The Spirit of Jazz
Presbybop Music
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Where Music Dances with Mystery - with co-hosts Bill Carter and Jeff Kellam
Available episodes
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Sep 15, 2023
Behind the Music - Faith in a New Key
On the 25th anniversary of its release, Bill and Jeff have a conversation about Faith in a New Key, the first recording of the Presbybop Quartet. Bill dishes on the background of the album. Where did it originate? Who were the players? How was the project financed? What was it like to record the music? Along the way, they serve up a generous helping of jazz.
Music: "Presbybop," "Route 206," "Walking in Somebody Else's Footsteps," and "A Bridge Between", all composed by Bill Carter and released on *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet. Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Theme music: "*All Thumbs*" from *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Announcer: Chris Norton
(c) Presbybop MusicSupport the show
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Sep 1, 2023
Jazz Wakes Up for Worship
As we begin Season 2, Jeff Kellam asks Bill Carter to speak about his work in syncopating Christian worship services. Bill has been at it for forty years, ever since he was a student pastor in New Jersey. Along the way, the co-hosts offer some musical samples as they explore a long and ongoing journey of welcoming jazz in the sanctuary.
Discover the "Swing a New Song to the Lord" jazz hymnal at *www.presbybop.com*.
You can find the film "Jazz Belongs in Church" at *https://presbybop.com/jazz-belongs-in-church-dvd*
Music: "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee," "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah," and "Down By the Riverside," (c) Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet. Unreleased material.
Theme music: "*All Thumbs*" from *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Announcer: Chris Norton
(c) Presbybop MusicSupport the show
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Jun 16, 2023
Improvising Is My Lifeline
We conclude Season 1 of the Spirit of Jazz with a conversation with Donny McCaslin. Twice nominated for a Grammy for "Best Improvised Solo," Donny speaks about three musicians with whom he has performed and recorded: trumpeter Dave Douglas, composer Maria Schneider, and music icon David Bowie. Along the way he talks about the healing power of jazz in his own life. "Improvising has been my lifeline," he says.
Find out more about Donny at his website: *https://www.donnymccaslin.com/*
Check out his new album, "I Want More," *available here* on Edition Records.
Music: " Christmas Carol in G Minor," Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet with guest soloist Donny McCaslin, recorded at St. Peter's Lutheran Church, NYC
"Body Blow," Donny McCaslin, from "I Want More". Available above and used by permission.
Theme music: "*All Thumbs*" from *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Announcer: Chris Norton
(c) Presbybop MusicSupport the show
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Jun 2, 2023
Jazz as Good Humor
Bagpipes, a bullfrog, an untuned diva, a fumbling virtuoso, an unfortunate drummer, bad road food, and a bebopper in a turban: jazz has the capacity to see life's idiocyncrasies and laugh about them. There is a lightness of spirit at the heart of improvised music. And the practitioners love to joke and laugh. In this episode, we explore the comedy of good jazz.
Want to hear more jazz comedy? We recommend *Jazz Anecdotes* by the bassist Bill Crow.
Featured music:
“Rumpelstiltskin" from Interior Window
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Theme music: "All Thumbs" from Faith in a New Key, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Announcer: Chris Norton
(c) Presbybop MusicSupport the show
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May 19, 2023
Force of Nature
Meet our friend Deanna Witkowski. Known for her adventurous, engaging music that heals the soul, Witkowski moves with remarkable ease between Brazilian, jazz, classical, and sacred music. Witkowski’s performances combine virtuosity and heart, telling stories that reveal her innate curiosity of the human condition.
Her first book, *Mary Lou Williams: Music For The Soul* (Liturgical Press), published in September 2021, is the winner of the 2022 ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award and the 2022 Jazz Journalists Association Award for Biography of the Year.
Her seventh recording, *Force of Nature* (MCG Jazz), released in January 2022, reached number five on the JazzWeek nationwide radio chart and remained in the top 10 most played albums on jazz radio for more than 10 weeks. A frequent winner of composition competitions for her concert and sacred choral pieces, Witkowski has received funding for new work from the New York State Council on the Arts (for her Afro-Brazilian project, the Nossa Senhora Suite) and the Choral Arts Initiative PREMIERE Project Festival.
