Bethel AME Church in Moorestown is inviting the community to celebrate the holidays with its 12th annual Jazz Vespers service on Saturday, Dec. 7.
Praise in Blue will be held at the church at 3 p.m. and will be a mixture of jazz and holiday music.
“The idea of a vespers service is, it happens just as the sun is going down,” said Gwen Ricks-Spencer, who manages the service. “There’s music and there’s prayers and there’s readings – and it’s a lot about camaraderie.”
Jazz Vespers is a new take on an old service and is typically held in the late afternoon or early evening. It includes prayers, poetry, reflection and music. Appearing at this year’s program will be Grammy nominated and Blues Hall of Fame musician Junior Mack.
“I was in New York, and he was performing in a Broadway play called ‘Lackawanna Blues,’” Ricks-Spencer recalled of how she connected with Mack a few years ago. “ … I’ve just gotten to know him and I’ve seen him perform in a variety of places, and he’s become a friend.”
Mack’s soulful style is rooted in gospel as well as blues. He has worked or shared the stage with artists who include the Allman Brothers, Dickey Betts, Warren Haynes, Los Lobos, Cyndi Lauper, Robert Randolph, Derek Trucks, Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band and the late David Honeyboy Edwards. Mack was inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame in 2011, and aside from his group, the Junior Mack Band, he is frequently featured with the Marshall Tucker Band and is a founding member of the Heritage Blues Orchestra.
“What I always hope people come away from jazz vespers is feeling connected to the season, to feeling connected to everybody else around them …” Ricks-Spencer pointed out. “There’s so much hustle and bustle that happens at this time of the year. This is a time that we ask people to just relax and enjoy the poetry that we share … It’s taking jazz music and making it part of a service.”
A donation of $25 is requested to attend the service and all funds support the activities of a women’s group at Bethel AME. Tickets may be reserved by calling the church at (856) 235-3152 or can be purchased at the door.
Additional information is available at www.bethelamechurch-moorestownnj.org/.
