N´awlins Gospel Reflections

The Jazz Fest is truly cool.

The musicians are excellent. EXCELLENT.

What strikes me in person is that the music that these guys play is effortless. They have either been practicing their lil' hearts out for years and years so this stuff is second nature, or they are born with some'in. Or both.

It is amazing to watch.

I keep being on the verge of tears (like once or twice a day) here, because i cant quite believe that I am here, hearing this, and that it is not pretend.

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Y'all know that I came here to check out gospel music. No surprises, I have been hanging out in the gospel tent. Gospel makes sense here in New Orleans. The part of town where I am staying is predominantly black. It feels like so many shows and movies and screenings of churches come to life... Some of the black people's voices can truly boom, there is a way of talking and being that is just like on tv - but its for real, and in person, and alive, and personal because its in the street or the seat next to me.

The way people are is really expressive - Americans in general seem to be pretty loud and in this community there is a fair amout of body language that comes with it... And the feeling - the soul that makes gospel great - is all expressed. The good, the bad, the ugly. It's right out there. People are real about what they feel. People are expressive about the Lord. The flamboyance (compared to NZ) of normal life translates into musical magic.

So, you get lyrics like:

• 'You might not be able to pay your bills, but it aint over... you might be in trouble, the tide might be high - but wait! It aint over! It aint over! It aint over! The Lord will see you through.'

I love that the songs are so positive. It is such a refreshing contrast to my experience of those NZ pentecostal soppy songs that can be about me and my problems, or just meaningful songs that are soppy and heart-wrenching... These are shake-your-booty reminders of the goodness of the Lord. These are songs that invite us to lift our heads up, lift our eyes up - to see the goodness of God. They truly celebrate the life of God in us. So, you get lyrics like:

• 'Fire! Fire! Fire! Shut up. Shut up in my bones... I've got the fire. Fire, it 's shut up in my bones...'
• My help cometh from the Lord
• You'll find peace joy and contentment in the word of the Lord

Maybe its because these are mostly celebratory performances, and this is the music that jazz fest 'consumers' want to hear. But, there is something to be said for the musical excellence, the showmanship, the performance side of what I seeing. And again - it makes sense here - it is a pretty natural extension of who lives here- I can't imagine the martyr-like-modesty of Wellington churches working here. People would fall over laughing, leave in droves, or just be completely baffled about why NZers are so careful not to be too expressive. Nah!! Let it all hang out! The worries, the joys, real life - and make it fun!

Gospel music rocks. Its natural, it just comes out, and it's an inspiring, heart-lifting show.

Oh, and I've realised, for all I thought I might have a little bit of that black 'some'in' - i have nothing!!!! My voice is white, I move white, I think white. I am white. But thank the Lord I can love what black music and the black church offers to the rest of us to learn from and enjoy ; )

I AM LOVING IT!!!

Stanford University

Stanford is an estate with a university on it. Oh my goodness. I knew it was exclusive, but seriously!!!!! It has grounds, with old trees, and history. Google earth this baby. It is exquisite.

Monday night... what a night!

Two doors down from the hostel there is a bar called Enricos. Monday night I saw some classily-dressed jazz musicians head into the bar. I got my life together to follow them. I found some friends at the hostel, and headed over there. I was keen to go come what may – the other girls were going to be persuaded by the price of the drinks. It was $10 for mojitas (say mohitas)... the other girls weren't keen.. we were negotiating who was staying and going when a man at the bar (his name was Dick) persuaded us to stay with the offer of a round of drinks. Okay, so we stayed!! Dick bought us a round of mojitas while we listened to some old school jazz and watched a fablous display of dancing from an old couple who are Monday night regulars. Let me tell you their story:

The man is 86, he was dressed in an expensive cream suit with a tasteful shirt and tie, with the most fabulous 50s shoes- black with a white top piece to the shoe. STYLEEE. He had arrived with his usual dance partner- Gail, shes 67. She was dressed to the nines with a gorgeous floaty dance dress and heels (another guy in the bar has run into Gail around 200 times and says she has never worn the same dress twice!). They have been coming to Enricos for 5 years. They met back a few times many years earlier, but have been dancing together all these years. They live in different parts of town, and meet on the highway and join up, and come to Enricos. And they dance. Lively, 1940s swing dancing. They act like the are 20, and they dance because they love it. And I think they know what living is!

