Richard Smallwood (from the same recording as “Rejoice”)

Originals written by James Ward

These songs come from my dad’s choir at New City Fellowship in Chattanooga, Tennessee. You can purchase music for them at his website jameswardmusic.com

Bring Your Praise To The King

Christ Is Born

Angel Carol

 Joyful News

 

 

“Romans 11 Doxology” Guitar Tutorial

I’m think of doing a some quick guitar tutorials for NCFmusic.com. We’re singing “Romans 11 Doxology” this weekend, so I figured that was an easy choice to start with.

Here’s a PDF with tab and chord brackets for further study: Romans 11 lesson

Coming Down from the Mountain – New City Music Con

God is good! I know you are thinking that I need to take a break, but I can’t sleep in and my house is quiet so it’s a good time to reflect. It was great to see the pics that Neil Das has already posted froom the conference. Check them out here.

I want to share my personal favorite moments from this weeks conference:

• The absolute explosion of celebration and activity on Tuesday night as Voice of Africa led us in worship. Emmanuel on the hand drums was a real treat.
• Tony Myles sharing that he doesn’t know what a “Plenary Address” is so he’s just gonna preach.
• My kids dancing and playing with Pastor Kevin VandenBrink’s daughter
• Playing a “stankin” set with the NCF U City crew – God, my God, God is good!
• My dad’s talk – a reminder that this is hard work, but the fruit is evident in the lives of the young people he has mentored
• Jim Payne’s songs which revealed a deep passion for the gospel and a love of the craft of songs
• Aloo Gobi – Zack said he’d make it “American Spicy”
• Malcom Speed’s revealing personal experiences with some of the legends of gospel
• It was great to see my Congolese friend, Nestor Biayi, affirmed in the African Style Class as he was called in from the back of the room to demonstrate Saben
• Dr. Sánchez – conga, guitar, upright bass, vocals, and bringing some cool hard truth with wonderful class. We were so affirmed and challenged by his words. (Yes, that talk was recorded and will be available as soon as possible)
• NCF- Chattanooga successfully did the work for me of picking tunes for the next year. I’m not sure that my team will let me rest until every one of those tunes is in our set.
• Doing the electric slide – can we do that in church?
• Jumping in on “Glorious” with Dr. Sánchez on the congas and clave
• Redeemer PCA in Jackson standing as a family together as their composers shared their songs.
• watching half the people in my “Into to Improvisation” class falling asleep – What do you expect when you put exhausted people  in a warm room on couches, after lunch. Next conference we’ll ask everyone to bring a yoga mat so that we can have nap time once a day.
• Watching Paul Neeley get Joshua Saleem playing hand percussion
• seeing my friend, Odetta Fields, come into her own as a choir director
• Jeff Rakes humbly taking us to school with his tune “All Honor and Glory” – man, Jeff set a new standard for my flute player.
• Seeing this cross cultural body of believers express their “heart song” in the form of “O Lord, How Excellent”
• Carrie Knapp – that girl can sang.
• Mike Higgins bringing us back to the promise that the curse is broken and the accuser has no power over me
• I loved the spontaneous expression in singing “You Are Good” at the end of the night. I wish that we had been able to hear more from Jonathan Gramling from Dorchester.  What a voice!

Plenary Speakers for the NCMC

Tony Myles

James Ward

Leo Sánchez

Mike Higgins

We are constantly tweaking the schedule for the NCMC to maximize the time and resources. I am pretty certain that we have worked out the line up of plenary talks sufficiently enough for me to share with you what the conferees can look forward to. Don’t forget to register!

Tony Myles – Tuesday Evening, August 9

Tony is the Associate Pastor for the New City Fellowship-University City worship site. Tony is an excellent preacher, but he’s also a skilled keys player in our rotation. Tony has an insatiable appetite for music. When ever he’s in the same room with a keyboard, I see him circle around it like a vulture until he finally gives in and sits down to play. Tony has been involved in several different kinds of churches from an inner city mega-church to an African American PCA church plant before joining the pastoral team at New City Fellowship.

Tony’s talk on Tuesday will kick off the conference and set the stage for what’s to come.

James Ward – Wednesday Morning, August 10

James Ward is my father and my mentor. Having been a musician at New City Fellowship in Chattanooga from it’s inception, he was a trailblazer in the process of reconciliation ministry in the post-Civil Rights south. He studied music at Covenant College and received a Masters degree in Jazz Performance from the University of Tennessee. His compositions have become part of the unique culture of many of the New City Fellowship congregations. His original songs include, “Death Is Ended”, “Pray, Pray, Pray” and “Keep Looking Up”. He’s also given us new settings for “Oh For A Thousand”, “Rock of Ages” and “May the Mind of Christ My Savior”.

James’ talk on Wednesday comes from 40 years in the trenches of cross-cultural music ministry.

Leopoldo Sánchez – Thursday Morning, August 11

I just met Leo, but I am really excited about what he’s bringing to the conference. Leo was born in Concepción, Chile and raised in Panama City, Republic of Panama. He is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, where he also serves as Director of its Center for Hispanic Studies in The Werner R.H. and Elizabeth Ringger Krause Chair for Hispanic Ministries. Not only is Leo a theologian, but he’s also a double-bass player with the St. Louis Civic Orchestra and plays Latin and jazz bass.

