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December 27, 2007
Chuck Marohnic and Sanctuary Jazz Annual Report
Greetings,
2007 began with a move from Arizona after 25 years to Louisville, Kentucky where my wife Mary Ann was born. This move turned out to be a blessing in many ways, most importantly being reunited with our daughter and her family.
Near the top of the list of things to do was to establish myself with the local community of top jazz musicians and educators. This happened and has resulted in establishing two major performing groups, a trio and quintet of the highest caliber that frequently performs at the Jazz Factory, a true to form real jazz club that features both local and international top jazz talent. In addition, I re-connected with Jamey Aebersold who is the president of Jamey Aebersold Jazz, the world’s largest distributor of jazz books and CDs. I set up an agreement with Jamey to distribute MSW’s Jazz in the Sanctuary play-a-long CD worldwide. He will also distribute any new jazz/church music products of MSW’s.
One of the things to do was to locate some of the best local Christian jazz musicians in order to break ground in ministry. Within a few months, we had decided to create a Home Jazz Vespers series that would feature both local and national jazz performers who wished to express their talents in a real spiritual setting. It was decided to allow each artist to express their own sense of their relationship to God through their musical talents. To date this series has proved to be a blessing and have been ten Jazz Vespers events that included visits by Bob Ravenscroft & Dwight Kilian, Presbyterian Minister and jazz pianist Bill Carter from Pennsylvania and most notably Portland bassist David Friesen whose trio session was recorded and will be released as a CD for MSW.
Other MSW activities included a visit to Baltimore, MD where I was invited to play for worship and offered clinics in Music for Creative Worship at a National Conference for Interim Ministers, an invitation to perform and preach at Falls Church Virginia United Methodist Church and a performance at Jazz Vespers at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Niles, IL. I was also the guest performer and clinician at the Iowa United Churches of Christ Annual Conference in July 2007.
Louisville is home to the National Office for the Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Theological Seminary. I have been appointed as Liturgist in Residence at the Presbyterian Center National Office Chapel where I will facilitate an experimental six week series of experiential worship. This will begin February 1, 2008.
Also, in February for the spring semester, I have been invited to participate in a team-teaching effort of Creative Worship at the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. This will be weekly worship service and workshop where we hope to introduce methods of integration of jazz into the worship experience. We think this will be important because of the exposure to creative ideas in worship to future ministers.
Finally, I have accepted the position of Director of Music at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. This is a part-time position to be shared with a choir director/organist. This church is important since it is situated in the Highlands area, an area of the city heavily associated with the local arts community and receptive to new ideas.
2008 promises to be busy for me. In addition to my activities with the Presbyterian and Catholic churches, I will be performing my Concerto for Jazz Piano Trio and Orchestra entitled Desert Spirit with the Symphony of the Southwest, formerly the Mesa Symphony on January 26, 2008. I have also been invited as guest performer and clinician at the Iowa Evangelical Lutheran Church of America Synod in May of 2008 and a three-day invitation to perform and play for worship at St. John’s United Methodist Church in Albuquerque, NM in October 2008.
Yes, blessings abound. I am so very proud to be associated with Music Serving the Word Ministries and can see clearly that God is leading us all is so many special ways. Indeed, with God’s continued help 2008 promises to be a productive and fruitful year of ministry.
God’s Blessings to all –
Chuck
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