Another round passed, and I had a few dances with Dick to say thanks for the drinks. Jandals and shorts... not really a match for what else was going on. But I love dancing, and lapped the whole thing up. FUN times and fabulous folk.

The neighborhood

I thought it would be interesting to comment on the neighborhood that I have been staying in this week.

History first - a block from the Green Tortoise Hostel is 'the city light bookstore' which is where the beat poets used to hang out - like Allen Ginsberg & Jack Kerorac. The streets round here are named after these guys. There is also a bar next door to the store dedicated to the beat maestros here called Versuvio- I popped in here, its very quirky and its history is obvious.

Most noticeably, the hostel is in the middle of three streets with tacky looking strip joints... the bling bling red lights, badly named, dark and dirty looking red light district. Not too bad to walk through in the day, but better with mates at night!

Moving on... two blocks toward the sea, there is a very very well off part of town. Beautifully kept homes (the kind that join up to each other – like on full house) with one stand alone house with its matching Mercedes taking in the harbour views... cant imagine how much that baby cost.












Two blocks in the other direction is Chinatown. Street signs in Chinese, Chinese food, Chinese people, shops with fans and swords and herbs and buddahs and laterns – red and gold everywhere... Old men sitting on street corners reading the paper, old ladies conversing at length in their native tounge at the bottom of housing complexes. Old gnarled faces, thick rimmed glasses, shopping carts being tugged along, thick socks with jandals, kids laughing and licking icecrems... its all go!











One block from there, Italian flags on street posts contrast with the beckoning shop signs of Chinatown. Smells and language transform the bright colours and flags to a food-focussed district. Generously spacious cafes with water features and wine bring stillness to the bustle. Old people congregating to talk about old times. Young relaxing with a drink on pavement-side tables.

A park, one block further accommodates every man and his dog (literally!), with different languages spoken, alcohol 'secretly' drunk in public, smells of this and that being smoked wafting, young people laughing, kids playing, soccer balls and frisbees flying, people watching people...

Dogs are everywhere here. Dogs of every size (but mostly little ones) are a feature here. As are men in hats. Hats are cool. Men with hats with dogs – can be very well done ; ) And music - it comes out of everywhere - bars, buskers, people hanging in the park, shops... its all around!

Night-time transforms all this into overflowing outside dining, street people coma-ed out in alleys, the beckoning of lusty night-time lights, the muttering and stuttering odd-folk, the quiet drinkers, the raw night time deals that darkness brings, dancing to tasteful music... anything from 'life as usual' to a 'fabulous new experience' (that I was having).

All within a stones-throw of my hostel...

Sign Language at Glide

I forgot to mention in my last entry that Glide church had a sign language interpreter in one of their services. It was awesome... this guy had all the charisma of the preachers (think shine tv, all American church), translated with a twist of the interpreters 'attitude' made for the most fascinating, must-watch translation I have ever seen... Songs being interpreted in time to the music, with the translator picking up the soul of the music in his facial expressions and body language – Fab-u-lous. Ill do you guys a demo when I get home ; )

San Franciso - Gospel Church #1: The Music

Glide (the music side of my previous post)

THE CHOIR ROCKED!! It had about 80 people I think. I found the sound a bit murky because of the auditorium size, but still, the musicains were awesome - there was a chick soloist, Leah, who was fabulous. There was a hint of country in her gospel style - her voice was so strong, and she was so enthusiastic. It was great! I was moved to tears in a song later in the service because of the arrangement of the choir combined with the soloist. It was so immensly powerful and its that experience that makes me love gospel choirs so much...