We thank Deanna for permission to include clips of two of her original tunes:
“Wide Open Window” from Wide Open Window. © Tilapia Tunes, used by permission. “Force of Nature” from Force of Nature. © Tilapia Tunes, used by permission.
Theme music: "*All Thumbs*" from *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Announcer: Chris Norton
(c) Presbybop MusicSupport the show
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May 5, 2023
You Call This a Living?
What does it take to make a living as a jazz musician? Where do you work - and how do you line it up? Jeff Stockham, the extraordinary trumpeter and French horn player, tells it straight. With honesty and good humor, he tells our co-hosts about the joys and struggles of jazz employment. And all of us catch a glimpse of his perseverance as he offers his art to improve the lives of others.
Featured music:
“I've Heard the News" from *Stand on Your Head*
"Kit and Kaboodle" from *Stand on Your Head**
*Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Theme music: "*All Thumbs*" from *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Announcer: Chris Norton
(c) Presbybop MusicSupport the show
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Apr 21, 2023
The Road Show
Here is our report from the First International Tour of Southeastern Virginia, a brief tour by the Presbybop Quintet. The band was accompanied by its entourage, namely Jeff Kellam. We chat it up with band members and old acquaintances. Stories are told, passions are revealed, and road food is endured. The emerging theme is friendship – what musicians refer to as “The Hang” (as in “hanging out”). The music was great, because The Hang was happening.
Featured music: “Rumpelstiltskin” from Interior Window
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Theme music: "*All Thumbs*" from *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Announcer: Chris Norton
(c) Presbybop MusicSupport the show
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Apr 7, 2023
Jazz for Holy Week
What does jazz have to do with Jerusalem? Especially the Jerusalem that Jesus entered for the last week of his life? That's the topic explored in this episode. Our co-hosts discuss the moods and senstitivities for a week of struggle and pain. They share live clips from the Presbybop Quartet as the band interpreted the passion of Jesus in a Good Friday jazz vespers at a large church near Philadelphia. They also offer a musical depiction of a Bible story in collaboration with Dennis Dewey, renowned biblical storyteller.
Featured music: "The Last Word" (live version) from *Psalms without Words*, "Who's on Trial?" from *John According to Jazz*, "O Sacred Head Now Wounded" (unreleased), and "Arimathea" (unreleased). Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Theme music: "*All Thumbs*" from *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Announcer: Chris Norton
(c) Presbybop Music
Support the show
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Mar 31, 2023
Jazz is a Many Splendored Thing
This bonus episode is a conversation about the different kinds of jazz. Bill and Jeff discuss how a tradition continues to live: evolving through creative imagination, influenced by its historical and cultural circumstances.
Featured music: “This or That” and “Everybody Dance” from *Psalms without Words*
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Theme music: "*All Thumbs*" from *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Announcer: Chris Norton
(c) Presbybop Music
Support the show
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Mar 17, 2023
That's a Terrible Idea. What Time?
*Episode 15 – That’s a Terrible Idea. What Time? *
* *Here’s part two of our conversation with Matt Wilson, the creative drummer. He believes jazz should challenge the audience, not merely playing what’s “nice.” Whether it’s leading the audience on a spontaneous march out of the concert hall or nudging the listeners to go deeper into the music, he always leads the way. And he’s a lot of fun to talk with.
Check out Matt’s website at *https://www.mattwilsonjazz.com/** *
Theme music: "*All Thumbs*" from *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Announcer: Chris Norton
(c) Presbybop MusicSupport the show
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Mar 3, 2023
Jazz as Good Danger
Matt Wilson is an extraordinary musician. We talk about his sense of humor, his willingness to take risks, and the importance of vulnerability. The conversation hummed along quickly – and we’ve split it into two episodes.
