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CURRENTLY IN MUSIC
Hymns for Jazz lovers

John Longhurst

An Old Fashioned Hymn Swing

Swing Unto the Lord Peter Dent. Vancouver, B.C.: MARPET Productions & BOPEDO Productions, 2000. $18.00 & $23.00 (taxes and shipping incl.)

People who like hymns and jazz will enjoy two CDs from Vancouver pianist Peter Dent: An Old Fashioned Hymn Swing and Swing Unto the Lord.

Familiar tunes such as “Jesus Christ is Risen Today”, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” and “Guide Me, Oh Thou Great Jehovah” take on new life through Dent’s creative adaptations. Liner notes provide background about the hymns, information about his arrangements and personal reflections on what the songs mean to him.

Dent, 56, was raised in the United Church of Canada, and grew up singing many of the old hymns as a teen. As he grew older, he drifted away; later, as part of Vancouver’s well-known Bach Choir, he sang many of the old hymns and found them speaking to him in a new way.

“I began to hear all sorts of ways to take many of these marvelous old melodies and dress them up in a fresh way,” he says, adding that through the process he found himself “reconnecting to the spiritual life which I had as a youth, and which I have rediscovered.” Today, he is involved in St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church in downtown Vancouver, where he sings in the choir and participates in the church’s Jazz Vespers, a unique ministry to the city’s jazz community and jazz lovers.

“Many of the old hymn tunes are great melodies and deserve to be heard,” he says. “My goal at all times is to respect the original tunes, both the melodic integrity and the underlying sentiment of the pieces. I hope my love and respect for these old tunes is transmitted through the CDs to the listeners.”

A listen to the two CDs, which feature piano, bass and drums, shows that he has accomplished his goal. For the listener, it’s an opportunity to hear the old familiar tunes in a fresh and toe-tapping way.

The CDs are available by writing to 3119 Pine St., Vancouver, B.C. V6J 5A8, phone (604) 266-7650, e-mail peterdent@telus.net or visit www.peterdent.com.

John Longhurst is a member of River East MB Church in Winnipeg.

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Last modified April 19, 2001.

© 2001 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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