Jazz/prog/psych/pop masses

[Brainbomb]

I'm very partial to xian masses performed in interesting ways. Here are the ones I have:

The Dean of Perth with Bakery and Jazz Ensemble - Rock Mass for Love
Recorded live at St Georges Cathedral - a sermon with progressive rock and jazz. Could have a bit less spoken word but it's not too bad and the music is great and groovy.

Dukes of Kent and the Voices of Celebration - Kent Schneider's Celebration of Man
Jazz mass type xian thing, and quite amazing. The only downside is a purely spoken part that's just a little bit too long and that sits right in the middle of one side. Otherwise it has a couple of the most wonderful and sublime gospel/soul-jazz songs, a hip beatnik rap and even some avantgarde freeform going on.

The Electric Prunes - Mass in F Minor
The David Axelrod produced classic with Gregorian type chants and a big orchestra. All blends togehter nicely and it's actually mainly long instrumental guitar freakouts. See also: Release of an Oath.

Katarzyna Gärtner & Czerwono-Czarni - Pan przyjacielem moim
A beat mass with some funky and psychedelic moments in addition to the beaty ones and the oddly few more sacral moments. Excellent.

Leif Strands Kammarkör
Four records released between 1969-1974(I think): En Skiva Med, En Skiva Till Med, Sorgen och Glädjen, Allt Under Himlens Fäste. Sacral chamber choir meets jazz orchestra to perform hymns and folksmusic. Records contain many well known Swedish jazzers of the time like Georg Riedel, Arne Domnerus, Rune Gustafsson, Egil Johansen, Bengt Hallberg. Very recommended.

Paul Horn - Jazz Suite on the Mass Texts
Christian mass with choirs singing in latin meets flute heavy jazz. Composed and conducted by Lalo Schifrin. Very good.

Plus - The Seven Deadly Sins
Perhaps more heavy psych-type things but there are some mass-like moments.

Ökumenische Beatmesse - Liebe ist nicht nur ein Wort
Odd xian mass meets pop/jazz/folk. Has some really good tracks and is overall decent.


Decided not to include Pierre Henrys Mass for Today because it's not mass-like enough, Calderas Moog Mass because while strange and vocoder heavy I don't like it that much.

What am I missing? There's a Finnish one I need to find but I forgot what it is. Headless Mermaid has it....

[reza]

http://www.discogs.com/Joe-Masters-T...elease/3079331

http://www.discogs.com/Heikki-Sarman.../master/238142

http://www.discogs.com/Michael-Garri...elease/4502936

http://www.discogs.com/James-Tatum-C...elease/1156467

[Headless mermaid]

Heikki Sarmanto: New Hope Jazz Mass, Finland 1979

[Little Jimmy Oddman]

Does David Fanshawe's African Sanctus fit the bill? Well-known round these parts but a record that sounds as strange now as when I first heard it: top UK session musicians doing funk, plus field recordings, plus classical mass setting.

[spirito santo]

Im a big fan of these too. The Electric Prunes albums are two of my all time favorite records. Here's a couple others I could think of-

Mind Garage - Again! The Electric Liturgy
Os Mundi - Latin Mass
Lalo Schifrin - Rock Requiem

[Sie-Fly]

sorry Mattias - didn't see you had this one - anyway worth a listen

[jakartajive]

Obvious one, but not one that's been mentioned yet!

[ninja simone]

I don't think you're part of this years CD swap Brainbomb but on my CD the opening seven minute Duke Ellington tune from his third - and seemingly most forgotten - Sacred Concert is possibly one of the most beautiful and saddest pieces of music I know. He wrote it in the knowledge that he was dying (six months before he actually did) and my recording has Alice Babs (for whose voice it was specifically written) singing live in Westminster Abbey in 1973 with Ellington playing piano.

It's on Spotify I think under 'Lord's prayer/My Love'. The only online review of the whole LP that I've found barely mentions these two (connected) tracks and is generally very dismissive which I find incredible just on the basis of these alone. I can't believe it's as forgotten as it's (lack of) online presence would suggest it is. Apparently at the performance Ellington was still making compositional alterations during the interval!

I can't tire of listening to this since I stumbled upon it a few months ago. No doubt others on VG+ will be well aware of it already though.

[plushpig]

If Mass For Today doesn't count how about Henry's Ceremony w/ Spooky Tooth?

[spirito santo]

I seem to remember another one from a Psych group from Argentina or Brazil, it has a red cover. I can't remember the name of the band, but it's not a totally obscure record.

[Daddy Ya Ya]

The Toronto Mass written and arranged by Tim Elia on Mass Records in 1972. Great funky Jazz in an Axelrod stylee ...surprised it's not better known.

Some blurb plus sound clips here...

http://recordoobscura.blogspot.co.uk...onto-mass.html

[Campag Record]

I just picked up the Words And Music LP by Jimmy Webb last week and only had the chance to needle drop it so far (apart from playing the fab Sleeping In The Daytime) but the track Psalm One Five 0 sounds like it might fit the bill for the thread (no youtube clip).

[Brainbomb]

Ah yes, that's the Finnish one. Forgot about Rock Requiem.

Otherwise some good suggestions - some I recognize now taht you mention them, some I don't.

[Cacapo]

David Black Presents Salvation The New Rock Musical

[mr sayers]

David Black Presents Salvation The New Rock Musical

Yes, one I rate also, seen it pitched as Axelrodesque!

Should be cheap BTW...