Check out Matt’s website at *https://www.mattwilsonjazz.com/**
*Featured music: “*Ice Cold*” from *Jazz for the Earth*
* Bill Carter and the Presbybop Sextet
* David Liebman, guest soloist
Theme music: "*All Thumbs*" from *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Announcer: Chris Norton
(c) Presbybop MusicSupport the show
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Feb 17, 2023
Falling in Love with Jazz
Our cohosts talk about how they developed a taste in jazz. Bill Carter tells how he met and befriended Dave Brubeck. (Imagine the legendary musician in a white bathrobe!) Jeff Kellam recounts his love of big band music and how it opened the jazz world to him.
How did you discover jazz? Have a story to share? Send it to us at *podcast@presbybop.com**. *
Theme music: "*All Thumbs*" from *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Announcer: Chris Norton
(c) Presbybop MusicSupport the show
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Feb 3, 2023
Got the Blues
In this episode we explore the blues. How does the blues get into the bloodstream of jazz? What does this suggest about human life and the spiritual life? How might the blues express our suffering? Or pray our hope?
* Here’s where you can view the chart that Mary Lou Williams used to describe the lineage of jazz: *https://jazzwomenarchives.wordpress.com/2019/01/21/mary-lou-williams/*
* Here’s the YouTube clip where Damien Sneed demonstrates Gospel music: *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SepVdCiM2ek*
Featured music:
*“Down Goes Babylon”* from *Dancing Day*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
*“Out of the Depths”* from *Psalms Without Words*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet. Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
*“Coventry Carol”* from *Fragile Incarnation*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Theme music: "*All Thumbs*" from *Faith…
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Jan 20, 2023
Jazz Goes to the Cathedral
We explore a little-known jazz story: Vince Guaraldi composed and performed a mass! We talk with Derrick Bang, his biographer, about the creation of this music. It was presented at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, in May 1965. It’s an extraordinary story and we’re glad to tell it.
Want to hear the mass? The highlights were recorded by Fantasy Records, and you can obtain that recording by *clicking here*. (The MP3 files are more readily available than the CD or LP.)
To learn more about Derrick’s connection to Vince Guaraldi, visit his page at *http://fivecentsplease.org/dpb/guaraldi.html*
Want to learn more about our 50th anniversary celebration at Grace Cathedral in 2015? Derrick has a lengthy series of accounts listed below:
* *http://impressionsofvince.blogspot.com/2015/06/mass-appeal-chapter-2.html**. *
* *http://impressionsofvince.blogspot.com/2015/07/mass-appeal-chapter-3.html*
* *http://impressionsofvince.blogspot.com/2015/08/mass-appeal-chapter-4.html*
* *http:/…
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Jan 6, 2023
Jazz and Charlie Brown
“The only time we heard jazz on television when I was a kid,” says trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, “was when A Charlie Brown Christmas came to town.” Our guest for the next two episodes is Derrick Bang, music critic and author of Vince Guaraldi at the Piano. As Guaraldi’s biographer, he has a unique perspective on how the pianist’s music became an integral part of the animated Charlie Brown specials.
You can get your own copy of Vince Guaraldi at the Piano by *clicking here on Amazon* or *clicking here for the publisher’s page*.
Featured music:
“Jamming on Three Chords,” an unreleased live recording, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Christmas Eve Band. Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
“O Tannenbaum,” public domain, arranged by Bill Carter and the Presbybop Christmas Eve Band. Unreleased live recording. Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Theme music: "*All Thumbs*" from *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet Mu…
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Dec 29, 2022
Bonus Episode - Jazz as Joy
In this special episode, we offer musical highlights from the annual Jazz Christmas Eve event at First Presbyterian Church, Clarks Summit, PA. Our Presbybop Elves include Mike Carbone on saxophone, Tony Marino on bass, Marko Marcinko on drums, and Bill Carter on piano.
