No. 384  |  Nov 18, 2012   Intro   Start   Study   Pilgrim's Progress   Family Ties   Giving Thanks   JOY & JUBILATION   Play Audio  

Joy & Jubilation

Rev Stef & The Joy of Music

Smarter Than Its Audience    PLAY JUBILATION SAMPLER

The ambitious project crosses a wide range of Gospel styles, from progressive urban (the title track Launch Out, the sensual Got To Live Holy), to traditional styles (God’s Got It, the exquisite I’ll Trade A Lifetime), to Old School (I Thank You Lord), to anthems (In My Father’s House, the luminous A Mighty Fortress Is Our God). It is an exuberant and eclectic mix of dynamic styles which, as the group’s name suggests, energetically and joyfully proclaim the majesty of Jesus Christ. The Launch Out Project, the third release from Jubilation, compiles a mix of studio and live recordings by a large, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural group from central New Jersey. Their sincerity, joy and exuberance fairly burst from every cut, backed by the core rhythm section of keyboardist Loren Dawson, bassist Kevin Parker, and drummer Sherrod Williams. Teddy Riley/Guy alumnus Bernard Belle lends bass support on a few tracks and co-produces Launch Out with Minatee. Veteran Maalaco sessions man and master pianist James Perry appears on a couple of tracks, as do top-rated Gospel guitarist Jonathan Dubose and New York-area Gospel sessions drummer Jeff Davis, among many other A-List Gospel musicians playing on the project.

Standouts are as you like them. The offering here is so varied that zooming in on specific cuts tends to do a disservice to the work, and your mileage may vary. From my chair, I so enjoyed the bluesy trombone and lazy summer stroll of I'm Determined… the song would top my list. The laudable precision of anthems A Mighty Fortress Is Our God and James Cleveland’s masterpiece In My Father’s House likely impressed me the most. The more contemporary fare, such as the title track, work well but suffer the problems most contemporary music have in that they get weighted down in date-specific music styles that evolve swiftly or fall out of favor to the point where you really can’t record them fast enough.

I’d really have liked to have heard James Perry play some piano (they have him laying down string and horn parts), but Loren Dawson’s wonderfully nuanced keyboard work delights completely, as does the more subtle approach of pianist Alan R. Cherry. Kevin Parker's liquid bass lines wind and loop around Nancey Jackson (now-Johnson)'s plaintiff call-and-response with Jubilation on Got To Live Holy. Bernard Belle battles beast drummer Tony Royster with live and Moog bass (likely by way of Motif) while SuSu Bobian’s Kim Burrell né Tata Vega alto soars above both on Launch Out.

Lead Me To The Rock, The Launch Out Project’s initial release, is likely the most commercial and immediately accessible cut here. I like it very much, but I think the track is a bit misleading in that people might expect an entire album of Dannibelle Hall-Vanessa Bell Armstrong-Anybody Else Named “Bell” —style music, which The Launch Out Project is not. I also didn’t care much for the fade—just when I'm getting my praise on, they drop in the canned applause and fade out the track. This may have been done for commercial radio, but I’d rather they’d have included a radio edit somewhere and let this one work as long as it wanted. Nancey Jackson-Johnson shines with a confident, bombastic alto lead.

The only real complaint I might have is that this work might soar above the heads of most people the record is intended to minister to. Most people have a fairly narrow musical palette, to the extent that people may start skipping around the disc pursuing one style of music to the exclusion of others. I’d also have preferred the disc be mastered hotter. It’s mastered like a Blue Note jazz record, which is to say, mastered for grown-ups, with a natural dynamic range and warmth. Records these days are very cold. They are compressed wafer-thin, the music smashed to nothing, the bass turned WAY up and the levels pushed into brittle territory so the CD plays very loud and booming in a car stereo or on an iPod. The Launch Out Project is actually mastered the way records should be mastered, but, again, Us Folk may not have a lot of appreciation for that and may suspect there’s something wrong as it won’t sound anything at all like a J. Moss record.

We were fortunate to spend a few moments with Reverend Minatee, in the interview following below.

Christopher J. Priest
26 October 2008
editor@praisenet.org
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A Few Minutes Of Jubilation

Priest:  Music store racks are jammed full of choirs. They all sound like Hez, or like Mississippi Mass Featuring Hez, which, I guess, is a tribute to the impact Hezekiah Walker has had on the industry. But, I would imagine, carving out a unique sound for a Gospel choir is a real challenge.

