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Rev. Anne Hodges-Copple and Deanna after an October 2008 jazz vespers at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Durham, North CarolinaCheck out the bulletin from St. Luke's to get a sense of how evening prayer and jazz can enrich each other!
"Every time God's children have thrown away fear in pursuit of honesty-
trying to communicate themselves, understood or not- miracles have
happened."
-Duke Ellington, from note to his First Sacred Concert
As a musician with a deep love for jazz and for the Church, Ellington's quote urges me on, as does the legacy of Mary Lou Williams. Jazz, which is rather on the fringe of society, is even more on the fringe of the life of the Church. I strive to "throw away fear in pursuit of honesty" as I bring together the richness of both jazz and liturgy. A recent (March 2010) testimonial:Christ
Church Cathedral (Springfield, MA), recently hosted Deanna Witkowski and her
trio on a return visit, five years after their first appearance here.
It was worth the wait! At both the evening concert and in the service
on Sunday morning, Deanna displayed her usual freshness, originality,
and sensitivity across the range of moods, from meditative to
high-energy.
And
what chops she has! She plays, composes, and improvises with total
assurance, always appropriate to the text, the moment, the event. And,
as a musician myself, I am simply in awe of the amazing harmonic
vocabulary she has at her command, and so effortlessly employs.
Many members of the congregation made a point of expressing their pleasure at her return, and their hope that she'd be back again soon.Peter B. Beardsley, Music Director at Christ Church Cathedral
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ListenThe From This Place songbook is now available!
Click on the book to check out a sample, and visit
the store page to order the book either as a spiral-bound
book or as a pdf! 135 pp.
Rev. Peter F. O'Brien, SJ
Executive Director of The Mary Lou Williams Foundation
Vulnerable, soulful depth through a graceful harmonic approach. This music is a gift and an inspiration to listeners everywhere seeking new songs and ideas for worship.
Ike Sturm
Assistant Director of Music for the Jazz Ministry at Saint Peter's Church, New York
Improvisation, which is at the heart of jazz, provides a metaphor for the Creator's acts toward the creation and toward human creators. The worshiper (or, in the case of recordings, the listener) listens for wonder, playfulness, surprise, wit, and respect for tunes on which each improvisation is based. Those of us who have heard Deanna in church, home, club, studio, or auditorium, have found new reasons to improvise praise for such fresh sounds.
Martin E. Marty, theologian
University of Chicago
From This Place
NOW AVAILABLE! Place an order here.
Not since Mary Lou Williams has there been a pianist who has melded jazz and liturgy into such a joyous, accessible art form. Deanna Witkowski, winner of the 2002 Great American Jazz Piano Competition and a heralded bandleader/composer with three previous quartet releases, has saved her most honest and soulful music for her 2009 sacred jazz recording, From This Place.
From This Place features Donny McCaslin on saxes, John Patitucci on bass, and Scott Latzky on drums; guest vocalists Laila Biali, Peter Eldridge, and Kate McGarry contribute on several tracks.
From This Place features Donny McCaslin on saxes, John Patitucci on bass, and Scott Latzky on drums; guest vocalists Laila Biali, Peter Eldridge, and Kate McGarry contribute on several tracks.
Moving with the Spirit: The Sacred Music of Mary Lou Williams
NEW: The entire Kennedy Center performance is also available in streaming video here.
Moving With the Spirit is ready to hit the road in celebration of Mary Lou Williams' centennial (2010). The project is available in different sizes (either as a self-contained duo or trio; or as a duo or trio with Dr. Kernodle). Contact Deanna for more information.
Deanna joins Dr. Tammy Kernodle, author of Soul on Soul: The Life and Music of Mary Lou Williams, in a program of words and music devoted to the sacred jazz of Williams and Witkowski. This project had its premiere in January 2007 at Saint Peters Church in New York City, and is available for schools, churches, and festivals. In 2008, Deanna and Tammy presented a similar event as part of the International Association for Jazz Education conference in Toronto, Ontario as well as at Duke University.
Download the press release and a corresponding educational handout.
Sacred jazz in your neighborhood
Deanna travels extensively presenting sacred jazz in services, concerts, and workshops. She is happy to work with church music directors in making her music available to choirs and congregations in advance of an appearance.
Some testimonials (click here for a full page of quotes as well as as listing of past venues)
Deanna's music has come along when we as church musicians need it the most. Her language is unique and fresh, and her melodies are singable by professional and amateur alike. Deanna brings soul to texts that may have passed away from the mainstream. -Paul Klemme, music director at St. Paul's Episcopal, Salem, OR
Deanna's sensitive, searching musical voice beckons you to join her explorations of the spirit.
-Cary Ratcliff, composer, music director, Bethany Presbyterian, Rochester, NY
Deanna's music is dynamic and moving as she weaves the sacred and secular into food for the spiritual soul.
-Reverend Judy Lee Hay, Calvary St. Andrew's Presbyterian, Rochester, NY
Deanna brings a rare musical intelligence to the music of the liturgy, supporting the familiar texts of the church with inventive melodies and rich harmonic movement. She's a major talent who has much to offer to the worlds of jazz and faith.
-Bill Carter, jazz pianist and pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Clarks Summit, PA
When David danced before the Arc of God, some folk were scandalized, but God was pleased, for David's dance was an expression of his joyful abandon to the Spirit of the living God. Witkowski's playing has that same spirit of joyful abandon. God's love poured out and touched even those who were convinced that jazz was not even good music, let alone a means of grace. When our jazz service ended the first person to speak with me was the chair of the worship committee who said, "When can we get her back?"
-Rev. William Weisenbach, DD, Senior Pastor
First Presbyterian Church, Katonah, NY
Online sacred music for purchase!
Besides the new From This Place songbook, individual pieces from my sacred music collection are available as individual downloadable pdfs at the online store.