Want to enjoy the video of the event? Go to *https://youtu.be/xLqiV51k5t4*
Featured music:
* Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming, from *Jazz Noel*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Christmas Eve Band
* Angels We Have Heard on High, recorded live on Christmas Eve
* We Wish You a Merry Christmas, recorded live on Christmas Eve
Theme music: "*All Thumbs*" from *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Announcer: Chris Norton
(c) Presbybop MusicSupport the show
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Dec 16, 2022
Jazz as Incarnation
Jazz is embodied music. Ideas take flesh! This is a grand spiritual theme, of course, and lies at the heart of Christmas story. But what does incarnation sound like? That’s what this episode is all about. And we have the music to prove it.
Here’s the free verse poem that Bill composed:
When Word
takes flesh
it is a fragile
Incarnation.
Power becomes subject to weakness,
Freedom is chained by time,
Fools compromise Wisdom,
Death crouches behind the Door.
Still we discern a Way
Through the dark,
giving,
embracing,
loving
risking all.
And joy finds us.
* *
Featured music:
*Away in a Manger*, from *Jazz Noel*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Christmas Eve Band
*What Child is This*, from *Fragile Incarnation*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
*Sussex Carol*, from *Fragile Incarnation*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Theme music: "*All Thumbs*" from *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet Music used by permission from Presbybop Music…
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Dec 2, 2022
Jazz as Hope
What can jazz suggest to us about hope? Good question for all times of year, but especially for the season of Advent. We explore the question with two ancient chants as our soundtrack. Along the way, we chew on two poignant quotations:
* “It is in the torment of the insufficiency of everything attainable in this life that we realize that all symphonies remain unfinished.” - Karl Rahner
* “Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we must be saved by love. No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our standpoint. Therefore we must be saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.” - Reinhold Niebuhr, The Irony of American History
Featured music:
*“**O Co…
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Nov 18, 2022
Jazz as Prayer
Today we welcome Jamie Howison to The Spirit of Jazz. He is a priest of the Anglican Church of Canada, a jazz lover, and a kindred soul. He lives and works in Winnipeg.
We discovered Jamie through one of his books, God’s Mind in That Music: Theological Explorations through the Music of John Coltrane. It’s an extraordinary book, published on Cascade Books. You can find it by *clicking here*.
Check out his website at* **www.jamiehowison.ca*
Featured music: “*Elegy*” from *Jazz for the Earth*
Bill Carter and the Presbybop Sextet
David Liebman, guest soloist.
Featured music: “*Ice Cold*” from *Jazz for the Earth*
Bill Carter and the Presbybop Sextet
David Liebman, guest soloist
Theme music: "*All Thumbs*" from *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Announcer: Chris Norton
(c) Presbybop MusicSupport the show
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Nov 4, 2022
An Open Universe
Here is another conversation about creativity. Do new melodies - and ideas - comes as a message from Headquarters? This is a mystery, of course, but we continue to chase it. We listen to a jazz performance of an old melody from Ireland. And we hear how Dave Brubeck turned down a commission to compose for a papal mass - and then dreamed up the piece while he slept. *You can click here* and listen to him tell the story.
Bill also recounts a story from Herbie Hancock about a wrong chord, transformed by ingenuity. *Here is the link* to hear Herbie tell the story.
Featured music: “Be Thou My Vision” from *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Theme music: "*All Thumbs*" from *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Announcer: Chris Norton
(c) Presbybop MusicSupport the show
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Oct 21, 2022
Crossing the Dotted Line
We heard someone grumble, “We’ve never heard jazz in church before.” It reminds us of an insulting letter from a noted preacher, disparaging jazz as inferior music. Both assume there’s a hard line between “sacred” and “secular” that must never be crossed. But jazz steps over those divisions.
Bach dedicated his musical manuscripts to God, even if they had no lyrics. Dave Brubeck reminds us how Bach, his favorite musician, adapted drinking songs because the congregation knew them. The Holy can find us anywhere, on bar stool or church pew. Some musicians affirm they’ve been found, and the best evidence may be the Christmas story, when the Holy is found on earth. So we offer a burning version of a jazz Christmas carol. It will melt the icicles of the coldest heart!
