Bill Carter and The Presbybop Quartet: News

Check out our latest newsletter. You can read it online by clicking here.

Our friends at Day 1 have put together a video reflection with Bill Carter. He speaks of music in the church, and the potential for it to transform us into different people. Check it out here!

 

Did you know that you can make a tax-deductible donation to support Presbybop Music?  

We had a tremendous time in Point Pleasant, NJ, making music and lifting spirits among the courageous survivors of Hurricane Sandy.

Thanks to the full house of people who came to enjoy our music. It was deeply gratifying to share our joy and love with those good folks.

On December 11, we took our Presbybop Christmas Eve band into the hi-def studios of WVIA and recorded a live concert as a holiday show. It was a fantastic evening, and really catches the power and joy of that ensemble.

We are offering a free benefit concert for the courageous survivors of Hurricane Sandy. It's on Monday, December 17 at 7:00 pm in Point Pleasant, NJ. Details are on our Calendar page.

The event has caught the eye of the national press. Here is the link to a full story about the event: http://www.pcusa.org/news/2012/12/3/jazz-noel-concert-scheduled-support-jersey-shore-h/

Hello - We successfully raised the funding to get our Christmas Eve band on PBS! Our "Jazz Noel" concert will be recorded in the hi-def Sordoni Theater of WVIA. There is info on our Calendar page if you would like to come for the recording.

We are delighted to announce the release of our new DVD, Jazz belongs in Church. You can find out more on this website! After a year of dreaming, shooting, and editing, we are thrilled to release it - and you can get your copy by clicking here.

Also, a downloadable Study Guide is available for free as a PDF file. It's here on this website. Click here to get your copy.

Jazz and the Spiritual Life – A retreat with Bill Carter

This fall, Bill will lead a retreat at Kirkridge Conference Center, located on a high mountain ridge in eastern Pennsylvania.  Scheduled for Thursday evening, October 18, through Saturday, October 20, the retreat will explore the intersection between creative music and the life of the spirit.  The event will feature an evening visit to the Deer Head Inn, the nearby jazz club where some of the world’s greatest musicians gather and play.

To register or discover more information, visit www.kirkridge.org. This retreat is the first public event where we will explore the themes of the “Jazz Belongs in Church” DVD – and extend them even further. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to enjoy a couple of days on a diet of pure jazz.

Glad to tell you that the Jazz Belongs in Church DVD is nearing completion! After nearly a year in development, this two-hour video has been prepared for production, and will soon be sent to the factory for replication. We will unveil the new DVD in early July 2012 in Pittsburgh, at this year's General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

You can pre-order the DVD for $25.00 on this website at www.presbybop.com/jazz_belongs_DVD.html.

Also, if you would like to bring us to your town for this fall's Jazz Belongs Tour, drop us an e-mail at office@presbybop.com. We would love to bring our music to you!

Hello everybody - after a northern winter with less than three inches of snow, it seems that everything is beginning to bloom. The fresh air is fragrant with possibilities. Gigs are getting scheduled. Check out our updated calendar!

We continue to work on our DVD project, entitled "Jazz Belongs in Church." Looks like it might be ready by June 1. 

Hope you are doing well. Keep in touch!

We are delighted to learn that significant contributions have come to the Jazz Belongs in Church project. The generosity is overwhelming!

As we begin our IndieGoGo campaign, we have already received a grant from the Presbytery of Lackawanna to get the filming started. Hooray! Plus there's another big gift from our good friend Anonymous. Thanks to all! It's a busy Christmas rush for Bill, but when the tinsel is put away, we will start posting some of the video clips to help you imagine what we are doing.

Want to be part of the project? We would love to hear from you. Go to www.indiegogo.com/jazzbelongsinchurch. It's just that easy.

For more information, go to http://www.indiegogo.com/jazzbelongsinchurch

We have updated the website to offer more sheet music: two songbooks (from our last two CD projects), the PDF version of our jazz hymnal (Swing a New Song to the Lord), and all kinds of goodies - including the sheet music for "Welcome Home" and Bill's collection of jazz sermons and writings. Check it out at www.presbybop.com/products.html

Hey everybody - our jazz hymnal, Swing a New Song to the Lord: Resources for Jazz Worship is now available as an e-book in PDF format.  The book is chock-full of hymn settings, musical prayers, and instrumental music. It is available immediately as a download for $45, with permission granted for one-time copying for worship services, churches, and religious gatherings.

You can find it on our "CDs / Music" page, or by going directly to http://www.oronjo.com/live/next/?fi=78526

A new Frequently Asked Questions sheet has been posted as a PDF file. Check it out!

The phone has been ringing, the email buzzing. Looks like we will do an eight day Southern Fried Presbybop Tour in November, all in support of our new Interior Window CD!

This is exciting. To see the touring map as it is tentatively planned, click this link.

Dates are being added on our gig calendar page. Come and see us if we are in your neighborhood!

 

We want your input as we begin to put together a DVD called "Jazz Belongs in Church." Click on the link, give us your opinion, and we might draw your name for free stuff!

Here is the survey link: www.surveymonkey.com/s/6N23DLX

Thanks to all who came to our CD Release Concert for Interior Window. Here is the final blessing of the night, a gentle setting of the medieval chant "Adoro Te Devote."

Here is the opening tune from last week's CD concert. Enjoy "Iona Morning"!

Recently Bill dropped by our local NPR station for an interview about the new CD, "Interior Window." The interviewer was very insightful (much more so than Bill!). Listen to the interview here.

Our good friend Jeff Kellam wrote a very nice tribute to Bill. You can find it on his blog. Thanks, Jeff, for your friendship. The affirmation is mutual.

     We are happy to report that our new Interior Window CD is moving along. After a very successful partnership campaign through IndieGoGo.com, we raised the necessary funds to produce our new recording. THANKS to the 68 people who joined as partners. We are grateful for the encouragement, support, and positive buzz that has been created.

     The more exciting news is that we have also had a great day in the recording studio. So great, in fact, that we recorded twelve excellent tracks in about six hours. I am grateful to Al, Tony, and Ron for their superb musicianship. This new recording will be something very special, and we look forward to sharing it with you. Keep in touch for further updates, and we will do the same.

Even though our partner campaign has concluded, it is still possible to donate to the project. The Interior Window project is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions in behalf of the Interior Window Project may be made payable to Fractured Atlas and are tax-deductible to the extend permitted by law. To make a charitable donation, just click below:

https://www.fracturedatlas.org/donate/3860