I have always kept one end in view, namely. . . to conduct a well-regulated church music to the honour of God.
My influences are with Irish music, church music and classical music.
Ours is a very eclectic offering. We're affiliated with the church but we're not just offering church music. Our philosophy is that we wanted to bring quality music to the entire valley and let everyone enjoy it since we have a fine venue.
Classical music only really came into my life in 1969. I wish I had heard classical music and church music when I was a teenager or even as a child.
If I could believe the Quakers banned music because church music is so damn bad, I should view them with approval.
The most consistent musical experience I had growing up was church music.
And whether you're drawn to gospel music or church music or honky-tonk music, it informs your character and it informs your talent.
If you listen to soul music, or R&B music, or Blues music, a lot of that came from church music and spiritual music, and music has always been a really really powerful tool that people have used to get them closer to God - whatever they define God as. And for me that's always been part of what drew me to it and keeps me coming back for more.
Either I'm listening to rap music, getting hyped up to go out and do something, or I'm listening to church music.
When I did the Abyssinian mass, I went through the whole history of the church music and the gospel music, even with the Anglo American hymns, the Afro American hymns, the spirituals and how it developed, up to Thomas Dorsey and the Dixie Hummingbirds, going through the history of the music, jazz musicians.
I think it's funny how people get confused when they think about church music, because a lot of times there is a soloist who stands out, but my church wasn't like that at all.
New Orleans had a great tradition of celebration. Opera, military marching bands, folk music, the blues, different types of church music, ragtime, echoes of traditional African drumming, and all of the dance styles that went with this music could be heard and seen throughout the city. When all of these kinds of music blended into one, jazz was born.
Modern church music is so constructed that the congregation cannot hear one distinct word.
