Jazz Vespers

Standards and Substandards is a playful quartet (vocals, piano, bass, and drums) with roots in jazz and branches reaching out to everything else. The band delights in finding ways to recreate a pop song with a swing rhythm or a blues scale, the more ironic or whimsical the better. And we love to perform classic jazz standards along with the rest of it. We’ll play George Gershwin, Dua Lipa, Stevie Wonder, and Duke Ellington compositions all in a row and just catch our breath long enough to string together an Etta James classic with Radiohead. All the while, we love to work improvisationally off of one another, so even we aren’t exactly sure what’s going to happen next.

Jazz Vespers is a monthly service combining non-denominational worship with jazz music performed by various bands, hosted at Elim Lutheran Church, blending spiritual reflection with live jazz performances. The free service brings together local musicians and listeners in an intimate evening setting.

The church opens its doors to everyone for Jazz Vespers, combining Scripture readings, worship elements, and live jazz sets. After the Jazz Vespers Service, there is a Jazz Social with snacks and drinks in the church’s Fellowship Hall.

There is no admission charge, but a free-will offering is taken which is used to fund future Jazz Vespers.