Leo’s talk on Thursday is going to be about the growing church in the “global south” and how our liturgical planning and music style might be affected here as a result. Leo will also be leading our Styles Class on Latin and Caribbean music.

Michael Higgins – Thursday Evening, August 11

I first got to know Mike Higgins when he and his family came to Chattanooga to join the New City Fellowship staff when I was in high school. Mike comes from a C.O.G.I.C. background, but he is ordained in the PCA. After NCF, Mike served as the Senior Pastor of Redemption Fellowship (PCA) in Fayetteville, Georgia for ten years before returning to St Louis as the Dean of Students of Covenant Seminary.

Mike will be closing out the conference on Thursday night with a sermon in our “open-to-the-public” worship service.

I Am The Resurrection

Live Worship at New City Fellowship in Chattanooga, TN

this is a James Ward tune called “Keep Lookin’ Up” which is a standard here in St Louis as well.

Tim Keller’s church singing my dad’s song

Redeemer Presbyterian Church, NYC

It’s lacking groove in my opinion, but I’m glad they are doing it. It needs a little more EWF feel.

Photos of the 2010 NCF Music Con

I forgot to bring my camera to the conference, so I had to steal other people’s pics off of facebook.

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We came, we saw, we rocked the house!!

I’ve been absence from my blog for a while due to the fact that I’ve been preparing and participating in the New City Fellowship Worship Conference in Chattanooga Tennessee this past week. It was a blast! We had a great time making new friends, reconnecting with old friends, and worshiping Jesus with every once of strength we had left. My church brought a group of 11 people made up of leaders, prospective leaders, and neophytes. It was an exciting experience for everyone to be given a fresh vision, encouragement to persevere, and practical advise on the tools of cross-cultural worship music. Here’s a few of the specific highlights:

Worship sessions

The conference was infused with constant singing, dancing, and beats. NCF Glenwood (the mother church of all NCFs) started the conference worship session with loud, vibrant praise that set the tone for the event. Each seminar and talk included spontaneous worship that would break out at the mention of a lyric or title that we all knew. It was encouraging for all of us vocational worship contractors to be led in worship together. I love to praise his holy name!

Seminars and Keynotes

My dad, James Ward, gave a very encouraging talk on Thursday that was realistic about the battlefield of cross-cultural worship while also giving us hope based in faith in the kingship of Jesus. Pastor Randy Nabors shared the vision and history of worship at NCF as well as the pastors perspective of worship leadership. Pastor Jim Pickett from NCF East Lake brought a passionate message from Micah about nations streaming to Mount Zion where they are given freedom to participate in worship without being excluded by ethnocentric power struggles.

Networking and Fellowship

Every good conference has the effect of knitting together ministries from far off places into relationships that are encouraging and supportive. I met so many other musicians at various stages in life who are excited and gifted. It was especially encouraging to meet musicians from ministries that I had never been exposed to before this week. God is working all over the world in amazing ways! Meals, breaks, and spontaneous jam sessions provided times for us to tune in to the work of the Spirit in other ministries. My favorite moment was on Thursday afternoon when several of us began to worship together instrumentally; making a joyful noise with confidence and joy in our Savior. Cantad a Jehovah cantico nuevo! Alegria!

What’s in store for next year? I know that the NCF ministries in Chattanooga are not going to host a 2011 conference. Maybe the ministries in St Louis should take up the conference planning in the alternate years. hmmmm…

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

I just got back from a family reunion. A good time was had by all. Ukuleles were strummed. Songs were sung. Card games broke out. It was a blast.

On Sunday, we had a worship service. My cousin, Dr. Matt Vos shared a talk that he gave at a Sociology conference a while back that was about mourning. If you knew my cousin, you would kind of chuckle at the idea of this guy talking about mourning because he’s a really funny guy who is constantly cracking jokes and cracking everybody up. He talk revealed a deep sense of mourning that he has over the brokenness in our world. As a Sociologist, he is constantly observing and criticizing the broken systems and patterns in the world. He shared in his talk that mourning is actually an act of faith. It’s an acknowledgment that things are not what they should be and that there is a God who is there to hear our cries. He shared the story of being in an eastern European orphanage and seeing the infants in their cribs eerily quiet; they didn’t cry because they had not been taught that their cries would be heard. Jesus said,

Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.

Those who mourn acknowledge that God is good, His creation is broken, and He will hear our cries and respond to comfort. He has not left us as orphans, but He has called us sons and daughters.

A family reunion is a good time because it gives you a sense of who you are and where you came from. Total strangers embrace as if they are old friends because they are cousins, aunts, uncles, or even 2nd cousins. A bonus for our family is to see the adopted kids who have been grafted into the Ward tribe. They were once forgotten and neglected and now they are made into family. We had hoped to add to the party with an announcement that we had been selected to adopt, but it didn’t happen for us this time around. Still, we had fun knowing that we were loved, not only by a group of distant relatives, but also by the faithful Father who adopted us by sacrificing His only begotten Son.

Psalm 116:1-7
I love the LORD, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.

Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.

The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came upon me;
I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.

Then I called on the name of the LORD :
“O LORD, save me!”

The LORD is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.

The LORD protects the simplehearted;
when I was in great need, he saved me.

Be at rest once more, O my soul,
for the LORD has been good to you.