Come Sunday—Can I Get A Witness? Jazz, Hope, And The Power Of Music

By Carolyn Studer

“When oppressed communities sing, they are doing more than making music. They are declaring that the present reality does not get the last word.” — Rev. Dr. Brian Blount

For centuries, music has given voice to hope in times of hardship. From spirituals sung in the face of slavery to the improvisational freedom of jazz and the bold, defiant energy of rap, African American music has carried a message of resistance and hope. That tradition will come to San Miguel on April 19^th, when Rev. Dr. Brian Blount will deliver the message at a special Interfaith Jazz Service at the Community Church of San Miguel de Allende. The evening is designed as a welcoming gathering for the whole community—music lovers, spiritual seekers, and the simply curious alike.

In his 11^th book, Can I Get a Witness?, Blount writes about the powerful role that blues, jazz, and gospel have played in helping communities resist oppression and sustain hope.

“Jazz resists the sense of orderliness,” Blount said in a recent interview. “With its discordant harmonies, it challenges expectations about what music ought to be. Historically it has also challenged expectations about what we as a people ought to be. The consistent thread is the desire to resist the claim that the people making it are less than others.”

Today jazz has become a global language of freedom, embraced by musicians and audiences everywhere. Music for the event will be provided by Carolyn Studer’s Church of Swing Band, featuring guest saxophonist Sophia Smith, a rising artist in San Miguel’s jazz scene.

Asked whether jazz still has something to say about freedom and dignity, Smith believes it does. “Jazz is really about listening,” she says. “You hear what others are saying, you respond, and together you create something new.” That kind of musical collaboration can also become a form of witness.

When asked how we might bear witness today, Blount said the call belongs to everyone. “Often that witness appears in everyday life—in small moments when we choose kindness over hostility and quietly subvert the idea that some people matter less than others. It’s a risk to bear witness, but people take that risk because they believe in the vision of the Beloved Community.”

Interfaith Jazz Service

Sunday, April 19^th 5:00 p.m.

Community Church of San Miguel de Allende

Callejón de Alcocer 24 - near SAPASMA. Free and open to the public