Douglas Groothuis, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy,
Denver Seminary, DougGroothuis@gmail.com, DouglasGroothuis.com
Christianity,
Culture, and Jazz
There's
a way of playing safe, there's a way of using tricks and there's the way I like
to play, which is dangerously, where you’re going to take a chance on making
mistakes in order to create something you haven't created before— Dave Brubeck, jazz pianist
I.
Christianity and Culture
A. Case study: jazz and Lutheran
Pastor Smith
1. Jazz and worldliness
2. Abstention from jazz
3. Restoration to jazz
B. Creation mandate (Genesis
1:26-28; Psalm 8)
C. The fall (Genesis 3; Romans
3)
D. Christians in culture
1. Reject and condemn; identify
the fall (1 John 2:15-17)
2. Affirm, conserve; recognize
common grace (Jeremiah, Philippians 4:8)
3. Redeem, transform; extend
the kingdom of God (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8)
II.
What is Jazz That We should
be Mindful of it?
A. It is no longer a “jazz age”
B. Not “smooth jazz”
C. Origins: Africa, slave
songs, New Orleans
Uniquely
American art form
D. Originators: Louis
Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton
E. Nature of jazz
1. Swing: “It don’t mean a
thing if it ain’t got that swing,” Duke Ellington
2. Syncopation: the offbeat as
the right beat
3. Improvisation: “Chops”
developed through “time in the woodshead”
4. Collaboration: “big ears”
5. Mastering tradition: “standards”
6. Virtuosos: Louis Armstrong,
Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Pat
Martino
7. Jazz culture in Denver
1. Jazz studies at Metro State,
directed by Ron Miles, a trumpeter and Christian
2. Dazzle Jazz: Jazz seven days
a week and national acts about 3-4 times a month
F. Receiving
jazz for what it is.
1. See C.S. Lewis, An Experiment in Criticism on
“receiving,” not “using”
2. Behold: John Coltrane,
“Alabama”
III.
How Jazz Can Shape Christian
Witness
A. “Time in the woodshed” means
developing your chops
Do your best to
present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be
ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.—2 Timothy 2:15
B. Improvisation
C. “Call and response”—dialogue
Paul entered the
synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively
about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate; they
refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He
took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of
Tyrannus. This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks
who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord—Acts 19:8-10
D. Syncopation: “the sound of
surprise” (Whitney Balliet)
Jesus entered
Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of
Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see
who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the
crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him,
since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and
said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house
today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly—Luke
19:1-6; see verses 7-10 also.
IV.
Jazz as Inspiration
A. Learn to enjoy it (1 Timothy
6:17)
B. Learn from its virtues
(Philippians 4:8)
Resources
1. Ken Burns, Jazz. Book and 10-art film series. See
also the many CDs called, Ken Burns Jazz collection, which features artist such
as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, and many others.
3. Douglas Groothuis, “How Jazz
Can Shape Apologetics,” Defend Magazine:
http://www.defendmag.com/jazz-can-shape-apologetics
4. Douglas Groothuis, “The
Virtues of Jazz,” All About Jazz: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-virtues-of-jazz-john-coltrane-by-douglas-groothuis.php#.VGL4XPl4p4c
5. Douglas Groothuis, “How
Teachers Can Swing in the Classroom” All
About Jazz, http://www.allaboutjazz.com/jazz-pedagogy-by-douglas-groothuis.php#.VGL5Zfl4p4c
6. Robert Gelinas, Finding the Grove: Composing a Jazz-Shaped
Faith.
7. Kevin Whitehead, Why Jazz? A Concise Introduction.
