From Swing Band to Gospel Choir

COMMENT

WHEN the Heart & Soul Swing Band was launched in 2013, we had no idea how this musical seed might grow and branch out. Now, five years on, we have a lively bunch of 20 church musicians who bring their gospel songs to audiences all over Scotland’s central belt.

With church members, elders and ministers in our ranks, it is clear that the band is about much more than having a good time on a Saturday night. We care about our music and we care even more about its message. Equally, what keeps us going along the long dark roads of winter is the knowledge that donations received at gigs all go to the Church of Scotland HIV Programme. To date more than £23,000 has come their way.

It occurred to me that the qualities we value in our band are qualities which could and should be shared by a wider group of performers. What, I wondered, would it be like to take our home-grown songs and set them up for church choirs and bands to enjoy? This question stuck with me so with the help of our very good friend Richard Michael (internationally renowned jazz pianist, broadcaster and church organist) I set to work seeing what might be done.

The first step was taken in the summer of 2017 when an application was lodged for a Church of Scotland Go For It Fund grant, intended to help Longniddry Parish Church set up the first Heart & Soul Community Gospel Choir. With some very welcome finances safely in the bag, I turned to Richard and together we agreed on our “Big 10”: the list of songs which we agreed on as the starting point for our choral experiment.

As last year gave way to this, Richard worked away on arranging choir parts until by June 2018 he had the songs in their final form, ready to go. A summer of road-testing followed, as band members tried out the new repertoire in different settings.

And so now the fun really gets under way. We are inviting singers to join us for our “Sing with the Swing Band” day on Saturday November 3 in Longniddry Church. In the morning we will look at the basics of singing and swinging, then after lunch we will home in on some great gospel songs – both old and new – which participants can sing out to the sound of trumpets, saxophones and so many other jazz instruments. It should be great fun.

From there, we hope and trust that 2019 will see more than one Heart & Soul Community Gospel Choir being launched. We would love to see the “Big 10” being picked up by choirs and congregations all around the country and beyond. After all, full scores and individual parts for choir and band will be available for download free of charge from the Church of Scotland website. In this way, anyone who feels like trying something new can give it a go at no cost.

“It occurred to me that the qualities we value in our band are qualities which could and should be shared by a wider group of performers.

Where might this lead? Perhaps to livelier Sundays in church, and hopefully also to groups of singers and instrumentalists discovering for themselves why gospel rhythm and blues can offer so profoundly moving an insight in the passion of faith. So while this is certainly about refreshing worship, it is also about stimulating outreach into the community through the language of gospel.

If you would like to take part in this special event in November, you can register for “Sing with the Swing Band” through the Eventbrite website. Tickets are free of charge but must be booked in advance.

This article appears in the September 2018 Issue of Life and Work

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