Heaven in a Nightclub: A Benefit Concert and Lecture

NEW: Cornell University Press Release

NEW: This event is now FREE to college students

(must be a full-time, registered student--undergrad or grad--

and have ID card at the door to get in)

Please join us for a wonderful evening of entertainment as Dr. William Edgar, theologian and jazz pianist, takes us for a journey through the spiritual history of jazz. The narrative of deep misery and deep hope in the history and music of African-Americans emerges in spirituals, ragtime, jazz, and blues. Our venue will be one of the nicest auditoriums in all of New York: the Society for Ethical Culture Concert Hall.

We are pleased to announce full quartet for the evening will be:

Dr. William Edgar, theologian & musicologist on piano
with special guests
Ruth Naomi Floyd, composer and recording artist on vocals
John Patitucci, Grammy Award winning composer and performing artist on bass
Joe Salzano, multi-talented Ithaca-area musician on saxophone

Andy Crouch, journalist and Christianity Today columnist, will serve as Master of Ceremonies

Tickets: $40 at the Door

(Advance ticket sales have now ended)

 

For more information on the artists, see Speakers tab at the top of this page. You can also get a feel for these folks and what the evening may be like from the following links. John and Ruth can be found on YouTube--see especially John's rendition of Bach's Suite for Cello No. 1 in G Major - Prelude, and Jesus is on the Main Line. You won't believe what this guy can do with a bass. See also this documentary on Ruth Naomi Floyd.

For more on Bill Edgar's writings, see "Ain't it Hard: Suffering and Hope in the Blues," and "The Deep Joy of Jazz."

You may also listen here to the previous rendition of this event. The recording is not very high quality, but the event certainly was!

Better still, come on out on May 5th!

You may RSVP and invite friends to this event on Facebook.