The Adventist Jazz Band Craze

29 Pages·2009·0.14 MB·English

by  David M. Curtis

The Adventist Jazz Band Craze
We do not know where it got started, but our col- said. A hands-on band is a way to include important com-
lege presidents and faculty must have been con- ponents in the music department curriculum in a way most
cerned about devising ways to increase enrollment useful and alive to students, to know it experientially, she
and tuition. said—‘not just in a class.’ ”
W So they decided to start on-campus “Jazz [She is saying that it is important that our schools teach
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Bands”—using that very name! They seem to have every aspect of modern worldliness to the students, to
1 lost all shame. But God is writing it all in His book. broaden their education, so they can better enjoy adult life.]
4 Why do not our college and university boards stop “As a student here in the early 1980s, Parsons and other
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0 this? High-placed church leaders (including Union, North musicians met in the music building at night for impromptu
American Division, and General Conference personnel) jam sessions, he remembered with a laugh. ‘The night re-
are on those boards. They have tremendous influence! ceptionist was an older lady and hard of hearing. She had
I keep hearing reports of new ones. Previously, they no idea what we were doing in there.’
were only to be found in our “celebration” and “planted” “It was necessary then to go underground, he explained.
churches. ‘Years ago, when jazz was first attaining prominence, it was
Here is an article and a letter which clearly show typical of conservative Christians in general—and not lim-
that this trend is rather quickly spreading throughout ited to Adventists—to avoid the places where jazz could be
our U.S. Adventist colleges. found.’
The first is from a city newspaper in Eastern Wash- “That included brothels and saloons, venues open to
ington. The public is astounded that Adventists are so black musicians in the 1920s, Parson said. ‘And this was
degrading themselves, as to instruct their youth in this the music of black society.’
music. “Then ‘it was the music of the whorehouse,’ he said.
NEWS CLIP Today the uniquely American sound is recognized as a valid
WALLA-WALLA UNION BULLETIN art form, one that contains important components of his-
APRIL 8, 2007 tory and timeline of society’s ideas.
“Church and Jazz—There’s a passage in the Bible “But it has taken a while for the Adventist society to
which Music Educator, Ken Parsons of Southern Adventist recognize the evolution, Parsons said.
University, likes to refer to. [As stated later in this news “He’s excited to see the breaking of this particular mu-
article, Parsons is the Jazz Band Instructor at SAU.] sic like dawn at his alma mater [WWC] and credits the mu-
“ ‘In First Corinthians, Paul is talking about food that’s sic department for responding to what will best serve stu-
been offered to idols,’ he said. dents, he adds.
“What Parsons refers to is Paul’s advice to the Corin- “Parson’s own jazz band at Southern [Adventist Uni-
thian community to avoid whatever things—in this par- versity] is seven years old. Although he gets the occasional
ticular passage he mentions food—that might cause one negative comment from ‘very’ conservative church mem-
to stumble on the path toward God, while recognizing bers, concerts are well attended, he said.
the food itself is neither evil nor holy.” “ ‘I hear from older Adventists, and they are almost
[This is Parson’s way of excusing jazz music as some- giddy [with happiness at now having jazz bands on our col-
thing inherently good, as something which can only help lege campuses]. This is the stuff they had to sneak off
his students.] campus to listen to.’ ”
“This Walla Walla College graduate [Parsons] was chim- LETTER REVEALING A DISCOVERY
ing in on the Walla Walla College Jazz Band, new this year “About a week ago I talked with the principal of Loma
to the academic curriculum, and tuning up for its first Linda Academy about the fact that they have started a Jazz
8 public concert Wednesday. Band which has brought a lot of negative publicity to them.
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0 “The college joins only a handful of other Adventist He feels uncomfortable with this type of music.
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R universities with institution-affiliated jazz bands, said “What he next told me really causes me great concern.
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B [Ken] Parsons, who graduated locally in 1983 and now He stated that this Jazz Band phenomena started with our
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E teaches at Southern, in Tennessee. SDA colleges.
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O “Historically, ‘jazz’ and ‘Adventist’ haven’t coexisted “He next said that Southern Adventist University just
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N: in the same sentence, agreed Ginger Ketting-Weller, vice recently sent their Jazz Band to Loma Linda Academy so
O president of academic administration at Walla Walla Col- they could recruit Loma Linda Jazz Band members to come
ATI lege. ‘Generally, there has been a sense that modern cul- to Southern Adventist University and become a part of their
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LI ture draws people away from spiritual life.’ Jazz Band.
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U “Jazz was considered something to be avoided, she “My question is, why does Southern Adventist Univer-
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F said. sity have such a program and why are they permitted to
O “But the [WW] college recognizes the genre as a body of bring reproach to you and all of us?”—West Coast, April,
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T musical literature, representative of the decades spanned 2007.
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D in the history of jazz, beginning in the 1920s, Ketting-Weller
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“God sees that which the blind eyes of the educators do not discern—that immorality
of every kind and degree is striving for the mastery, working against the manifestations
of the power of the Holy Spirit. The commonest of conversation, and low, perverted
ideas are woven into the texture of character and defile the soul.
“The low, common pleasure parties, gatherings for eating and drinking, singing
and playing on instruments of music, are inspired by a spirit that is from beneath.
They are an oblation unto Satan.”—Counsels to Parents and Teacher, 367.
The Adventist Jazz Band Craze 3
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Do you want your children attending these worldly schools - where, having left
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4 the protection of your home and personal presence, they are, without your
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0 knowledge, introduced to, and taught to love, the lowest forms of worldliness?
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Mile High Academy, located in Denver,
is one of two Adventist secondary
schools in Colorado. (The other is Cam-
pion Academy, in Loveland.) Notice
that, like all the other jazz concerts
mentioned in this report, this one en-
courages the general public to come
listen to its wild music and singing.
What a tragedy: 105 of our youth are listed here, who
practiced for weeks, being corrupted by this one pre-
sentation, plus all the church members and outsiders
who attended the gathering. Why is this permitted?
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Continued on the next tract
More WAYMARKS - from —————— PPPPPIIIIILLLLLGGGGGRRRRRIIIIIMMMMMSSSSS RRRRREEEEESSSSSTTTTT
1288 MYERS TOWN ROAD - BEERSHEBA SPRINGS, TN 37305 USA
Continued from the preceding tract in this series
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