Rev. Stef:  I am a stickler for preserving the history of this genre. It is tragic that most gospel music artists and those who love gospel music have no idea where this music came from. Aside from Thomas Dorsey, and maybe James Cleveland, the knowledge and history is null and void. I grew up listening to Gospel Music Pioneers. I had opportunity to be in the midst of them, including Rev. Lawrence Roberts, James Cleveland, the Caravans, Rosie Wallace, Billy Preston, Mattie Moss Clark, and others too numerous to name. I wanted young people and some older people to know and understand whose shoulders we stand on. The ministry of Jubilation is a great opportunity to celebrate all of these influences. You will hear this in our music, and certainly on this project.

Priest:  Does Jubilation, in fact, have a “sound”? The record seems to deliberately avoid convenient classification.

Rev. Stef:  I didn’t plan to avoid classification, I just wanted to pay tribute to several influences. Hymns, anthems, and spiritual songs are a part of our history. There would be no Gospel Music without the evolution of these genres. The message of Gospel Music (traditional and contemporary) always gives us a lift that will last. I’m not sure if Jubilation has a particular “sound.” I do know the vocal sound of the choir is rich and lush. Because of the project’s diversity, the listener can make up their mind.

Priest:  A lot of Gospel acts define their work as a ministry, but, in practice, they are artists. The industry itself seems to teeter between claims of being a ministry and the realities of running a business, and the entire “star system” of Gospel “stars” seems at odds with the personal example of Jesus Christ. How does Jubilation find its way in this often specious hybrid of industry and ministry?

Rev. Stef:  Jubilation is MINISTRY. Our motto is, “Gospel music should never be used to entertain, but to enlighten. It’s good news for bad times.” I’ve learned that people NEED ministry to make it from day to day. Unfortunately, Gospel music has become a business and it is sometimes difficult to keep things in their proper perspective. This is disheartening, because it was never created for this purpose. But I’ve learned if we do not compromise in ministry, and use our gifts to lift Jesus, God will take care of everything else. It’s ALWAYS ministry first.

Priest:  As I’ve often said, if the Gospel music industry was really serious about selling records, they’d go out and make more Christians. It seems, from my distance from it, to be a no-brainer. It’s supply and demand. But either I am unaware of industry support for evangelism, or there isn’t much, if any, industry support for evangelism, which suggests this is a business that is mainly about selling records to Christians.

We have a good sense of Jubilation’s music. Can you talk a little about Jubilation’s ministry?

Rev. Stef:  Jubilation consists of 100 plus members hailing from 28 cities in New Jersey. We also have members in Baltimore MD, and New York City. From its inception in 1998 we knew the hand of GOD was upon us. We were formed initially at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center only to sing one concert with Shirley Caesar. Once we got together, the power of GOD fell upon us. Yokes were broken within the choir, and certainly the people who witnessed the ministry knew it was not just a “one time thing.” Since then, every opportunity to minister has been remarkable. The members consider themselves ambassadors for Christ, using every opportunity to share the “good news.”

Priest:  As a musician, I’ve found this formula to be almost universally true: you either have people who are very serious about music, but whose testimony is toe-up, or you have “super-church,” much-holier-than-you, saved folk who can’t sing or play. It’s been the extremely rare occasion that I’ve met committed Christians who take music seriously, or, for that matter, serious musicians who take their Christian walk seriously.

How much of a challenge is that for Jubilation?

Rev. Stef:  With 100 plus people, I encounter several egos and opinions, sometimes on a consistent basis. Many have asked me how do I keep everyone working together. I can truly say GOD has blessed me to have membership that understands leadership. GOD has ordained them to follow where HE leads me. I have made many mistakes, but I have learned from each mistake. I have also been blessed with loving people of GOD who understand this, and pray for me mightily. This is truly the Lord’s FAVOR. I am humbled by the opportunity to lead such a wonderful group. I realize this great blessing!

Priest:  Rev. Stef is such an anointed and gifted songwriter, and yet the choir chose to cover previously released songs in new arrangements. It’s a good mix between old and new, but I am a little curious about process: why not do all-new material, especially with such a gifted scribe among you?

