Original Music Composition, Mvt. II from Jazz Mass, 2009

I composed this Jazz Mass setting for choir, string orchestra and soloists in honor of my mentor and Jazz Pastor, Rev. Dale Lind. Dale is a dear friend and one of the most empathetic and caring people I’ve ever known. I wanted to write something special for him and I put everything I had into this music. My father helped me orchestrate this piece and we were able to play it together before he passed away – one of the most memorable experiences of my life. The musical inspiration for this piece was a dancing bass line I wrote called “Play,” which found me early one morning when I was playing with my two year-old child. I knew I wanted to work this bass line into the Gloria, but the more I wrote and followed my intuition, I ended up with a 10-minute piece that never included my original bass line – the one thing on which I thought the piece was built! Misty and I have played this piece all over the world and I’ve always loved the way each ensemble comes together and “takes off” at the final “Gloria.” It never fails to bring me goose bumps when encountering a community’s powerful energy and spirit, reminding me of God’s presence around and within us.

Ike Sturm; Croton-on-Hudson, NY

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