Dr. Michael White and His New Orleans Jazz Ensemble Return to Old Lyme
OLD LYME – During the weekend of Nov. 5 and 6, the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme (FCCOL) will hold a free “Rhythm of the Saints” Concert on Saturday night followed by a Sacred Jazz Worship Service on Sunday morning – with both events featuring the return of Dr. Michael White and his New Orleans Jazz Ensemble.
On Sunday morning, Dr. Michael White and his New Orleans Jazz Ensemble will play during a Sacred Jazz Worship Service at the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme.
The concert will take place on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 5 p.m., and the worship service on Sunday, Nov. 6, at 10 a.m. Both events will take place in the Meetinghouse, are free and open to all area residents. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis.
In announcing the special events, Senior Minister Rev. Steve Jungkeit said, “During the final days of October and into the first week of November, Christian churches mark All Saint’s Day, or All Soul’s Day. It is a time in which we honor the lives of those who have died during the past year, but it’s also a time to recognize the wisdom of those who have come before us.”
He continued, “In similar fashion, African and Indigenous traditions use that time to honor their own wisdom keepers of the past, in celebrations that often last for several days. It’s a cultural practice that we in Old Lyme do well to emulate and uphold.’
Jungkeit added, “Once again this year, Dr. Michael White and his New Orleans Jazz Ensemble return to Old Lyme to help us all to recognize and affirm the ancestral voices that have guided us individually and collectively along our life journeys.”
He elaborated, “With a sound that reaches back to the earliest days of jazz – one that is, in truth, older than jazz, and older than the country itself – Michael White’s music calls to the ancestors, even as it raises the tired and flagging spirits of those privileged to hear these ancient/modern songs.”
Jungkeit concluded, “The jazz ensemble’s songs establish a rhythm for the saints, both the living and dead, for both the past and present.”