Rev. Stef:  I am laughing because the same comments come from my choir members. The truth is, I love arrangements, sometimes too much. I’ll hear a song and immediately want to arrange it for choir. As a music teacher for 26 years, some of this is habit. I’ve always had to arrange something for my school choir, so this might be part of the reason. I’ve promised the choir that I will do more original music on the next CD.

Priest:  I was inspired by Luther Vandross who, early in his career, set upon a wonderful dual track of both artist and producer/arranger for other artists, maximizing his appeal by bringing “The Luther Sound” (Vandross’ often baroque vocal arrangements over minimalist, biting rhythm section of Marcus Miller, Nat Adderly, Jr. and the late “Human Metronome,” Yogi Horton) to Aretha Franklin, Cheryl Lynn, Teddy Pendergrass and many others. Part of Vandross’s signature, of course, was not only wonderful original compositions, but complete re-imaging of classic tunes (check out Aretha’s “I Wish It Would Rain”). There is an instant, visceral connection between the music and the audience when you are revisiting a well-established piece while also bringing something very new and very different to it. “I’m Determined To Walk With Jesus” is very, very, very Quincy Jones/Andraé Crouch. The Bob James-George Duke keys on “God’s Got It”—these nuances elevate the work above mere covers, making them original in every way that counts.

Priest:  Most of the arrangements are superb, very lush and multi-tiered, reminding me of Andraé Crouch at the height of his anointing or, as I mention above, Quincy Jones. I’m not a huge fan of canned horn sections (keyboard samples and even live horns which are now over-used on Sounds-Like-Hez projects), and I really wish you had a live string section. Otherwise, The Launch Out Project has a very thick, grown-up sound. Can you talk about influences and sound design?

Rev. Stef:  Wow! I’m honored to be mentioned with the names Andraé Crouch and Quincy Jones [Editor’s note: Jones often used Crouch for lush choir parts, The Color Purple and The Dude, many Michael Jackson tracks, etc.]. The mature voices of Jubilation (ages 25-90), have a lot to do with the grown up sound. As previously stated, I’ve been influenced greatly by traditional gospel artists, so you’ll hear Church, and you’ll hear praise and worship. If you’re looking for acrobatic verbal or instrumental musical riffs, you won’t find much here. This is traditional-based. This project is devised to reach the soul. I also love contemporary gospel, so you’ll hear some here. But I believe real “choir music” is fading. I wanted to share songs the choir director can teach for Sunday morning. I wanted to reach the listener who's going through and needs to be encouraged. It’s always a ministry opportunity to me.

Priest:  To me, as I’ve said, it’s really starting to sound alike: a lot of young people jumping around and key modulations for the sake of modulating keys. The composition is all about complex chord structures—keyboardists trying to impress one another—instead of core fundamentals of music theory. I can’t understand what the choir is saying or why they’re saying it, and I do not, in many cases, achieve an emotional connection to the piece. Forgive me for sounding overly negative, but there are 300 music sites out there who’ll give you the happy-happy. I’m just telling you why I don’t listen to a lot of Gospel anymore. I studied music theory. Most Gospel music out today makes my head hurt.

The Reverend Darryl Cherry, our mutual acquaintance, recorded this wonderful, lush ballad, “He Is Holy.” A lot of people lose patience with it because it’s the kind of song that needs time to breathe, needs scope to unwind. The Reverend Isaac Douglas’s “On Christ The Solid Rock I Stand” and James Cleveland’s “Peace Be Still” still send chills down my spine, but neither are three and a half minutes of Jump! Jump! Jump! and key modulations. Kurt Carr, whose “In The Sanctuary” is Public Enemy Number One for this Jump-And-Modulate business is also the same guy who gave us, “They Didn’t Know” and “For Every Mountain”—songs that can bring a listener to their knees.

Defining A "Win"

Priest:  Let’s get into a bit of history: The New Jersey Performing Arts Center. What is it, and how did a choir emerge from it? Was Rev. Stef part of the group from the start?

Rev. Stef:  The New Jersey Performing Arts Center is one of the premiere performance centers in the world. The acoustics are phenomenal. A few years after its inception, (1998), NJPAC was interested in forming a gospel choir. Many of their employees loved to sing gospel music. I organized auditions, and served as Artistic Director. This was to happen for “one concert only.” As stated, the rest is history. Jubilation will celebrate their 10th anniversary in November. As I look back now, I can see it was all the divine plan of GOD. To GOD be the Glory!

