Saturday, March 17, 2007

Mary Lou Williams wrote three complete Jazz Masses. Her second was written in the spring of 1968. This was her Mass for the Lenten Season. This Mass is being played and sung each Sunday during this year's (2007) Lent at The Church of St. Joseph of the Holy Family on 125th Street at Morningside Avenue in Harlem (New York City, N.Y.). The Pianist and Music Director is Aaron J. Diehl who will graduate from The Juilliard School of Music this June. Mass takes place at 10AM sharp and is one and one-half hours in length. Professional singers from The Manhattan School of Music augment the Church's regular Sunday choir. The music at these Masses also includes Mary Lou Williams's composition, I Have a Dream, composed in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ms. Williams wrote this immediately after Dr. King's assassination and included it in her "Mass for the Lenten Season".

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Mary Lou Williams Foundation - Facebook Updates

Mary Lou Williams Foundation - Facebook Updates