Featured music: “*Joy to the World*” from *Jazz Noel*, The Presbybop Christmas Eve Band
Theme music: "*All Thumbs*" from *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Music used by permis…
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Oct 7, 2022
A New Song Again
Jazz unfolds like a conversation! It’s a dialogue with a tune, with other musicians, with the imagination. The music values relationships, teamwork, collaboration, and mutual participation. We explore the reality of the “Muse” - inspiration personified - and revealed in the necessary ingredient of playfulness. And yes, there’s something mysterious at work. So let’s chase after it.
Featured music: “I Lost My Keys in Kennedy Airport,” unreleased live recording
Theme music: "*All Thumbs*" from *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Announcer: Chris Norton
(c) Presbybop MusicSupport the show
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Sep 30, 2022
Bonus Episode - Mystery in the Music
In this musical episode, we offer two complete performances of jazz tunes that have a bit of mystery.
*“Dawn Shall Break Again”* was the centerpiece of our *Faith in a New Key* album. *“The Gate is Narrow, the Road is Hard”* is a live performance from Binghamton University. It’s never been released, but a studio version of the tune does appear on our *Stand On Your Head* recording.
Theme music: "*All Thumbs*" from *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Announcer: Chris Norton
(c) Presbybop MusicSupport the show
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Sep 16, 2022
What is Jazz?
Jazz is more than a style. It’s a tradition, filled with imagination, interpretation, and improvisation. We explore the curious practice of creating music as it proceeds. How does that work? We learn by listening, so we offer a tune from a Presbybop Quartet album.
Along the way, Jeff Kellam refers to a luminous biography of Mary Lou Williams by Deanna Witkowski, the equally luminous jazz pianist. We will talk to Deanna in a future episode. In the meantime, we highly recommend Mary Lou Williams: Music for the Soul. *Order it here*.
Featured music: *“This or That”* from *Psalms Without Words*
Theme music: "*All Thumbs*" from *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Announcer: Chris Norton
(c) Presbybop MusicSupport the show
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Sep 2, 2022
The WOW Moment
Here’s one thing that musicians and listeners have in common: the possibility of a transcendent moment. Bill tells a treasured family story about a Louis Armstrong concert in 1955. In many ways, that concert shaped his destiny even before he was alive. Jazz has a special super power to make a room come alive. We hear about the experience of bassist Christian McBride, performing with pianist McCoy Tyner. And we recall a “moment” marked by Thomas Merton, the monk who was a jazz lover. And if that isn’t enough, our friend David Liebman (deemed a Jazz Master by the National Endowment of the Arts) reveals what he aims for as a creative musician.
Featured music: “*Welcome Home*” from *Welcome Home*
Theme music: "*All Thumbs*" from *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Announcer: Chris Norton
(c) Presbybop MusicSupport the show
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Sep 2, 2022
Is Jazz Spiritual?
Welcome to our first episode! Bill Carter and Jeff Kellam introduce the theme of this podcast and tell you something about themselves. This is a podcast about the spiritual power of syncopated music. How might music awaken, enrich, and empower our lives? How might jazz direct us toward acts of love, justice, and mercy? That's what we want to explore.
Tell us how you fell in love with jazz. Send an email to podcast@presbybop.com.
Music: "*Ebo's Waltz*" from *Interior Window*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Theme music: "*All Thumbs*" from *Faith in a New Key*, Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Music used by permission from Presbybop Music (BMI)
Announcer: Chris Norton
(c) Presbybop MusicSupport the show
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Aug 5, 2022
Subscribe Today!
We are glad to announce *The Spirit of Jazz* podcast with co-hosts Bill Carter and Jeff Kellam. Thanks for finding us! We invite you to subscribe to future episodes as we explore the spiritual dimensions of the music. This is the podcast where music dances with mystery.
*The Spirit of Jazz* is a production of *Presbybop Music*. In each episode, we explore how music has the power to bring us alive.
Theme music: *"All Thumbs"* by Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet
Host: Chris Norton
Support the show
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