James Tatum - Contemporary Jazz Mass & Live at the Orchestra (2016)

Two gems of independent Detroit jazz, reissued for the first time on Jazzman Records.

James Tatum's stunning, spiritualised Contemporary Jazz Mass is one of the only true jazz masses ever released. Inspired by Duke Ellington's Sacred Concerts, Tatum's masterwork was recorded on its first ever performance at St Cecilia Church in Detroit, and released on his own private label in 1974. Professional music educator and jazz composer Tatum had been working as a teacher in Detroit, and in the long aftermath of the 1967 riots he had started to instruct local children music in St Cecilia's. The Church commissioned the mass in 1972, and Tatum put together an ensemble of singers from within the church, backed by his own trio and local jazz musicians.

Looking toward the great sacred works of Ellington, but with lyrics drawn straight from liturgy, the Contemporary Jazz Mass is a unique work of sanctified vocal jazz - nourishment for the spirit and soul, brought back to you by Jazzman Records!

The CD version of this release also includes Tatum's independent second release Live at the Orchestra Hall & Paradise Theater. Another breathtaking long-form vocal jazz composition, Tatum intended Live..., to take the listener on a trip through the deep history of African-American music, expressing the spirit and sound of the past through the medium of jazz music and song.