This month, be sure to join us in-person on Sunday, January 19th, 2025 at 4:50pm when we continue our 2024-2025 Jazz Vespers series in our recently renovated St. James Lutheran Church building — our special guest musician for this live performance is violinist Eddie Parente.
Musical accompaniment by Mike Horsfall on piano, Laurent Nickel on bass, and Tim Rap on drums. Valarie Brown is serving as cantor, and Pastor David is our liturgist.
Next month we invite you to attend again in our St. James sanctuary and we ask you to make a freewill donation (offering) to help support our musicians as we continue our 2024-2025 season — with a performance by our guest guitarist Dan Balmer — at 4:50pm on Sunday, February 16th, 2025. You can find the complete 2024-2025 Jazz Vespers guest artist roster further down on this webpage. Although we have resumed our St. James Jazz Vespers series in-person — please remember that you may also continue to enjoy our prior Jazz Vespers on video.
You may now choose to listen below to the most recent recording of our Jazz Vespers Service from Sunday, December 15th, 2024. Click the link below to listen to this latest recording …
You may also continue to find links to some of our previous Jazz Vespers recordings by navigating to “Communications > Music” on the main navigation menu at the top of the page. Or you can click here to be linked directly to the “Music” page.
This 45 minute jazz musical setting of the Evening Prayer liturgy is held on the third Sunday of each month. Professional jazz musicians and vocalists lead this reflective service with scriptural reading, psalms, hymns, and prayer. Preludes and postludes from the broad jazz repertoire precede and follow the service.
Jazz Vespers on Sunday, December 15th at 4:50pm, features guest violinist Eddie Parente …
Jazz Vespers is held every 3rd Sunday at 4:50pm. Last February, 132 people gathered for Jazz Vespers. We were pleased to be a venue for the PDX Jazz Festival. KOIN News ran the story.
Originally from Jersey City, New Jersey, local violinist Eddie Parente has had a musically genre-diverse career. He played in a Boston Mexican Mariachi Band, while studying Classical Indian Music with tabla master Shashi Nayak, attending Irish Traditional Music sessions, and playing in an international folk dance band. Since moving to the Portland area he continues to play and record with a wide variety of musical groups, covering styles. Some of his past and present associations include Portland State University Symphony Orchestra and Cascade Symphony Orchestra where he serves as Principal Violinist.
Come hear him and the Mike Horsfall Trio on Sunday, January 19th. Pre-Vespers music starts at 4:50pm.
This marks the fifth Jazz Vespers of the 2024-25 season. You can find the complete Jazz Vespers guest roster further down on this webpage.
Other highlights – Pastor David will guide our liturgy by creatively weaving the lyrics of a selected jazz song into his message. The congregation will be singing an original, jazz-influenced liturgy composed by Marguerite Luc. Valarie Brown will be our cantor. The Mike Horsfall Trio will include Laurent Nickel on bass, and Tim Rap on drums. We look forward to seeing you.
–Mike Horsfall, Director of Jazz
Be sure to join us for what’s sure to be a vibrant evening of music! The Vespers will be held in our St. James sanctuary. Pre-Vespers music begins at 4:50pm. Freewill offering. Join us after the service for an artists’ reception in the Pioneer Chapel at 6:00pm.
Eddie is joined by our St. James house band: Mike Horsfall, piano; Laurent Nickel, bass; Tim Rap, drums; and Valarie Brown, cantor.
NOTE: For the next two months of January and February — the Visual Artists’ Group presents abstract paintings by Joel Nickel — the very same artist who created the artwork displayed at the top of this webpage — in the Pioneer Chapel — with an artist’s reception for this exhibition following Jazz Vespers at 6:00pm.
Next month’s featured guest: Join us as we continue our new 2024-2025 season of Jazz Vespers — with a performance by our guest guitarist Dan Balmer — at 4:50pm on Sunday, February 16th, 2025. You can find the new 2024-2025 Jazz Vespers guest artist roster listed below.
The St. James Jazz Vespers series is alive and well! Since the completion of construction — we are holding our services back in our newly renovated St. James Lutheran Church building — at 5:00pm every 3rd Sunday of the month, with the prelude music starting at 4:50pm. The service consists of an original jazz-tinged liturgy, composed by Marguerite Luc, that involves the congregation and the cantor accompanied by a jazz trio. The pastor’s message is linked to a chosen jazz tune, which is performed after the sermon. The service is punctuated by thematic jazz standards featuring a special musical guest.
St. James Jazz Vespers 2024-2025 Season …
Join us on the third Sunday of each month for our Jazz Vespers series. You won’t want to miss it!
**** The new 2024-2025 Jazz Vespers guest artist roster:
Sep. 15th, 2024 – Renato Caranto, tenor sax
Oct. 20th, 2024 – Cheryl Alex, flute
Nov. 17th, 2024 – Della Simone, voice
Dec. 15th, 2024 – Kerry Politzer, piano; Mike Horsfall, vibes
Jan. 19th, 2025 – Eddie Parente, violin
Feb. 16th, 2025 – Dan Balmer, guitar
Mar. 16th, 2025 – John Stowell, guitar
Apr. 20th, 2025 – Pete Petersen, tenor sax
May 18th, 2025 – John Moak, trombone
June 15th, 2025 – Haley Horsfall, voice & percussion
July 20th, 2025 – Dmitri Matheny, flugelhorn
Aug. 17th, 2025 – Mieke Bruggeman, baritone sax
Pre-Vespers music begins at 4:50pm. Freewill offering.
Another new feature in this year’s series is the artwork used for the postcards, posters, and bulletins. The artist, Joel Nickel, and his piece “Breaking Out of the Box” — which is displayed at the top of this webpage — conveys colorful concepts, jagged rhythms, and reflections on Christian life that make up the music and messages at a Jazz Vespers service. Please join us as we celebrate this new season and feature these musicians!
NOTE: New “St. James Jazz Vespers – We’ll Be Together Again” CD Released!
The new CD, “St. James Jazz Vespers – We’ll Be Together Again”, has arrived! These musical highlights are a collection of tunes played during the pandemic shutdown from July 2020 to July 2021 by The Mike Horsfall Trio and guests of the St. James Jazz Vespers. You can purchase one for $20 at the St. James office. Enjoy!
NOTE: “Come Sunday – Jazz Standards from Jazz Vespers” CD is currently out of print.
The recording “Come Sunday” was jointly produced by St. James Lutheran and St. Luke’s Episcopal churches. The Mike Horsfall Trio, with Laurent Nickel on bass and Brent Follis on drums, is featured on the CD, along with some guest performers.
The St. James Jazz Vespers is held starting at 4:50pm every 3rd Sunday of the month. It is a welcoming, inclusive, meditative message, delivered in part by a beautiful, original liturgy, punctuated with select jazz standards throughout. The music is performed by the Mike Horsfall Trio, and features a special guest each month. All are welcome.
