An accomplished bassist and leading composer of sacred jazz works, Ike Sturm designs and curates innovative programs at Saint Peter’s Church. As Director of Music for Jazz, Sturm composes music for weekly liturgies and has toured the U.S., Denmark, Sweden, Germany and Norway with his band, Evergreen. His Jazz Mass was awarded 4 1/2 stars by Downbeat and was named one of the “Best CDs of the Year.” The same magazine described his 2015 Shelter of Trees album as “undeniably beautiful.” His latest project is a collaboration with guitarist Jesse Lewis called ENDLESS FIELD. Their debut album was released in 2017 on the Biophilia label.
Johnathan Blake, one of the most accomplished drummers of his generation, has also proven himself a complete and endlessly versatile musician — "the ultimate modernist," as John Murph of NPR has dubbed him. Blake's gift for composition and band leading, so ably demonstrated on his 2012 recording debut The Eleventh Hour, reflects years of live and studio experience across the aesthetic spectrum.
http://www.johnathanblake.com/
About Jazz Vespers
Each Sunday at 6:00 P.M. an open community gathers for prayer and reflection on the lines of sacred scripture and jazz.
The community is diverse and includes people who live near and far, native and new New Yorkers, and people visiting New York City. Oftentimes churches will bring groups from their home congregations. Others are not Christians or are exploring Christianity for the first time in this supportive environment. Musicians from New York and throughout the world come to play.
As at every other liturgy of Saint Peter's Church, everyone is welcome.