• David L. Cook: Multiple award-winning, Christian-Country singer/songwriter (composer of “Meet Me at the Crossroads”), CMA/CGMA Entertainer of the Year - 2006-07
• Jim Brock: Veteran drummer and percussionist
• Richard Kiser: International Country Gospel Music Association’s “Instrumentalist of the Decade”
• Ethel Beatty Barnes: Broadway and Gospel veteran actress, singer
• Catrina Pegues: Gospel singer, Grand Prize Winner: 2004 “Gimme the Mike – Charlotte” competition
• Dennis Reed: Gospel pianist, 2006 winner of the John Lennon Foundation Songwriting Competition.

Master Percussionist, Jim Brock, with 14-year-old gospel drummer, Jamione Washington (photo by Dan Coston: used with permission)

After working with Jamione, Brock gave the young musician a set of drums, saying, “A talent like that deserves a set of drums of his own; it’s up to us to find talented young people who fall “outside the system” and to nurture them.”

• The Whippersnappers: Emy (10 years old), Casey (11), Avery (13) – all backup vocals, and David (their dad, acoustic guitar and vocals) McGuirt
• Johnny Fung (18): Electric jazz guitar
• Jamione Washington (14): Drums
• Nick Rothenberg (17): Congas
• Caroline Keller (18): Christian Country Recording Artist

G.A.P. (God’s Appointed People), in action.

Joe Rothenberg and Liliana Gonzalez, from Son de Cuba

“Dancing Before the Lord”

Contemporary Gospel up-and-comers, Dennis Reed & G.A.P., collaborate with Son de Cuba.

Charlottean, Dennis Reed recently won the BMI 2006 John Lennon Songwriting Competition, beating out thousands of songs from all over the U.S., for his song “Out of Control” – the first black gospel song in history to win the award.

Son de Cuba performs traditional Cuban Son, a musical ancestor of rhumba and salsa. Son derives from Spanish, African, French Creole and native musical influences, and arose first in the Oriente province of Cuba (Wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_(music)).

Despite shared roots in African slave music, Cuban Son and contemporary Gospel differ wildly in musical language.

Watch cutting-edge gospel meld with infectious, tropical rhythms as two unique, culturally rich and diverse ensembles share and learn from each other as they work to perform a joint version of Dennis Reed’s celebration in song: “Awesome God.”

Band Leaders Hanna (L) and Harrison (R) connect

Traditional Southern swing, big band, Bill Hanna’s Vintage Dance Band collaborates with Zeb Harrison & the New Life Praise Band.

Made popular during the 1940’s, swing big bands have enjoyed a recent resurgence, in conjunction with the growing popularity of ballroom dancing.

Meanwhile, a style of music, almost exclusive to the South and nearly unknown outside of African-American Pentecostal circles, has fueled the worship services of United Houses of Prayer for decades. The New Life Praise Band members grew up within the United House of Prayer, and their music captures the high energy of the spirit, while branching out into jazz and gospel.

Both ensembles employ brass instruments and percussion, and have roots in New Orleans musical styles. However, the black band plays religious music of profound spirituality, and almost entirely by ear; in contrast, the swing band plays carefully orchestrated “charts,” intended to “grease” social wheels by inspiring dancing.

Watch great musicians shatter the barriers of race religion and musical training break in a jazz session of unity, joy and praise.

Mexican Tejano band, Estilo Norteño collaborates with Cajun/Creole band, Carolina Gator Gumbo.

Invented in 1822 by Friedrich Buschmann in Berlin, the ACCORDION made its way to the “New World” in the 19th century and was adopted by various cultures.

Watch as Mexican Grupo Estilo Norteño brings its accordion-based Conjunto music (which also employs the bajo sexto – a Mexican 12 string guitar) to a fun-filled collaboration with the Cajun/Creole band – Carolina Gator Gumbo.

While both styles adopted the accordion as “must have” instruments, they diverged into profoundly distinct and unique musical traditions. Enjoy the fun and camaraderie developing between two ensembles, as they hearken back to their Germanic roots and find common ground once again.

Performing an almost extinct style of hymn singing, the Charlotte City-Wide Metered Hymn Choir joins the a cappella, male singing group – ‘Round Midnight in an exploration of a cappella spiritual music.

African-American singing traditions have always played a major role in the music of the United States. One of the earliest styles of hymn singing (both in black and white churches) is a nearly extinct method of hymn singing that is still practiced in a few African-American churches in the Southeast U.S., most notably in the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.

This “old school” method of hymn singing allowed Illiterate congregants to apply their own singing traditions, sounds

While the tune most commonly associated with “Amazing Grace” is used in conjunction with the text around the world, the Charlotte City-Wide Metered Hymn Choir sings the words on a separate and extremely distinct melody.

Watch as a cappella group ‘Round Midnight joins with the Charlotte City-Wide Metered Hymn Choir in a world-premiere, collaborative performance of “Amazing Grace.” “New South Crossings” brings you a version that conjoins the beloved words with an age-old, traditional African-American melody, its now “commonly accepted” tune (“New Britain”), and luscious jazz harmonies in an “eye to eye” meeting of time, culture, race, and religion.