Isaac Watts and New Orleans Jazz.

Dr. Isaac Watts' Hymns and Spiritual Songs were used as a means of trying to inculcate Western-style music among African-Americans in New Orleans in the late 1800s. Interestingly enough, these hymns were radically altered by the polytonal and polyrhythmic style of the evolving musical tradition that would eventually obtain the label "jazz". This vignette is painted by Tony Gioia in The History of Jazz in the first chapter dedicated to country and classic blues, which is part of a free sample I downloaded onto my Kindle. Although Gioia intended to use this example as a way Western and African/African-American musical styles have a symbiotic relationship in the history of jazz, I think it is also a reminder of how "you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from ever tribe and language and people and nation" (Rev. 5:9). Moreover, how the gospel message has universal appeal, and not a Western fabrication.

On a more mundane note, I've found myself lacking in much knowledge about the different genres within "jazz" and its history, although I listen to it a lot, and have heard of Gioia's book being recommended several times before. I've enjoyed the sample chapter so far and will most likely purchase it on my Kindle for light reading; I'll most likely post some distilled summaries of various basic points in the book in the future.

General Updates:

• Working on a paper for Contemporary Philosophy of Religion on the topic of biblical theology and its impact on how evangelicals should view church-and-state relations in the U.S.
• We had our last UCF leadership team meeting last night, which was a good time of encouraging one another in the fruit we've seen this past year. We had some pizza afterward, got some ice cream/snacks from CVS, and went to the Lincoln Memorial.
• Going to have the new CO constitution submitted this week to begin the transition; exciting!
• Deciding between two different living situations: 1) Batcave, 2) Nick Thompson's place; will have a decision by the end of this weekend insh'allah.