CHAPTER 1

Jazz Liturgy 101

There is one consistent reaction we have seen to the Jazz Mass at CanterburyHouse: a feeling of inclusion. Worshippers, old and new, often comment that thisliturgy was "fun," but just as often they tell us that it was meaningful,deep, or emotionally moving. Years of work developing a lively and cohesiveliturgy has resulted in a service that engages the participants, as well as acommunity that is willing to open itself up to the many possibilities offered inwhat we call "Jazz Liturgy."

When a Jazz group performs a composition, they are likely to have somethingcalled a chart. A Jazz chart contains the tune, suggestions for chords based ona historical understanding of the composition, and guides for form or soloing.The musicians know the tune well. They know the tradition of performanceassociated with that composition. They are proficient players or singers. Theywill start to play along familiar lines, but very soon, they will relax into acollective feeling (usually called "Swing") and let their own mood, the moodof the whole band, and the response of the audience take them into"uncharted" territory. There, they will let the music do what it does sowell—through its variations in melody, key, tone, rhythm, and dynamic, tochallenge, comfort, teach, inspire, evoke, lull, or awaken. Most of all, theywill be willing to extend themselves and take risks. If the groove is right,then musicians and hearers will begin to breathe and move together, and willbecome keenly aware of a common language that has arisen spontaneously amongthem.

The Jazz Mass at Canterbury House is an extension of this musical approach.Ideally, a worshipping congregation is much like the Jazz group we havedescribed above. When they engage in a service, they are likely to havesomething called an Order of Service or a bulletin. It contains the scripturalpassages for the day, suggested prayer forms, and guides for congregationalresponse. The participants know the structure of the service well, and thetraditions associated with their worship. As they open the service alongfamiliar lines, they soon will relax into a collective attitude of praise andprayer, opening a space for the Spirit to do what she does so well. They, too,should be feeling invited to extend themselves and take risks. They will bemoving and breathing together and be aware of their own common, spontaneouslanguage.

We call our service at Canterbury House the "Jazz Mass," not because all ofthe music is Jazz. A typical service will also include folk, rock, country,electronic music, or even traditional hymns. Silence is a key "sound" in theJazz Mass. It's called a Jazz Mass because the entire service is open tospontaneity and improvisation. The Jazz Mass is a principle of worship, not astyle of music.

Most experienced priests can call to mind, without a prayer book, the typicalelements of a Eucharistic service: from opening sentences through the GreatThanksgiving and its own attendant parts, to the blessing and dismissal. This,if you will, is your chart. Priests, musicians, and congregations have allmemorized much material that is typical of these various parts. In addition, wehave access to all manner of variations on them, drawing on a variety ofliturgical resources and traditions (see Chapter Nine: Sources and Appendix B:Musical Resources for Liturgy for just a few of these resources).

Liturgists work creatively with music and words, with space, light, and shadow,and with acoustics, vestments, candles, and incense in a way that can be likenedto instrumentalists playing a Jazz chart. If we are willing to trust ourknowledge and experience, and rely also on our knowledge of our community, itsgifts, and issues, then we can be "Jazz Liturgists."

Freedom of expression within a structure or form is the basis of most artisticideas. Consider, for example, poetical forms such as the sonnet or thevillanelle, visual forms such as the icon or the triptych, or musical forms suchas the sonata or the symphony. Liturgy, any liturgy, is precisely that; it is aform or structure within which we express our worship. Our worship of God is aresponse both to God and to the circumstances of our world. We may becelebrating a birth, giving thanks for a harvest, or mourning a death. We may bein an attitude of joy, or praise, or fear, or loss, or ecstasy. How then, giventhe form, shall we express ourselves most completely in response to God and oursituation? Further, how can we respond to God in such a way that we include themyriad expressions of our spirituality, giving the most clear and diverse voiceto our hopes, fears, and prayers?

At Canterbury House our environment is academia. We have natural points ofcelebration in the academic year—the beginning of the semester, semesterbreaks, exam periods, graduation. We are working with a fairly narrow categoryof ages, so we can anticipate some specific issues, such as separation fromhome, experimentation with sex, drugs, or alcohol, freedom, limits, success andfailure in academics and relationships, and a deep interest in politics andcurrent events.

In the context of campus ministry, we have noticed that the traditionalEpiscopal liturgical calendar often works...