What Wondrous Love Is This
The American hymn that opens the service.
Evening prayer / chant / jazz improvisation
Vespers for the Feast of theTransfiguration
Composed and arranged by J.J. WrightPiano trio / two cantors / assembly
A service of evening prayer in which cantors and a jazz trio lead everyone gathered in hymns, psalms, and sung responses.
Album artwork: Maddie Sturm
The work
Evening prayer with a jazz trio.
Transfiguration Vespers is a complete service of evening prayer for the Feast of the Transfiguration.
Written for piano, bass, drums, two cantors, and assembly, it brings chant and hymnody together with jazz improvisation. Cantors lead the psalms and prayers; everyone joins in the sung responses. Wright’s arrangements give the trio space to improvise within the order of Vespers.
Listen
Hear the music.
Three excerpts from the live recording at Saint Peter’s, New York.
Antiphon III / Revelation 19
Cantors, jazz trio, and assembly sing the biblical canticle.
Transfiguration Hymn
The closing hymn, sung by the gathered assembly.
Full recording
Recording credits
J.J. Wright, piano; Ike Sturm, bass; Nate Wood, drums; Sharon Harms and Ashley Daneman, cantors. Album artwork by Maddie Sturm.
Album artwork: Maddie Sturm
Watch
About the Vespers.
J.J. discusses the music and the role of the assembly in this short Rome Reports film.
Rome ReportsWatch on YouTube
“Lively, prayerful and inspiring.”
James Martin, SJ
Performance
Present the Vespers.
J.J. leads from the piano, with bass, drums, two cantors, and the gathered assembly. Musicians may travel with him or be drawn from the host community. Local singers and readers can also take part.
A workshop or class on improvisation and sacred music can accompany the service. Contact J.J. about your community, venue, dates, or performance materials.
Plan a performance- Musicians
- Piano, acoustic bass, drums, two cantors
- Participation
- The assembly sings hymns and responses
- Piano
- Tuned grand or high-quality acoustic piano
- Preparation
- Rehearsal time, sound support, and materials agreed for each service
Composer / pianist / conductor
J.J. Wright
His album O Emmanuel reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Traditional Classical chart. His recording credits include the Latin GRAMMY-winning, GRAMMY-nominated Afro Bop Alliance.
Wright brings jazz improvisation together with choral and sacred music. In Rome, he researched ways to translate Baroque oratorio into jazz, studied at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, and interned with the Sistine Chapel Choir. He studied jazz piano at The New School and earned a doctorate in choral conducting at Notre Dame. He directed the Notre Dame Folk Choir from 2017 to 2026 and continues to teach Rhythms of Faith there. His projects include Transfiguration Vespers, The Passion, and the trio album Inward Looking Outward.
Full biography
Contact
Plan a performance.
Tell J.J. about your church or organization, venue, and proposed dates. Ask about the Vespers, a workshop, or the score.
Album artwork: Maddie Sturm