(I think, for you interested in technicalities (and for me to remember!) that the choir came in about half way through the song singing along with the lines of the lead vocalist, then they sang some backing for the guy's freestyling, then broke into a lead part with the sopranos, echoed by the altos, then sop/alto - tnr then sop/alt/tnr - bass, everyone together moving through some phat cords before ending it. NB: stoccato for effect rules) .

I am also pretty stoked to have seen MOTOWN's Martha Reeves sing at Glide this morning... she just popped in and sang 'Happy Day'... why not ;- ) That was pretty cool. She just opens her mouth and it comes out - strong, dynamic, and meaningful - and she sang about the Lord like she knew him in her freestyling. And control of the band. Oh yes indeedy. Amazing (actually I'm all stoked in the inside and am stamping my feet excitedly).


All in all - that was a pretty cool first 24 hours in the USA!

San Franciso - Gospel Church #1: The main thing

This morning I went to "Glide" church, San Francisco.


From the outside, the church is an old building that looks like it's been around for a long time, and is in need of renovations. Inside, it's an old theatre-type set up. A generous stage for the choir, band and 4 or 5 'reverends', and the ground floor and balcony for the congregation. A beautiful nearly full wall of blue stained glass windows illuminates one side of the church. In some ways, its just another building, just another space...

... But for the soul of the place.

The church had a mission. To serve it's community. Glide is located at (or next to?) Tenderloin, San Fran. Travel books advise to be pretty careful in Tenderloin or avoid it (particularly at night) because of high drug use here.

Glide seemed to be all about bringing freedom to people and empowering people to be themselves and live their dreams. There was a strong message that 'Glide has a place for you' - with a long list of the 'you' you might be - anywhere on the political spectrum, any colour, any sexual orientation, any preference to be known or stay anonymous, if you came with social skills or not... ; ) All through the service there was a sense that everyone was good enough to be there, and personal growth was really important. There were two parts of the service where we had to hold hands with the person next to us, and one part where there was some hugging. I have to admit that I got the giggles over all of that. It reinforced their message though. And it forced me to think about my church prejudices that I've adopted - I had to touch quite a few strangers not knowing which of the type of 'you' they were ; )

The sermon didn't have a lot of scripture in it (more of that Britain Idol type show, actually!) but the message was about how we all have dreams that we should take hold of (and the ressurection of Christ symbolises new life, meaning, we can do it - we have the right to change our story!). It was all about how our dreams are available for each of us if we go after them - no matter where we start from. So, at the end of the day, (and especially given the mission of this church) perhaps Christ was still preached... !?

And for all that I went to the church mainly for the music, that's not what I want to talk about the most today. There was evidence that this church did what it said . There was a drop in centre available to the community (even while church was on) and volunteers were preparing lunch for people who needed it. They advertised that the church feeds people regularly, medical supplies were needed and anonymous HIV tests are available... I got the sense that this was a church that lived and breathed the hope it preached. And it costs them. About $6 million a year.

The high point of all of this for me today was that they celebrated the life of a man who died trying. He was a drug addict, came clean, served the church for a good stretch, and later fell of the wagon again. He didn't recover from his drug addiction before he died. This is the first time that I can remember a church taking the time to celebrate the life of a real person who tried 'but failed'. Man that's cool.

I'll spend some time thinking about church culture while I'm here. Church culture is wierd, and I've avoided church for a good few years because of it. I'm trying to get over that... and I've asked God to help me with this while I'm away.

I think this church nailed something important. It demonstrated that God loves us just where we are. This church showed that it is possible for churches to trust God with us, while at the same time making sure that the church gets alongside us to love us into more growth and better lives.

I don't think it has to be drug addictions. It can just be annoying people. Annoyingly self righteous. Annoying because they're from a different socio-economic background or differently educated. Annoying because they're awesome and we don't see ourselves that way. Annoying because we're awesome and we don't see them that way. Annoying because they're so ordinary. Annoyingly appathetic. Annoyingly busy. Glide gave the message that it will love all people. I think it's because that's how God loves us.

Big ups, Glide.