Celebrate the BLUES:

While churches in some cities have gospel brunches, at least one church in Tucson holds an annual Jazz Sunday in the fall, and a Blues Sunday in the spring.  And since spring usually arrives early in Tucson.

…The lineup of perfomers features Lisa Otey on piano and vocals, “Hurricane” Carla Brownlee on tenor sax and vocals, Ed DeLucia on guitar, John Snavely on clarinet, Mike Levy on bass and the Rev. Mike Smith on drums.

Smith is a retired pastor and the organizer of both the church’s Jazz Sunday and Blues Sunday.  In a press release, he explains why it’s appropriate to celebrate the blues during Lent: “It is a time when we contemplate the entire human experience of suffering, loss, sadness, yearning for love and justice, and disappointment.  Blues music was created by African Americans in the South, and it functions much like laments in the Bible – songs of melancholy, enduring cruelty, oppression and hard times.  During Lent, as Christians aim to feel deeply with Jesus’ suffering and faithful witness to God’s love, we are moved to feel with and act on behalf of all people who would ‘sing the blues.’”…