Gospel, from Japan to Harlem

[Brad]

From Japan to Harlem A Gospel Singer is Born

The former pop star TiA, after giving up on pop, has become a gospel singer, after living next door in Harlem to a church. 

[CJ Shearn]

Very interesting!  Apart from the religious aspects, it's very interesting how the music could captivate someone from the other side of the world.  I think more than ever Japanese artists are expressing their own voice.

Edited May 13, 2018 by CJ Shearn

[Brad]

I thought it was a bit unusual but it does show how the feeling is infectious. 

[Rooster_Ties]

11 hours ago, Brad said:

I thought it was a bit unusual but it does show how the feeling is infectious. 

I saw this thread last night, and read and shared the article and video with my wife.

But it wasn't until I just saw your comment, Brad, about "the feeling is infections" that I remembered an experience I had 100 years ago, back in college (circa 1990), my junior year.  I'd sung in the college choir every semester since I was a Freshman, and had taken private voice lessons more often than not during that time.  I was a Computer Science major, but I took a whole bunch of music classes, to the point where I ended up getting a double-major (not my aim, but that's how it turned out).

So one semester, I did a half-credit independent study on blues, and one of my assignments was to go hear some real gospel in a couple African American churches in town (small town of 35K, in upstate IL).  So I went one Sunday to an AME church near campus, and discovered they were having a "music revival" all afternoon the next Saturday, which was perfect timing for me.  Long story, short -- I went.  And I really got moved by the whole experience.  I'd long gone to various churches as I was growing up (long story, but United Church of Christ, Presbyterian, Lutheran, and I was a hired gun in a paid choir all through high school at a Catholic Shrine near where I lived, which was DAMN good money I might add, $15/hour back when the minimum wage was like $3/hour), and I was also a paid choral section leader at the local Congregational Church all through college.  BUT, I was decidedly an agnostic, in terms of actual belief (and an atheistic-leaning agnostic, at that - always have been).

So I get to the AME "musical revival" -- little 20-year old me (who's white, I might add) -- and I'm totally swept up in the music.  To the point where -- I swear this is true (I'm sure I've told this here before) -- I get up and sing (solo!) some spiritual I knew from my college choir experience (something I knew like the back of my hand, because we'd memorized it the previous spring for a college choir tour over spring break).  That was all 30 years ago, but I think I must have had a solo in the piece (when my choir did it), which must have given me the courage/chutzpah to get up in front of an all-Black congregation of probably 300-400 people, and sing something from their tradition, and solo at that.

"Infectious" indeed.  I can attest to that personally.

Edited May 14, 2018 by Rooster_Ties

[Brad]

That is a great story, RT.  You must have written a great paper for the course.  Music has a way of sweeping you away. I’m agnostic too (never was barmitzvah’ed) but can see myself getting carried away.  Of course, I can’t sing for crap, but that’s not what’s it’s about, singing ability. 

[Patrick]

yes, cool story Rooster!