Priest:  Being a “professional” choir and having auditions—does that seem contrary to the purpose of singing God’s praises?

Rev. Stef:  This is a question we struggle with, but it must be answered honestly and with compassion. I believe we are called to give GOD our best. The scripture reminds us that GOD gives diverse gifts (1st Corinthians 12). These gifts are given to edify the Body of Christ and to win souls for Christ. Everyone in Jubilation knows music ministry is their area of gifting. They offer their gifts with love, integrity, and accountability. It’s dangerous to move in areas where we are not gifted. Many times we are unsuccessful because we try to do things GOD has not gifted us to do. We eventually find out this was not our gift, after we’ve wasted much time and energy.

Priest:  I have had the thankless task of sitting down with a couple sisters and gently suggesting that singing might not be their gift. Our egos are often front and center with our artistic expression, and many of us are tone deaf about areas of gifting. Many of us seek external validation through ministry, which is not at all what ministry is about. Ministry is about supplication, about denying self. When Reverend Cherry decided to record, the first thing I did was fire the band, starting with myself. I was the first person I fired, because the task required somebody like that monster Kevin Parker, and my bass skills weren’t there.

Church choirs, on the other hand, should—as much as possible—present an opportunity for everyone to share. The church is about the community coming together. Jubilation seems much more about the Levites, God’s musical SWAT team: people set apart for a specific purpose. And I would imagine the Levites (2 Chronicles 5) held auditions.

Priest:  Let’s talk about the creative process: when did Rev. Stef (creative director) become part of the group, and how are creative decisions made?

Rev. Stef:  From the inception, I have been creative director. I have a wonderful staff of musicians, great management, and a council of advisors. But for the most part, the final decisions lie with me. I have co-produced with other folks though Bernard Belle and I co-produced Launch Out. I’ve also worked with Darren Lighty of D-Life Music and have co-produced with Gospel Music Icon, Dorothy Norwood.

Priest:  How often does the group practice? Beyond that, does the group socialize together? Worship together?

Rev. Stef:  Jubilation rehearses on Saturday mornings. Each season (September–June) the membership is given a schedule of rehearsals and ministry opportunities. As opportunities come, our calendar increases. We have a “Summer Jam” each August, where we get together and fellowship with membership, family and friends. Because of our busy schedule this summer, the JAM was put on hold.

Priest:  How does everyone get along? How are conflicts resolved? Should we read anything into Nicole’s comment, “…iron sharpens iron…” in the linear notes?

Rev. Stef:  Jubilation is a family. In every family there is conflict. Thank GOD, we are able to resolve conflict and grow from it. Jubilation consists of many different personalities. There is also history within the choir. Our oldest member is 90 years old. There are CEO’s, principals, a nurse, an attorney, a law enforcement officer, a civil court judge, one of the first BLACK graduates from Julliard School of music, the first BLACK female detective for the City of Newark, and many more. With all of this, it’s still important to focus on ministry. I think that is what Nicole meant by iron sharpening iron.

Priest:  Having managed a large recording choir and produced their live recording, I know, firsthand, how exhausting the work can be. The main challenge, for us, was always finances. A lot of venues paid very little, a lot of churches blessed us with very little. Moving 85 people and band equipment around is expensive. Talk about the challenges and rewards of your ministry.

Rev. Stef:  We are blessed with a wonderful manager, Nicole Davis. She makes this easier. Before Nicole came on board, it was a challenge. Nicole Davis brings years of experience. She handles all venues and booking. GOD has given her the spirit of discernment. She knows what will and will not work for us. We thank GOD for her.

Priest:  Let’s talk about goals. What constitutes a “win” for Jubilation? Is this all about record sales and stardom?

Rev. Stef:  A win for Jubilation is the opportunity we’re receiving right now, an open door to share our ministry with others. We thank GOD for every opportunity, but as the Senior Saints say, “Only what you do for Christ will last.” We pray for continued FAVOR, and additional opportunity to share our ministry across the world.

Priest:  Is there anything I didn’t ask you that I should have?

Rev. Stef:  I just want to say thanks. I don’t take kindness for granted, and we really appreciate you. We ask the people of GOD to continue to lift us up in prayer. GOD has already done more than we could ever imagine. He continues to “blow our minds.” We are grateful for friends like you, and the BODY of Christ. We love you with Jubilation Joy!

editor@praisenet.org
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