All good Gospel music is the same; all bad Gospel music is bad in its own way. Great experiences in the Gospel tent at Jazzfest led me to do some online investigation. One of the best churches for the whole experience is that of Noel Jones in Los Angeles. For the music try:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_BxswCQRtU&feature=related
This Gospel song – “It’s not about us, but it’s about Jesus” is really one of the very best. The secularized version of it (equally true) would be “Your life is not about you; you’re about life.”
And for a great experience of the bizarre preaching, coupled with fundraising, look at this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJJpDvn2-xE&feature=related
This Noel Jones fellow appears to be a great example of all the contradictions here. One of his themes is taking a “vow of prosperity,” which is a really glorious summation of the whole Protestant phenomenon in Christianity.
The best Gospel group I saw at Jazzfest were “The Anointed Jackson Sisters,” seven sisters beside whom Arethra Franklin would look like Twiggy. And talk about vocal power!
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